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"THT Podcast," Episode 7: Milligan coach Bill Robinson, the author of "Carolina Basketball School"
Aug 12, 2026
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0:02
And we are back on the Tarhill Tribune
0:04
podcast along with the founder and
0:05
publisher of Tarheel Tribune at
0:07
tarhilltribune.com.
0:09
My name is Britt Whitmire. We're proud
0:10
to have with us Bill Robinson. Bill
0:12
Robinson, coach has been with a friend
0:14
of the Carolina program for many, many
0:16
years. He's been in coaching and player
0:17
development for a long time. We'll talk
0:19
about his book in just a moment and it's
0:21
called Carolina Basketball School. It's
0:23
available at Amazon and wherever you buy
0:25
books. Glad to have you with us here,
0:27
coach.
0:28
>> Hey, thanks for having me, guys. I
0:29
really appreciate it.
0:31
>> Yeah, you you've got close ties to the
0:33
program and I've always heard you bring
0:35
in plenty of insight. So, we're happy to
0:37
have you on the podcast. I enjoyed
0:39
reading the stories on your book from
0:42
years at uh uh at the Carolina
0:46
Basketball School, which I attended as a
0:48
Chapel Hill kid way back when. It didn't
0:52
help much, but [laughter]
0:54
I enjoyed it. But we'll get more into
0:57
the book, but we have to start out with
0:59
the big program use, the unfortunate
1:02
timeline that led to Seth Trible
1:03
transferring to Louisville. I mean, it
1:06
seems like that the court ruling had
1:07
come before UNCC got the commitment from
1:09
Angelo Brizzy. I'm sure Trible would be
1:12
back, but Malone needed a physical
1:14
center, not a guard, which is why he got
1:16
the commitment from Cameron Fins for the
1:18
final roster spot. What's your reaction
1:20
to how this all played out?
1:22
>> A couple different things. won. I think
1:24
if um the coach that Seth had played for
1:28
was still there, I think that coach may
1:29
have fought fought for him more,
1:31
[clears throat] fought to get some more
1:32
money, fought for a spot, those type of
1:34
things. It's different with coach Malone
1:36
coming in. He doesn't have the
1:37
relationship with him obviously that
1:39
Hubert had with him. The second thing is
1:43
the the money is the big issue here. Uh,
1:46
from what I've heard, uh, Brrizzy was
1:48
very inexpensive
1:50
and Seth, I'm sure, would want at least
1:52
the money he got last year. So, I think
1:54
it more than anything else, it's just a
1:55
financial decision. Yeah. Either way, I
1:57
don't like it. I think it's the NCAA's
1:59
fault and changing the rules of this
2:01
late is really not fair to anybody.
2:03
>> Yeah, it's it's just unfortunate. What
2:06
about Fins? Obviously, he filled a me.
2:09
Is he more of a stop gap or he's a big
2:12
solution? I guess Malone's got the
2:14
choice on Keith's talent and high
2:16
ceiling, but lack of physicality and
2:19
youth and Finn's experience,
2:21
physicality, but lack of mobility.
2:23
Doesn't seem like he's going to be able
2:24
to switch one through five. Uh, how do
2:27
you see the center situation?
2:29
>> I think it's more of a stop gap. I don't
2:31
think he's a 30 35 minute a game type
2:33
guy, but he has experience. He can score
2:36
around the basket. Um, he can bring some
2:38
toughness. he may be your your enforcer
2:41
uh at the defensive end. So, I like the
2:44
addition. I think he's more athletic
2:45
than I thought he would be. Just hearing
2:47
a guy from the Dakotas, you wouldn't
2:49
expect him to be able to to run and jump
2:51
the way he does, but he's not going to
2:52
be able to switch all five and defend
2:54
smaller people. So, um it gives you five
2:57
more fouls in a game and it gives you
2:59
the ability for Kaida to come along
3:01
maybe a little slower than you
3:02
originally thought.
3:04
>> Tell me about the book. I want to talk
3:06
about the Carolina Basketball School
3:07
book and about what the camp has meant
3:09
to you. I was telling RL before we came
3:10
on that I know a lot of people I'm in my
3:12
50s. I know a lot of people who are in
3:13
their 50s and 60s and even people
3:15
younger than me. The majority obviously
3:18
of people who go and attend this camp as
3:19
kids. They're not going to go into
3:21
professional basketball in any way. Some
3:23
of them turn out to be coaches and stuff
3:24
in the community. But for many of them,
3:26
these kids talk about this camp for
3:29
decades after was such a fun time in
3:30
their life. They got to meet some of
3:31
their Carolina basketball heroes. a lot
3:34
of the alumni that come back. I'm
3:36
assuming that's what I haven't had a
3:37
chance to read the book. RL has read the
3:39
book. I'm assuming that's what really
3:40
motivated you to write this book about
3:42
the Carolina Basketball School.
