Hopefully, the weeklong debate over the Roy Williams decision will be put to rest soon. It isn’t good for anyone. One thing that will help is if Kansas University officials will announce within hours, not days or weeks, their selection of a truly outstanding coach to take the reins of the Jayhawk basketball program.

At that time, the heated, bitter, emotional attention given to Williams’ decision to leave KU for the University of North Carolina is sure to tone down as KU basketball fans express pleasure or unhappiness over the person named to be the eighth basketball coach in KU history.

Unfortunately, all parties have been damaged by the fallout from Williams’ somewhat surprising and disappointing decision to bolt from Lawrence and KU. Williams himself, or his image, has been damaged, not just because he left for another coaching position but by the manner in which he handled the move. Williams was on a high pedestal in the eyes of most KU fans, and they didn’t think he measured up to the image he had created over the past 15 years when he turned in his crimson and blue colors for North Carolina blue. Chances are, if Williams had it to do over again, he would handle the situation somewhat differently and, after Thursday’s going away party at the Lied Center, there may be even added questions in his mind about whether he made the right decision.

As noted above, everyone has been damaged. The coach lost. The university lost in that one of the nation’s outstanding coaches left KU. Chancellor Robert Hemenway lost because, in the eyes of many, he waited too long to fire Athletic Director Al Bohl. The state of Kansas lost because Williams had become a tremendous asset for the entire state with his image as a coach who placed as much emphasis on the type of individuals he recruited as he did on their basketball skills. Some people in Allen Fieldhouse now are subjected to closer examination and questioning about where their priorities lie. And Lawrence has lost in a big way because Williams certainly was a powerful and effective spokesman for the city, its residents and the university.

Lawrence and the university did show up well at the Lied Center awards ceremony Thursday night. Although there were a few boos directed at Williams and one attendee shouted “traitor,” the overall evening was a big success and anyone viewing the event had to be impressed with the positive demeanor of the players and the crowd and the respect Lawrence and Lawrence area fans have for the basketball program, the players and the coaches.

Once again, Lawrence and KU behaved in a classy manner.

Now it is time to regroup, be supportive of the incoming coaching staff and look forward to a continuation of the winning tradition of the KU Jayhawks. As many have noted, “sports” often is looked upon as the “front door” or “front porch” of a university in that it often generates initial interest in an institution and draws new fans to the schools. Those people eventually may want to know more about a school’s other programs and often become far more involved in all facets of the universities.

With the right coach, there is every reason to believe KU will continue its winning record. The returning players are good and experienced and the incoming students are considered among the nation’s best group of freshman recruits. Good days and good times are ahead for KU fans and players.

Williams caught a lot of static about the manner in which he left KU. However, those interested in the KU athletic program and the well being of the entire university need to be reminded that Williams has been extremely generous in his personal financial commitment to KU. His contributions total well over $1 million, and he has shared much of his financial success with his assistant coaches.

He seldom talked about money, and his total compensation package was among the highest of all major college basketball coaches. Even so, it is known he was sensitive to the fact he was one of the lowest paid basketball coaches in the Big 12 Conference, although he clearly was the most successful — successful in his teams’ number of wins and successful in the type of young men he recruited. He was extremely proud of the graduation rate of his players.

This being the case, he looked on his KU or athletic department salary as a barometer of what university officials thought of his record, his talent, his importance and his contributions to the university.

Granted, his total income was far in excess of anyone else associated with the university but not that much greater than most other Big 12 coaches, or coaches at other major basketball universities.

It was hard to explain, even though he certainly realized the political correctness and realities of the situation, why his salary was the same as KU women’s coach Marion Washington, whose team seldom drew more than 1,500 paying fans to Allen Fieldhouse. This is a sensitive issue but one that must be addressed when considering basic salary arrangements for the new men’s basketball coach.

The yet-to-be-named KU athletic director will face many challenges as well as opportunities, but coaches’ salaries, future contracts, the future of so-called “Olympic sports” and the question of reinstating some programs that have been eliminated all need to be recognized and addressed as KU officials start looking for a new AD.

It is hoped those doing the interviews and considering the qualifications of AD candidates, as well as the candidates themselves, will be totally frank in their discussions and that the complete Allen Fieldhouse story will be on the table — the negatives and the positives.

Few universities could be as fortunate as KU as it seeks its next basketball coach. As one of the nation’s outstanding basketball programs, KU will have the interest of many top individuals. Many of these coaches do not want it known publicly that they would be willing to leave their present jobs to come to KU, so much of the search and interview process has had to be conducted out of the public’s view.

It is known, however, that one of the nation’s truly outstanding coaches, who has indicated he is very interested in the job, had not been contacted by anyone officially associated with the search process as of Friday morning. It is difficult to understand the shortsightedness of the search committee members not to have made a single call to a coach who is such an outstanding candidate. Good manners do pay off, and it’s important to maintain good relationships.

Big-time college sports are a funny business and often phony and hypocritical. They attract tremendous attention, and the money generated by football and basketball programs is huge. Although it never will change, it is too bad equal attention isn’t generated for other aspects of the university, its academic programs, its research projects and the excellence of faculty and students.

Those genuinely interested in KU want their school be to a leader, to do things the right way and to have those identified with the institution reflect credit on the school. This applies to coaches as well as to administrators, faculty members and students.

Roy Williams was a valuable asset for KU, and it is hoped those in charge of the selection of a new coach will come up with a replacement who can take KU to the next level of excellence and that the new athletic director will be an outstanding individual in every respect.