Journal-World sports editor Chuck Woodling and 6Sports director Kevin Romary answered questions about KU athletics Thursday afternoon.

Moderator: We’ll be starting in a moment. We’d like to thank Chuck and Kevin for finding time in their schedules today and our readers for submitting their questions.

Diane: Besides the Al Bohl situation, is there anything different for Coach Williams that would make him accept the job NOW when he didn’t three years ago?

Kevin Romary: Kirk, Drew and Nick are gone…I’m not sure if coach has the same connection with the kids that are here now. Also, he doesn’t have a good buddy as the AD.

Chuck Woodling: I think he has more reasons to stay now than he did then. By that I mean the longer he stays the more he cements his legacy at Kansas.

Kyle: “I have had several very good conversations with Roy Williams over the last two days,” Baddour said in the statement. “Those talks will continue through the weekend” do you think thats bad news for KU? It seems Baddour is backing off of Roy after Dean has spoken to Roy. It seems NC is saying and doing everything Roy wants/needs to hear for him to leave KU.

Kevin Romary: I think I’ve changed my mind on this one several times. To be honest, today’s announcment surprised me a little. Coach promised he wouldn’t drag it out this time. Bottom line is, I don’t think there’s anyway he can look into Wayne simien’s eyes and say “I’m leaving.”

Chuck Woodling: Unfortunately, Baddour’s comments have done nothing to clear up the situation. I know this. I cannot imagine Roy Williams appearing at next Thursday’s annual postseason awards ceremony as the North Carolina head coach.

Kevin: Should Roy leave, will the priority be on replacing Roy, or hiring a permanent AD? Would certain prospective coaches be hesitant to come to the university without a permanent AD in place?

Kevin Romary: For the players on the team, a basketball coach hiring must be a priority. A university can run an athletics department for a while with no AD…a basketball team can’t play games or recruit without a coach.

Chuck Woodling: If Roy leaves and that’s a big IF, it would not be good for KU to hire a new coach without a permanent AD in place because it would be more difficult, as you said, to lure name coaches.

Shawn: Do you think they will offer the job to Roy since they say they have not yet?

Chuck Woodling: They won’t offer Roy the job until Roy tells them he will accept it. That way, UNC will have no egg on its face and Roy can continue to say: “They never offered me the job.”

Kevin Romary: I think they’ll have to know that he’ll say yes before making the offer. I think that’s why it’s taken so long. I don’t think UNC wants to go thgough another “Summer of 2000′ and then get turned down.

Benton Smith: Do you think if Roy were to leave that any players would follow him to UNC? Langford has said that he would probably leave KU if Roy does.

Chuck Woodling: Talk is cheap. A lot depends on who the new coach would be.

Kevin Romary: Players say that now, and I understand why. but I’d think they’d all wait to see who the new coach was and reconsider. After all, if they transfer, they’d have to sit after going to the Final Four two years in a row…that would be tough!!

Mark: Who would each of you say are the three best candidates to replace Coach Williams if he does leave for UNC?

Chuck Woodling: Bill Self, Bill Self and Bill Self.

Kevin Romary: That’s a tough one…names I’ve heard include Bill Self, maybe Calipari…how about Kelvin!!! All rumors, as of now — we have a coach

Chris: Were either of you surprised by Al Bohl’s news conference yesterday? Does he know he’s taking on the most popular man in the state?

Kevin Romary: In a few months, I think Al may wish he had just disappeared quietly. The whole situation was weird. And I was surprised by his comments.

Chuck Woodling: Surprised? I was stunned. I have never before and will probably never attend a media session like that one.

Kory: I have heard the rumors that Wanda would like to be back in North Carolina. How much weight do you think her feelings will carry with Roy in making the decision to stay or go?

Chuck Woodling: I wish I knew what Wanda was thinking, but she will not talk to the media. Part of that is because she has a hearing problem.

Kevin Romary: Apparently, she’d like to return to the East, but if coach maintains that he can’t leave his players, then I’d have a hard time believing she’d ask him to go. After all, they can return to Carolina after he retires!!

Nick Brown: Once Coach Williams turns down UNC again are we going to have to go through all of this drama every few years when they need a new coach or will it finally be settled that he’s staying in Lawrence for good?

Chuck Woodling: That’s the question of the millenium. I wish I had the answer.

