Roy Williams shocked the college basketball world by announcing his retirement as coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, seemingly bringing to an end a Hall of Fame career that saw Williams rank as among the most consistent winners within two storied programs. Williams, who won his 900th game during the 2020-21 season, concludes his career with a record of 903-264 (.774), with 485 of those wins coming since he took over at UNC in 2003 and 418 during an ultra-successful tenure at Kansas (1988-2003). Williams has a trio of national titles on his résumé (2005, 2009, 2017) to go along with nine Final Four appearances -- and will be a tough act to follow in Chapel Hill.
With that in mind, ESPN surveyed the landscape around North Carolina's first men's basketball coaching search in 18 years, including the prime candidates, the beneath-the-radar names -- including some prominent Tar Heels alumni -- and ultimately the name we expect the Tar Heels to choose to continue one of college basketball's richest legacies.
Why do you think Roy Williams picked this time to hang it up? What shape does he leave the program in?
While it was a surprise to see Williams announce his retirement on April Fools' Day of all days, there had been some whispers over the past few weeks that he might not be too far from retirement. He's 70 years old, and it has been a frustrating couple of seasons in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels would have missed the NCAA tournament last season after an injury-plagued, losing campaign, and they were bounced by Wisconsin in the first round last month. There's also likely some frustration with the drastic changes in recruiting, from the transfer portal to the looming introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) provisions across the NCAA.
But Williams has left the program in fine shape. You can easily make the case that North Carolina is the greatest program in college basketball history, when you factor in history and recent success, and I think it's also the best job in college basketball. The Tar Heels have a ton going for them, not least of which is their affiliation with Michael Jordan and Nike's Jordan Brand. They have money; they have facilities; it's a fertile recruiting area; and it's in maybe the most basketball-crazed metro area in the country.
Give us some of the bigger names who will be associated with this job, and the likelihood they'll land at UNC.
Given that it's North Carolina, there will be expectations of taking some big-time swings at some big-time names. I don't see Billy Donovan or Brad Stevens coming back to college, even though Stevens is on rockier footing than Donovan. John Beilein has been out of coaching for a couple of seasons, and I don't see him getting this job either.
In terms of active college basketball coaches:
Tony Bennett, Virginia Cavaliers: One of the best coaches in the country, Bennett knows the ACC and the region. But he seems awfully comfortable at Virginia and has shown he can win at the highest level there.
Jay Wright, Villanova Wildcats: Wright loves Villanova; he loves Philadelphia; and he has said time and time again that he's not leaving.
Scott Drew, Baylor Bears: Not sure the fit is great, but Drew has done one of the best rebuilding jobs in college sports history in Waco.
Mark Few, Gonzaga Bulldogs: If Gonzaga wins a national championship, could that be enough to get Few to go elsewhere? At age 58, I think he's probably closer to retirement than he is to going to another school.
Beyond those top-tier names is the second tier, highlighted by a group of alumni. Who's in that next group, and what are the concerns about hiring someone from it?
I think there is going to be a strong push to hire a Carolina guy, someone from the Dean Smith and Roy Williams coaching trees. The Tar Heels have leaned that direction in the past, and I think athletic director Bubba Cunningham could look that way again.
Wes Miller, UNC Greensboro Spartans: I think this will be the most likely outcome. Miller is a Greensboro native; he played under Williams at Carolina; and he has led UNCG to three regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances in the past five years. He recently turned down an opportunity to move to Charleston and replace Earl Grant.
Hubert Davis, North Carolina assistant: Davis has been an assistant coach under Williams since 2012, and he played for the Tar Heels from 1988-89 to 1991-92. He also played in the NBA for 12 years in between. I'd imagine he will be on the interview list.
Jerod Haase, Stanford Cardinal: Haase played at Kansas under Williams and then began his coaching career as an assistant in Lawrence before following Williams to Chapel Hill. He went to one NCAA tournament as a head coach at UAB and has been the head coach at Stanford for five seasons.
Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt Commodores: This might have been a serious option had Stackhouse been able to get it rolling at Vandy. But the former North Carolina star and two-time NBA All-Star has really struggled with the Commodores, and he could find himself on the hot seat after next season.
King Rice, Monmouth Hawks: Rice played at North Carolina 1987-91 and has been the head coach at Monmouth since 2011. He won back-to-back regular-season titles in 2016 and 2017 and had a second-place finish this season, but he has yet to lead the Hawks to the NCAA tournament.
Steve Robinson, North Carolina assistant: A longtime staple next to Williams, Robinson spent a year with him at Kansas and has been in Chapel Hill since Williams came in 2003. He also has head-coaching experience at Tulsa and Florida State. He should be on the interview list as well.
Who's your first choice if you're UNC's decision-makers, who's your Plan B and who's your "if all else fails" candidate?
I think North Carolina will keep it in the family and tab Miller to replace Williams. It just makes the most sense and checks a lot of boxes. He's a North Carolina guy; he played for Williams; and he has had success on his own as a head coach.
Now, if Cunningham goes outside the family, all bets are off.