We all thought it was an April Fool’s joke.
On April 1st, 2021, Hall of Fame coach and three-time national champion Roy Williams announced that he was retiring. It felt like a decision that was completely out of the blue, and if I’m being honest, it felt like someone in the athletics department was pulling the worst prank ever. At first hours went by, and there was no sign that it was a joke. Then the press conference happened, and all I could do was watch with a feeling of emptiness in my chest. I had never known a world of covering Carolina athletics that didn’t involve Coach Williams, and now it was all over.