Kevin Romary: Hopefully, Carolina won’t go looking for coaches every three years…and hopefully, if coach says he’s staying again, he’ll say I’m staying for good! Besides, I’m already sick of following this!! How about you?

Jeff: What is your opinion of Hemenway waiting to fire Bohl?

Kevin Romary: I think he should have done it months ago…for all parties involved…

Chuck Woodling: As I wrote in my column this morning, I thought he waited too long. He should have done it two months ago.

Erin: What will happen to Al Bohl? Where do you think he will go and why do you think he lashed out at Roy so bad? Bitterness?

Chuck Woodling: Bohl is probably finished as a major college AD. I don’t have any idea what he’ll do, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he returned to his native Ohio. Why did he lash out? That’s the 64-million-dollar question.

Kevin Romary: I’m pretty sure he won’t be in Lawrence and I doubt if he’ll ever be an AD again. He’ll find work…doing what, I don’t know…and bitter, I’d say so!! He obviously had some pent-up frustration.

Jayhawk_1995: Compared with the star freshmen we saw in the tourney this year, what kind of impact will the incoming guys have for KU?

Chuck Woodling: Padgett and Giddens project as impact players. Wilkes I know very little about. Case, I think, will be the outside shooter KU will need so badly with Kirk Hinrich headed to the NBA.

Kevin Romary: I think they’ll make a big time impact…we’ve seen JR in KC at an AAU tourney and Padgettt has all the credentials as Collison coming in. They’ll both play major minutes along with Wilkes. One, if not two of those guys may start…depending on what weight Jeff shows up at in September!!

Brian: Is it a possiblity that Roy will retire to avoid any hard feelings from KU and UNC? This would also provide an out so he would not go back on his word…

Chuck Woodling: Wanda would like for him to retire, but what would he do? He’s a Type-A personality with a work ethic that would tire most people just to think about.

Kevin Romary: Without a title…? I don’t think so… Roy will be coaching somewhere next year….

TheLTrain: How could Roy or anyone else ‘get Al fired’ (in Al’s words) if Al had been doing his job well and performing up to expectations? It seems to me Al’s own actions, words, and poor decision-making were what led to his demise.

Chuck Woodling: Yea, verily.

Kevin Romary: Al’s personality got him in trouble. He’s not a “Kansas guy”. There’s no reason to hate him, but being around him on a regular basis is difficult. I can see how he rubbed people the wrong way.

Brendan: I understand wanting to coach at your alma mater, but why would any succesful coach want to go to a program where the A.D. went and met with the players and their families behind the coaches back? Furthermore, why would you want to work with players that whine that their coach was too hard on them?

Chuck Woodling: And why would you want to go to a place where you will always be compared to Dean Smith?

Kevin Romary: Good question…I agree…also, add the fact that Doherty was good friends with Roy!!

Jeff Maher: Hemenway said he didn’t fire Bohl until yesterday as to avoid distraction from the Tourney, do you think the players could have cared a flip about Al Bohl getting fired a week or two before the tourney? I don’t think it would have ANY negative impact on their play and it probably would’ve relieved Coach Williams and been LESS of a distraction, what do you think?

Kevin Romary: I agree. After reading Collison’s remarks in the J-W, I’m fairly certain the team could give a squat about AB. It should have been done the first time all this blew up!!!

Chuck Woodling: Well, it could have been construed as a distraction if the Jayhawks had lost. As it turned out, they did lose, but it wasn’t because of the distraction of Bohl being fired or even Roy going to North Carolina. It was because of Syracuse’ free-throw defense.

CarterInGeorgia: Do you have any impression on how Roy feels about how Dick Baddour and the NC family treated Matt?

Chuck Woodling: I have no impression about that.

Kevin Romary: My gut tells me he doesn’t approve…However, I have no way of knowing…but judging from his past feelings, I’d say he’s dissapointed with UNC…

Moderator: We have time for just one more question. Again, we’d like to thank both Chuck and Kevin for their answers and our visitors for their questions.

Ray: What’s the impact on the current KU basketball players and the whole program in general if Roy really leaves

Chuck Woodling: Initial shock, then acceptance, then cranking up for the new era.

Kevin Romary: Time will tell…it depends on who’s hired…remember when KU gave the job to a no-name assistant from Carolina?…everything turned out all right after that…lots of grat coaches would love to call Larence home.

Moderator: Again, thanks to everyone who took part in this chat. Keep logged on to KUsports.com for all the up-to-date information on KU athletics.