3:45
>> Yeah, the motivation is a couple
3:46
different uh factors. One, there's so
3:48
many great stories that I don't want to
3:50
end. I don't want people to forget about
3:53
the stories when Coach Smith was there
3:54
and coach Guthridge and all those
3:57
stories that we sit around and talk at
3:59
lunch during camp. So the idea is if you
4:02
were to come to
4:04
Granville Towers lunch and sit around
4:06
with a bunch of the old coaches, these
4:08
are the type of stories that you would
4:09
hear. This the second thing for me is
4:11
that it's personal. There's people like
4:15
um Frank Fuca who was part of the camp
4:17
for 44 years. People don't even know his
4:19
name. But yet if you ask Coach Williams
4:22
75% of what he learned about postplay
4:24
was from coach Fuca and people don't
4:26
know who he is,
4:27
>> right? Um, and now he's passed and and
4:29
if I don't tell people about it, I just
4:31
don't know who else will tell. So, I
4:33
don't want people like that to be
4:34
forgotten.
4:35
>> Tell me about it. One of the guys that
4:37
has gone I think possibly forgotten for
4:40
some people who are not huge fans of
4:42
Carolina. You just talked about coach
4:44
Guthridge and I know there's a story
4:45
that's been circulating. One of the good
4:46
things about social media is one of one
4:48
once in a while you'll get one of those
4:49
nuggets on some short form video and
4:51
there's this great story about Mtar Jai
4:54
when he was with the Tar Hills heels in
4:55
the late 90s and uh coach Smith was
4:58
trying to instruct him and he would not
4:59
look coach Smith in the face or in the
5:01
eye and coach Smith goes what's going on
5:04
Mac what why can't I you need to look at
5:06
me when I'm trying to instruct he goes
5:07
coach in my culture in Africa if you
5:10
look someone an adult in the eye that is
5:11
a sign of disrespect and the next thing
5:14
you knew Mtar Jai was getting a call
5:16
from his folks in Africa in some village
5:18
saying, "One of your coaches is down
5:20
here and he's wandering around and he's
5:23
asking about you. Coach Smith had sent
5:25
Coach Guthridge down to his village in
5:27
Africa to kind of find out about the
5:29
culture. Tell us a little bit about your
5:31
experiences with Coach Guthridge and
5:33
what he meant to this program."
5:35
>> Yeah. Well, first of all, when it comes
5:36
to camp, the bus schedule that they
5:39
still use today was something he
5:40
established.
5:41
>> Wow. the curriculum for camp is still
5:43
what he originally established. Um, so
5:47
much of the influence of camp and what
5:49
was going on was was his ideas and he
5:53
was really the brains behind everything.
5:55
Coach Smith was still the head coach and
5:56
he was running the whole organization,
5:58
but when it came to camp, uh, he he did
6:00
everything. So, I had very little
6:04
uh, contact with him. He did call
6:07
Jonathan Holmes who's now he was at
6:09
Miami of Ohio last year as assistant is
6:10
now at College of Charleston. He was uh
6:13
with me for a year when I was at Montre
6:15
and Bill Guth was on his reference sheet
6:19
and I called him and had a conversation
6:21
with him and I felt just so nervous
6:23
talking to a legend coach like that.
6:26
>> Um but his influence is still felt on a
6:28
daily basis at camp and again somebody I
6:31
just don't want people to forget about.
6:34
Uh, I wrote this week about who I
6:36
thought would start and most of it's
6:38
pretty obvious. Uh, what's the lineup
6:41
you expect from game one and how deep do
6:43
you expect the rotation to be?
6:46
>> I think the rotation could get to 10.
6:49
Uh, I think Neo is going to play the
6:50
point even though everybody, you know,
6:52
obviously knows Terence Brown's going to
6:53
have the ball in his hands a ton. He
6:56
wants to score every single time he
6:58
touches it. I think he'll lead the team
6:59
in scoring just because I think he'd
7:01
take more shots than anybody else. and
7:03
Neo's more of a facilitator. I think
7:05
Matt Ael is obviously your shooter. So,
7:07
you put those three at the three guard
7:09
spots, whichever position you want to
7:10
put him in. I still think Jiren
7:12
Stevenson is your glue guy defensively.
7:14
He can guard a lot of different people.
