I’ve never met any of Roy Williams’ players or Mary Willingham. I have never challenged any of them to speed SUDOKU, Scrabble or JEOPARDY. I have no grandchildren for them to be left in charge of. My first hand knowledge of their acumen at reading, ‘riting or arithmetic is, like yours, “not a clue”.
Mary Willingham says some of Roy’s players have had no more than 4th grade reading skills. Roy counters that by saying they are all “good kids”??? The ability to read at the 5th grade and above level and “being good” being mutually exclusive?
“Some people” have, apparently, threatened Mary’s life for speaking up. Roy has not offered his opinions on the death threateners goodness, their reading skills or their ability as babysitters for anyone’s grandchildren.
This is all deliciously bizarre. Those folks who said, rather adamantly as I recall, that this was “all over” with the parking tickets revelation three years ago look pretty silly now , don’t they? …….. For those ABCers who waited not so patiently for “all this” sludge to reach UNC Basketball, their impatience has been rewarded.
Rev up ‘dem bull dozers Zeke, and point’em towards those dang rafters. Yeeeee Ha!
Giving Roy Williams a live mic is akin to setting a 3 y/o beside an open can of paint. The inevitability of a glorious mess is not a maybe. Roy is a bountiful bottomless fount of column fodder. I am truly blessed to cover him.
What do Mary Willingham and former Governor Jim Martin have in common? Neither one has, or apparently ever will, actually sit down and talk to Roy Williams.
For those of you keeping count and you know who you are – 6,864,896,005 Chinese currently know who Mary “Whistleblower” Willingham is. That number is amazing for a non-Kardashian and is certain to climb in the weeks to come.
Assuming the “death threats” are legit; Mary becomes the second UNC-CH employee (and first one not named Chancellor Holden Thorp) to receive death threats within the past four years. That number might be destined to climb too. There is no reason to think “the fat lady” is going to sing any time soon, but Julius Nyang’oro probably will.
I am certain that TarHeelNation has a lunatic faction quite capable of such asinine behavior. Every major college in America has such sickos in its basement…. and its sacred arena’s “lower level”. But every major college is not in the media spotlight right now.
Accepting Mary Willingham’s statements about “some of” Roy’s players over the years is not difficult for me. The only reason for anyone to dismiss Mary’s statements is an unshakeable faith in the existence of a mythical “Carolina Way”.
The Carolina Way was a recruiting gimmick created by Dean Smith back in the 70s. Many schools also claim to have their own “Ways” but this is about Carolina’s. I don’t believe Coach Smith ever envisioned his little catch phrase taking on religious cult significance with Dickie Baddour being the Jim Jones – Reverend Moon – John The Baptist – L. Ron Hubbard of the movement.
If hard-core disciples of Dean & Dickie’s “Way” are dismissing the current glorious mess with “Everybody Does It” (EDI) then they reject the very sanctity of their mythical Way. If “the Way” Carolina has conducted its athletic program is “like everyone else does it” then it is no Way at all….. and never was.
Reread and ponder that paragraph. It is downright awesome in its simplicity.
I’m going to skip ahead now and get to this matter of Roy Williams’ bringing in recruits (aka “good kids”) that have 4th grade reading skills. Mary Willingham is not specific whether the individuals she encountered were Football or Basketball “student-athletes” (cough, wink). The assumption is “some of both”.
Is “some” 2 or 3 or 14 or 57 or….. ? Tru-Blues want to assume “one maybe” with two at most. ABCers prefer “some” as 95% if not all of’em. The Truth, as always, likely lies between the two extremes.
Roy is using the plausible deniability gambit, which, you may recall, Butch Davis used so effectively in not knowing what his best friend and #1 Assistant – John Blake – was doing on a daily basis. Roy does not know his players’ reading levels…. which non-existant courses they take…. whose rental cars they drive….. whose mouthguards they use….. or who teaches them free throw shooting. But he does testify to their inherent “goodness”.
Speaking of Chancellors; is that grinning munchkin FROM DARTMOUTH even still around? Crickets…..
NOTE: AgentPierce insists I remind you that The N&O’s crackerjack political reporter – RobRielleWho Christensen – despite being imbedded in John Edwards’ presidential campaign, never knew about that mess. Ms Hunter’s reading skills as well as her videographering skills remain unknown.
Roy does know that the Wear Twins are gone…. I think.
Amid all the righteous and self-righteous noise about Royz Boyz reading levels, I, your humble chronicler of all things “how come” had the following thought.
Did these “good boys” teachers in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th etc etc grades ever happen to notice their retarded reading skills? Assuming all of Royz Boyz do have high school diplomas, how does one graduate from high school in America with “4th grade reading skills”?
It’s 2014. Have slam dunking and/or rushing the passer become adequate substitutes for reading or writing?
Can a normal 4th grader comprehend the questions on the SAT or ATC test? I would think not but I haven’t seen an SAT test since Lyndon Johnson was launching his Great Society. How is that whizbang program moving along by the way? I digress.
Do those people at Princeton now administer the SAT orally via Dr Dre’s beat headphones? Do skanky little gals and/or AAU street agents read the questions to any one in ESPN’s Top 100 recruits? I’m going to throw in the name Chris Washburn here because I’ve mentioned SAT several times and I want this to be linked on PackPride. Hi, guys!
Is Reverend Bill Barber concerned that these “good kids” can’t read above the 4th grade level? ….. Does Bill Barber think store-front “eligibility diploma mills” like Word Of God are the answer? …… Does Bill Barber know that the teachers and school administrators that have routinely given out diplomas to functionally illiterate kids for decades are members of teacher unions and cannot be fired or even have their competency questioned? ….. Does Bill Barber know that liberal Democrats have controlled public education in America with an iron-fist for 50 years?……. Do Jim Goodmon, John Drescher, June Atkinson, Barack Obama and “BELO” know or care about the above?
Yes, AgentPierce insisted I ask those rhetorical questions. No one really cares about all that of course. All that really matters is tearing down, or preserving, those darn sacred rafters…. by golly.
Does Mary Willingham realize that every “good, albeit functionally illiterate, kid” Roy recruits is being courted by A LOT of other major colleges too? Are the “good kids” signing with other schools, including UNC’s area rivals, just the ones with 5th grade and higher reading skills?
Do John Calipari, Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski, Mark Gottfried, Bzzzz (the Wake guy), Dick Vitale, Jay Bilas and ________ know the general functional literacy level of the top players in major college basketball over the past 25 years. Is Roy the only HOF coach who seemingly doesn’t pay much attention to that stuff.
Is recruiting /signing kids who are functionally illiterate only deplorable if your school purports to having “a Way”?
If there is No Way then there is No Problem?
Once this current Franklin Street trainwreck is resolved (if it ever is) will everyone just go back to burying their heads in the sand and ignoring the real issues? That friends and neighbors is “a Way” we are all familiar with.
WARNING: This website will be undergoing significant server upgrading over the next few days. If your reader comments don’t appear in a timely fashion don’t assume it is because (1) I can’t handle your version of the truth or that (2) I’m saving you from embarrassing yourself. Blame it on the techno-geeks.
Am I the only one who thought how giddy 17 y/o blue-chippers must have been with those all-black Panthers unis yesterday?
Yes….. all four “Big Four” basketball teams losing by double digits on the same day IS in Revelations as an End Of Days sign. Better get your affairs in order ASAP.
