What if Roy didn’t come back?

[DaSheed]

No doubt Roy saved the program and he did it because of his love for Dean. Other factors contributed but ultimately it was for Coach Smith. This really got me thinking. If Roy turns down the job a second time…who would have been the Head Coach?

Does Dean come out of retirement? Does Phil Ford take over regardless of his past discretions? Suitcase Larry? George Karl? Dean liked Rick Majerus. Would he have left Utah to come to Chapel Hill?

We dodged a bullet and were very lucky to have Roy. Not sure anybody else would have gotten the job done.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Thank God we don't really have to find out, but I don't see anyone else turning that group around so quickly especially managing our version of Split! Who else would have the 3 Nattys we can lord over the pukies and kitties?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I think George Karl would have been a fine alternative. Was he healthy enough at that time?

Obviously Larry Brown could have done it, too. But could he have kept it clean?

A lot of us wished Doherty had Phil Ford as an assistant (assuming Phil would have taken the job), but who knows how good he would have been in the HC role?

 

[midline]

I truly don't know, and thankful Roy felt he had to honor Dean's wish that he come back. I think Karl's health issues rule him out. I think Larry's issues rule him out, on top of the fact that you would never know when Larry would wake up one morning and decide he wanted to go back to the NBA. It might have been the big boy from Utah, though I am not sure that would have been the answer long term. But if Dean was in control, and it was obvious that he was, I keep thinking that sooner, or later, Dean would have circled back to Eddie Fogler if Roy had told Dean that he just wanted to stay in Kansas and be to them what Dean was to UNC.

 

[HeelFan58]

No doubt Roy saved the program and he did it because of his love for Dean. Other factors contributed but ultimately it was for Coach Smith. This really got me thinking. If Roy turns down the job a second time…who would have been the Head Coach?

Does Dean come out of retirement? Does Phil Ford take over regardless of his past discretions? Suitcase Larry? George Karl? Dean liked Rick Majerus. Would he have left Utah to come to Chapel Hill?

We dodged a bullet and were very lucky to have Roy. Not sure anybody else would have gotten the job done.

Rick Majerus died in 2012 and there would have been another search then.