7:16
And then I think the five is still
7:18
pretty wide open. Um, if they wanted to
7:20
go small, they could with Jiren. I know
7:21
that's I got some push back when people
7:23
have mentioned that. Uh, when I've
7:25
mentioned that, people kind of argue
7:26
with that and that's fine. Um, I know as
7:28
a coach I would love that lineup to have
7:30
a small, quick, athletic, really
7:32
defensive team that could fly around and
7:34
guard everybody. Um, I think fence could
7:37
start early with Kaida coming in maybe
7:39
later. Uh, and then Duroff, we don't
7:42
know what's going on with Duroff. I He
7:43
was at camp this summer, but I didn't
7:45
get a chance to see him play. So, I love
7:47
Kevin Thomas. I love Maximo Adams. I
7:50
think those two are really gonna be uh
7:52
very influential. Um, and I Isaiah
7:55
Dennis shot the ball great this summer,
7:58
so he and Jaden Young will fight for
8:00
time at the at the guard spots, but I
8:02
think he could go at least nine deep.
8:06
>> No. And and uh Hubert Davis didn't
8:09
really have a really big rotation, but
8:12
you get the sense that it'll be
8:14
different under Michael Malone.
8:17
>> I think so, because I think the pace
8:18
will be different. Um, Hubert and I have
8:20
been friends for 20 years, so we had a
8:22
lot of interesting talks when he first
8:24
got got the job. And and one of them
8:25
was, "How do you build a championship
8:28
team from the transfer portal at
8:30
Carolina and he was so much more like
8:34
Dean Smith than he was like Roy Williams
8:37
um that I think he had a harder time
8:38
adjusting to bringing in all those
8:41
transfers. But I think this is a good
8:42
mix of transfers and incoming freshman.
8:44
I think it could really mesh well. Um,
8:46
but when you do that, you're going to
8:48
have to play more guys than just six or
8:49
seven.
8:51
>> What's your understanding of of how the
8:53
style of Malone's teams might differ
8:55
from the teams of Hubert Davis, which
8:58
were a little bit different than the
9:00
teams of Roy Williams.
9:02
>> I think defensively you'll see a
9:04
different type of intensity. I think
9:06
coach uh coach Davis, his intensity was
9:09
there. To me, he still had more guys who
9:13
wanted to play on the offensive end than
9:14
the defensive end. So that's hard as a
9:16
coach. You can emphasize it all you
9:17
want, but you got to have those guys
9:18
that want to defend. I think this group
9:20
is ready to defend. Terrence Brown's a
9:22
dog and the best best sort of of being a
9:26
dog. He can get after it on the
9:27
defensive end as well. So um I just
9:30
don't think they've had enough people
9:31
who really want to sit down and guard
9:32
it. I think this group does.
9:35
>> I I have to ask you real quickly. Last
9:37
week on this podcast, uh Dave Hanners
9:40
came on and said that Terrence Brown Jr.
9:44
reminded him of Allan Iverson who uh
9:47
Coach Hanner's coach with the 76ers
9:50
staff. Do you see that?
9:52
>> He said the same thing to me. We
9:54
actually I sat between Dave Hanners and
9:57
Wanda Williams at the the last uh well
10:01
the summer game. It wasn't really alumni
10:04
game because they didn't have any alumni
10:06
that second week. Um, but Coach
10:08
Hanner's, first of all, he's another guy
10:10
I don't want people to forget because he
10:12
is an absolute brilliant mind and he is
10:14
the the Bill Guthridge to Larry Brown as
10:17
Coach Guthridge was to Dean Smith. U
10:20
brilliant basketball mind and just an
10:22
unbelievable guy. Great fisherman, too.
10:24
[clears throat] He would kill me if I
10:25
didn't make sure I added that into it.
10:27
Um, but he he is Terence Brown. He gets
10:30
the ball. He wants to attack the rim
10:32
every single time. He can get to the
10:35
line. He's going to make his free throws
10:36
and he he's a differencemaker every time
10:38
he touches the basketball.
10:40
>> And now I'm going to ask you the laziest
10:42
sports talk question out there. You
10:44
mentioned a moment ago about the the the
10:47
system that we're in now with the money
10:48
and the mess that's in and judges coming
10:51
and giving a
10:52
>> if you could wave the proverbial magic
10:54
wand and either I don't see how you
10:58
could make it worse, but if you could
10:59
either fix it or make the current system
11:01
better, what are some absolute immediate
11:04
changes that you would make that would
11:05
make this system better?
