By now, most of you have heard North Carolina coach Roy Williams’ newest Roy-ism.
After Wednesday’s 82-69 loss to Wake Forest, Williams compared this season’s struggles to those of his first year at Kansas, when the Jayhawks went through a stretch in which they lost eight in a row.
“I’m bringin’ the dadgum guys in Friday night, watchin’ Hoosiers, Rocky III, making bologna sandwiches,” Williams remembered mandating for the Kansas team.
“If I have to start frickin’ doin’ that, I’m experienced at it right now.”
Hoosiers? Rocky III? C’mon, some of these guys weren’t even born when those movies came out.
That got me thinking: I wonder which movies Williams would pull out of the vault to help hype his Heels before tonight’s game at N.C. State University.
Here are a few that could get their competitive juices flowing:
The Notebook
The story: Boy meets girl. They get separated and everything falls apart, only to reunite and find love once again.
-The Tar Heels meet star recruit (John Wall) at basketball camp. It’s love at first sight, a match made in heaven.
-UNC goes off to Detroit, and said recruit falls in love with another university. All seems lost.
-Williams feasts his eyes on Harrison Barnes, and his heart flutters all over again.
Williams’ message: It’s not OK for men to cry! Regardless of how grim the past has been, pick your head up and look toward tonight!
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The story: Fresh out of the womb, a baby boy seems oddly old. As things unfold, everyone sees that he is aging backwards.
-The 2009-10 Tar Heels are born. They’re young, but somehow their No. 6 preseason ranking makes them seem older.
-They keep winning, and their curious case turns heads after a convincing win against then-No. 9 Michigan State.
-Then, the next game, something doesn’t seem right. UNC loses to Kentucky, and things become obvious, as the Tar Heels look younger and younger.
Williams’ message: It doesn’t matter whether we’re going forward or backward. We’ve got to hit our prime sometime!
The Hangover
The story: The guys live one night on top of the world, then spend the next day piecing it all together.
-It seems like yesterday that the Tar Heels were cutting down the nets. A party like no other ensues. They wake up this year wondering what happened.
-Tigers startle them. Georgia Tech knocks their teeth out. Former heavyweight Wake Forest lands an uppercut right on their chin.
-Team is so young that: “None of us could remember anything from last night. Remember?”
Williams’ message: Wait … I just remembered that I have our last five games against the Wolfpack on tape!
Looks like we were 5-0 in those games and that we outscored NCSU by 90 overall!
Contact Brandon Staton at bkstaton@email.unc.edu.
