A recent Associated Press story discussed the possibility of teams from Kansas University and the University of North Carolina meeting each other in the upcoming NCAA post-season basketball tournament. The reporter quoted former KU coach Roy Williams as saying, “When people ask me about it, I usually joke and say if we do meet, I hope it’s on Monday night because that would mean at least we’re playing for the national championship.

“But I don’t know if I could handle it,” he continued. “This may sound corny … but for me personally, that would be the worst moment of my life. I love people at both places.”

The odds of a KU-North Carolina face-off probably are remote, as are the odds of a KU-Illinois game that would have KU’s Bill Self coaching against a team he recruited and coached at Illinois.

However, the AP story about Williams noted the extreme feelings that surfaced when Williams left KU to move to his home state and take the North Carolina post. He acknowledged he hurt some people in making the move and that some people have hurt him by what they said and how they acted after his move.

“What you want in life is to have people who are going to be with you regardless of what you do,” Williams said. “It’s important to have that.”

It is understandable that thousands of KU basketball fans were unhappy to lose Williams to North Carolina. He was a good coach and a good person, and they didn’t want him to leave. At the same time, KU fans should have been extremely pleased to have secured the services of Bill Self to fill the vacancy left by Williams. Self is a top-flight individual who has compiled an excellent record as a coach at Tulsa and Illinois. His manner and his actions reflect well on the KU basketball program, the university and the state.

The disappointing aspect of the coaching change is the attitude of some university officials and KU fans scattered around Lawrence and throughout the state. They find it difficult to say anything good about Williams, calling him a “whiner” and saying he was becoming too difficult to please.

Williams was and is a true gem in the coaching profession. In the 1990s, he compiled the best win-loss record in Division 1 college basketball. He was an excellent recruiter and brought national attention to the KU basketball program. He reflected well on the university, Lawrence and the state and was a good citizen of the community as well as being extremely generous in his own personal financial gifts to the university.

He deserves the enthusiastic support and appreciation of all KU basketball fans, not the small-minded attitude still festering among some.

KU basketball fans should be highly appreciative of securing the services of Bill Self and, like Williams, hope the two schools and two coaches are so successful that they win all of their games up to the NCAA Final Four on April 2-4. Then KU fans should be rooting as loud and hard as they can for a Jayhawk/Bill Self win.