11:07
>> Yeah, I think Gino Oryama uh has some of
11:09
the best ideas and I don't know how you
11:11
feel about Gino. got could do a clinic
11:13
with him one time. He was awesome with
11:14
us. We had a great time and we did not
11:17
expect that. We were kind of nervous to
11:18
do some work with him. But
11:20
>> make it make it like pros. Come up with
11:21
a a salary cap. Come up with some rules
11:24
when you can't transfer four times and
11:28
play for four different schools. Limit
11:30
those type of things. But let's let's
11:32
make it more like pro sports where you
11:34
can can control it a little bit better
11:36
than what's being done now. And I think
11:38
that's where we're headed.
11:42
And I know that you you're speaking in
11:43
broadstrokes, but if we're talking about
11:45
pros, are we talking about let's have a
11:48
trade deadline? Let's be able to trade
11:50
people. If you don't make it, I can cut
11:52
you. I mean, is it is it going to be
11:54
kind of like that?
11:55
>> Yeah. You're talking to an a longtime
11:58
NIA coach, and that's been stuff that's
12:00
been talked about the NI level for
12:02
years. We talked about guys trading each
12:03
other at halftime and I mean it's not
12:05
that bad but the NIA obviously has a lot
12:07
less rules but um I don't think it comes
12:10
down to trading people during the year.
12:11
We're still pretending at least at the
12:13
NCA Division One level that they're
12:14
going to classes and they're trying to
12:16
get a degree and those type of things.
12:19
Um the guys that I know from Carolina, I
12:21
know they're still going to class. I
12:23
have heard from other schools uh
12:25
including one that Carolina played last
12:26
year that guys aren't even going to
12:28
class anymore,
12:29
>> right? Um, so let's stop pretending that
12:31
it that it is and let's let's just
12:34
focus on on trying to to make the best
12:36
of what this situation is right now.
12:38
But, uh, I do think that
12:41
maybe not cutting somebody during the
12:43
season, but it it's going to be the type
12:44
where maybe you got to put some more
12:46
control back to the coaches and say,
12:47
"Okay, you didn't do what you're
12:49
supposed to do this year. We're going to
12:50
we're going to let you go. We're going
12:51
to bring somebody else in."
12:52
>> And that's not what college athletics is
12:54
supposed to be about.
12:55
>> No.
12:57
But coach, I know you're good friends
12:59
with Hubert Davis as well as Roy
13:01
Williams. Uh, how how did that
13:04
transition go for the Carolina family?
13:07
And how would you how would you assess
13:10
the general transition from Hubert to
13:13
Michael Malone?
13:15
>> Well, first of all, I think the
13:16
transition from Coach Williams to Hubert
13:19
was just horrible timing because this is
13:21
when all this NIL stuff and the transfer
13:24
portal came in. And I I I truly honestly
13:26
believe that if Hubert was coaching 30
13:30
years ago, he would been fine.
13:34
Um we were in his office just the two of
13:36
us talking one day and he looked at me
13:37
and goes, "You know what I'm doing
13:38
tomorrow? I'm flying to New York City to
13:40
meet with 30 millionaires to try to
13:43
gather money for this NIL stuff." And
13:45
that's not what he's that not who Hubert
13:47
is. He's he wants to be on the court. He
13:49
wants to be in the office hanging with
13:51
the guys and really trying to make a
13:52
difference in life as much as he is in
13:54
basketball, which is what coach Smith
13:56
did. And I can't imagine coach Smith
13:58
having to do what the coaches are having
14:00
to do now. Just one minutes. Um,
14:03
personalitywise, Hubert and Coach
14:05
Williams are so different. Um, so the
14:09
transition was a little bit harder than
14:10
I think.
14:12
I have Porky Spencer. There's a whole
14:14
chapter in a book about Porky Spencer.
14:16
and coach Williams relationship. And
14:19
it's one of my favorite chapters. But
14:21
when I asked Porky about Mike Malone,
14:24
the only thing I asked him, I said,
14:25
"Does Coach Williams like him?"
14:28
Because that means if he likes him, then
14:30
I like him. If he respects him, then
14:32
I'll respect him. If if he thinks he's
14:34
the right guy, then I'll think he's the
14:35
right guy. And he said, "Absolutely, we
14:38
like this guy." And I think Coach
14:40
Malone's personality is more like Coach
14:42
Williams
14:43
example. Uh we're in the middle of camp
14:46
and he just walks in the gym.
14:48
>> So we shut down everything. We bring the
14:50
guys to the middle. He walks right over
14:51
and he's right in the middle of the
14:52
huddle. He's talking to the kids. He's
14:55
giving high fives. He's giving a speech.
14:57
He's breaking everybody down.
