Williams goes home to UNC

Chapel Hill, N.C. -- Roy Williams returned home to North Carolina, hoping to win the national championship that eluded him for 15 seasons at Kansas.\nThe basketball coach, who grew up in the North Carolina mountains and learned his craft as an assistant to Dean Smith, resigned as the Jayhawks' coach Monday to take the job at his beloved alma mater.\n"There's no doubt that I'm excited to be here, or I wouldn't be here," Williams said during a news conference on a practice court at the Smith Center, before a crowd of cheering boosters.\nSmith and former coach Bill Guthridge stood nearby, and the Tar Heels' players wore suits and sport jackets. Outside, a crowd of students gathered, and they could be heard cheering before the announcement.\nWilliams met with his Kansas players in Lawrence earlier in the day to inform them of his decision. He then flew by jet to Chapel Hill, where his hiring was announced at a news conference.\nThe decision came one week after Kansas lost to Syracuse in the NCAA championship game in New Orleans. Williams replaces Matt Doherty, who resigned April 1.\nWilliams returns to North Carolina three years after rejecting an offer to take over the Tar Heels' storied program. When Doherty resigned, there was immediate speculation that Williams would be the front-runner, but he angrily refused to answer questions about the job after the loss to Syracuse.\nWhen he left the meeting with his players at Allen Fieldhouse, a choked-up Williams tried to put his feelings about Kansas into perspective.\n"This is personal, fellas. There is something I want to say," he told reporters, fighting back tears. "This has been a special place. I really appreciate the way you have treated me."\nWilliams took the Kansas job only a few months after Larry Brown coached the team to the 1988 national title. After going 19-12 in his first season, Williams guided the Jayhawks to the NCAA tournament 14 straight times.\nThe fourth-fastest coach in Division I history to reach 400 victories, Williams (418-101) won nine conference championships and took the Jayhawks to four Final Fours, including two appearances in the title game.\n"It's sad for the program and the players who are here," said Jeff Boschee, who graduated from Kansas last year and attended Monday's half-hour meeting. "It's tough for them"