WATCH: Roy Williams palling around with Cam Johnson ahead of Final Four matchup
As North Carolina and Duke face off in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever, they’ll have some star power in the crowd. Tar Heels fans will recognized two people in particular.
Cam Johnson and Roy Williams shared a great moment prior to tip-off of the Final Four matchup. Johnson’s brother, Puff Johnson, plays for the Tar Heels, and he’s able to watch him play in what’s likely the biggest game of his life. He’s also going to be alongside his former coach, who retired from coaching after last season.
Johnson, who currently plays for the Phoenix Suns, started his college career at Pittsburgh before transferring to North Carolina in 2017. He earned First Team All-ACC honors as a senior before going to the Suns as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Puff Johnson is a sophomore at North Carolina and has played in 22 games this season. He averages 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per contest for the Tar Heels, who turned their season around to make it to college basketball’s biggest stage.
Roy Williams reveals reason behind retirement
Roy Williams spent North Carolina’s magical run to the Final Four as a member of the audience.
In a recent interview with the Sporting News, the former North Carolina head basketball coach gave further insight into exactly why he retired when he did, which turned out to be one season before Coach K at Duke.
Ahead of the Tar Heels’ for their Final Four showdown against their bitter rivals, the former UNC front man alluded to the decision being just as much about giving Hubert Davis a chance to take his place than the reasons he originally listed when he made the decision.
“The more I delayed it, it made all of those things more difficult,” Williams told The Sporting News. “I really wanted to wait and do it a little later myself, for me personally. But if you’re talking about the next guy coming, it wasn’t going to be nearly as smooth if I waited longer.”