UNC Basketball: Let Us Not Forget The 2009 Tar Heels

Justin CrawfordFeb 2, 2011

The last two seasons have been, well, not what is expected of UNC basketball. Tar Heel basketball is about being atop the ACC and college basketball annually. It is about National Championships and Players of the Year. It is about Dean Smith and Michael Jordan.

Sure, UNC basketball fans are used to winning and demand it, but how soon we forget how great the not-so-distant past was.

Just because the last two seasons have not gone according to plan (and this season has a lot more history to write) does not all-of-a-sudden mean that UNC basketball has reached rock bottom or that Roy Williams is a bad coach. We hear that last one a lot after every UNC loss.

But how soon we forget just how good that 2009 team was and how good of a coach Roy Williams was that year. Sure, UNC had as much talent as any coach could ask for, but do not forget that Ol' Roy was the one who brought that talent in. Do not forget all of the headaches Roy had to endure with that team to make sure everything came together for a brilliant National Championship run.

Let me remind you of some of those headaches. First, he had to wait and see if Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green would test the draft waters or come back to school. They opted for school. He also had an instance of Ty Lawson getting caught intoxicated while driving a car, and on top of that he was underage. Good Ol' Roy had to deal with serious injuries to Marcus Ginyard and and Tyler Zeller. To top it all off his floor general and ACC Player of the Year had an injured toe at year's end and was not even able to play in the ACC Tournament.

Yes, Roy Williams had his headaches with this team, but found a way to bring the team together by winning a National Championship. Roy will be back with a team that can compete for National Championships. He will hit the recruiting trail and coach the players he currently has.

Recently, I have criticized Roy for some of his coaching, but I failed to remember how good he really is at what he does. He knows how the game is played, and will find a way through these "migraines" he is currently facing.

Tar Heel fans: do not forget what Roy Williams has brought to this university, nor what 2009 meant to all of us.