March 7, 2006

By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Roy Williams insisted all along that he never doubted his team.

He might have been the only one.

So after leading North Carolina to a surprising second-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Williams was named the league's Coach of the Year on Tuesday, easily beating Duke's Mike Krzyzewski for the honor.

Williams received 94 votes from the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association while Coach K got six. Virginia's Dave Leitao (five) and Florida State's Leonard Hamilton (three) rounded out the ballot.

"It's a testament to a lot of kids that are making me look good," Williams said. "I told them to keep it up."

The 10th-ranked Tar Heels (21-6, 12-4 ACC) lost their top seven scorers from last year's national title team, yet somehow won their final seven games and 10 of the past 11.

Sure, they're not a favorite to repeat their championship, but at least they can defend it.

"I hoped that we would really play well, I hoped we would really play hard, and I hoped that would help us be very successful," Williams said. "But there's still a lot out there. We're hoping and dreaming that we won't stop right now."

North Carolina has done all this with a rotation that includes four freshmen and two former walk-ons. Of course, one of the first-year players is center Tyler Hansbrough, who became the first freshman in ACC history to earn unanimous first-team all-conference honors.

"It's got to be one of the best coaching jobs he's done, and that's saying something," said Clemson coach Oliver Purnell, a close friend of Williams.

The Tar Heels also got unexpected contributions from little-used senior Byron Sanders, Wes Miller and even Quentin Thomas, who played so poorly against Villanova last season in the round of 16 that Williams pulled him off the court after only 15 seconds.

Each had his moments this season, perhaps the best indication of their coach's talents.

"He just wants the best for his players, and he does whatever he can to help them," Thomas said. "For me, it wasn't always going as good as I would have hoped - or as good as I know he would have hoped - but he's been patient with me and supportive of me, and that's helped me in the long run."

Considering all this, it might not be the final time this season Williams accepts such an award this season.

"In my mind, he's done an amazing job, and he's certainly one of the favorites for national coach of the year," ESPN's Dick Vitale said. "To think what's done there after losing so much from last year's team, it just blows my mind."

In a lot of ways, the comparison to last season shows how much this team and its success has meant to Williams. He boasts of leaving only a handful of practices this season not pleased with how it went, and he has thoroughly enjoyed the subtle nuances of grooming so many young players.

"Last year was easier on game nights," he said. "I knew we could lose by three or four, or we could win by 30. This year, I thought we could win by three or four or lose by 30. Game nights weren't quite as easy emotionally, but it's really been a wonderful group of kids."