Former Kansas University basketball coach Roy Williams says he is not trying to raid the school’s 2003 hoops recruiting class.

Williams, in fact, says he’s flabbergasted by allegations he’s trying to get Jayhawk signees Omar Wilkes and David Padgett to follow him to North Carolina.

“It’s just mind boggling … that’s so far out … that’s just weird. For somebody to say I am trying to do something negative to Kansas is like saying I’m trying to kill myself,” Williams said Wednesday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse, minutes after returning from Chapel Hill, N.C., where, Monday, he was named the Tar Heels’ coach.

KU officials, who heard Williams talk in detail about Padgett and Wilkes in a pair of ESPN interviews Tuesday after mentioning the duo in his introductory news conference Monday night at UNC, Wednesday lodged a complaint with UNC officials.

“We have addressed it through the appropriate channels. We’re satisfied with the response,” KU compliance director Janelle Martin said. “I think both North Carolina and Kansas understand what rule is at issue.”

The rule at issue involves schools tampering with other schools’ recruits who have signed national letters of intent. Padgett and Wilkes both signed letters with KU in November.

“Prospects sign letters of intent with the institution,” Martin said. “Once they sign that letter of intent, not only are they bound to the institution, but all other institutions must cease and desist in recruiting them.”

Williams raised some eyebrows during his ESPN “Pardon The Interruption” interview when he said: “I don’t think it’s fair to David Padgett to be stuck out there now. And yet, in that national letter of intent that they do have to sign, they put in bold print, ‘You are signing with the school, not the coach.’ But that doesn’t make it right.”

On another ESPN program, Williams said he thought there should be “a window of opportunity” for players like Padgett to seek releases from schools.

Williams told the Journal-World Wednesday he was merely commenting about players being tied to letters of intent once the coach leaves. He said he was not attempting to lure Reno, Nev., native Padgett and Los Angeles prep Wilkes to North Carolina.

“It’s as far from the truth as it can possibly be,” Williams said earlier Wednesday in an 810-WHB radio interview.

“What I meant to say is those two kids probably came to Kansas more for Roy Williams than they did just because it’s Kansas.

“For Jeremy and J.R. to come to Kansas, it is somewhat more local,” he added referring to Oklahoma products Jeremy Case and J.R. Giddens. “It is a basketball school in their area. David and Omar came from long distances. David Padgett narrowed his list to Kansas and North Carolina. His dad said the reason he chose Kansas is because of Roy Williams.

“I wasn’t recruiting them (on TV). People that think that aren’t thinking of the real Roy Williams, I can tell you that.”

Padgett and Wilkes said they will wait to see who KU names as coach before they decide whether to ask to be released from their letters of intent. Case and Giddens are firmly committed to KU.

• Nash to undergo surgery: KU junior Bryant Nash will undergo surgery on his right wrist Monday at Lawrence Surgery Center, KU trainer Mark Cairns said. Dr. Neal Lintecum will perform the surgery that will require three months rehab. Nash suffered the injury in KU’s 69-65 win over Duke on March 27.

“He must rest it six weeks to let the repaired cartilage heal,” Cairns said. “An MRI confirmed that he has a tear. He will have no problems once he has the surgery and does the rehab.”

• Lies, lies: Williams on reports a deal was struck with North Carolina before former coach Matt Doherty was fired. “That’s the biggest fabrication of anything in the history of mankind,” Williams said.
• Troubles with Bohl: Williams was asked by 810 if he talked to UNC’s Dean Smith about his frustrations with former KU AD Al Bohl. “Coach Smith knew it wasn’t the smoothest thing in the world,” he said. “It’s not a big point of contention. I did tell the chancellor at one time, said to some of my friends, but no one in the decision-making process at North Carolina. Mostly golf buddies. The last two years were at times hard.”

“That man never did one thing for me in two years … yes I probably would have stayed (if Bob Frederick had remained AD),” Williams said more forcefully to Knight Ridder News Service.

He did not want to criticize chancellor Robert Hemenway. “He was sensational to me,” Williams said.