14:59
That's different than what we've had.
15:02
And I think the campers appreciated
15:03
that. And I know the workers did cuz he
15:05
he went around and shook hands and the
15:08
whole staff the first night at the the
15:10
first coaches party were all there
15:12
shaking hands with the coaches, thanking
15:14
everybody, talking, hanging out, you
15:16
know, sharing wings and and a and a
15:18
sweet tea. So, it was just a lot
15:20
different than what it's been.
15:22
>> Yeah. I don't think uh Carolina
15:24
basketball has quite had a personality
15:26
like Michael Balloon before. I mean,
15:28
he's uh jumping out of planes. He seems
15:32
gregarious. And like you said, he he
15:35
doesn't mind gladanding and talking to
15:38
boosters and whatnot. Um, what you been
15:42
what what has been your personal
15:43
experience interacting with him?
15:46
>> It's been very little. He's a Jersey
15:47
guy. I'm a Jersey guy. He uh as a kid,
15:52
um, his family actually had a a summer
15:55
home in my hometown of Ocean City, New
15:57
Jersey. So, that gave us a little bit of
15:58
a connection. Uh, I gave him a hard copy
16:00
book right away. Signed it to him the
16:02
very first time I met him. Um, super
16:04
nice. His staff is great, too. I didn't
16:07
expect Chuck Martin to be as nice or uh,
16:09
Tabali to be as nice to just hang out
16:11
and talk to everybody. Um, and and
16:13
they're excited, too. This is these are
16:16
are dreams come true. These are dream
16:18
jobs for these guys. So, I think you're
16:20
going to see them really getting after
16:23
it, working hard. and and coach Malone I
16:25
think is going to be uh obviously he's a
16:27
brilliant basketball mind. Uh his dad
16:29
was my shooting coach at FiveStar when I
16:31
was a junior in high school. So it's
16:33
it's neat to have those type of
16:34
connections too. Um but I really see
16:39
just a whole different
16:41
uh energy electricity when it comes to
16:44
their practices and games.
16:46
>> What about the way he constructed the
16:48
coaching staff? It was nice that he kept
16:51
a couple um of coaches from the previous
16:54
staff, but he's brought in uh master
16:57
recruiters, uh NBA veterans, and it
17:01
seems like a a really good mix. Um and
17:05
and and it was a hard deal for him
17:09
because a lot of fans
17:12
didn't like going away from the from the
17:15
family, so to speak.
17:17
Um, I'm a little bit biased.
17:20
Brad Frederick was really my best friend
17:22
on staff. I feel like he was
17:25
the most important assistant coach last
17:27
year and and obviously he's royalty. He
17:29
played at Carolina. His dad hired Coach
17:31
Williams at Kansas when he was the AD.
17:33
It's really hard for me to see him go.
17:35
We actually texted last night. We still
17:36
keep in touch. But the addition of Dion
17:39
Thompson, I think, is brilliant. He's
17:41
one of my favorite players of all time.
17:43
He played 14, 15 years, whatever, 16
17:45
years. you play for that many different
17:46
teams, his best IQ is out the roof. Um
17:51
to to steal somebody from Caliperry,
17:53
take Caliperry's top recruiter, I think
17:55
is awesome. I love that. I like
17:57
Caliperry, but I love being able to to
17:59
take one, you know, somebody from his
18:00
staff. And then, you know, Coach Taldi
18:02
has been halfNBA, half college,
18:06
obviously been with ISO and and seen
18:08
everything at the very highest level. Um
18:11
he's an intense guy and he's going to
18:13
bring it every day and and that's a
18:15
pretty good mix. I did not obviously get
18:17
to meet the guy who trans who uh came
18:19
from uh Gonzaga. Um he just got hired
18:22
late. Uh but even having Brandon
18:24
Robinson I think is a great addition
18:26
even though he's going to be in more of
18:27
an admin I guess a GA type role. And
18:30
then obviously Sully and and Shawn May
18:33
to keep working with the big guys I
18:35
think is is a great thing for those two
18:37
guys. They're both awesome people that
18:39
will represent and have always
18:41
represented uh Carolina in the very best
18:43
way.
18:44
>> The last time that we've had this kind
18:46
of conflict as a handoff in the coaching
18:48
position for North Carolina basketball
18:49
is when it went from Matt Doy to Roy
18:51
Williams. U in my lifetime, of course,
18:53
the handoff from Dean Smith to Roy
18:55
Guthridge was completely seamless. And
18:57
now we have some conflict. Coach Malone
18:59
has come in. He's been very respectful
19:00
toward the history of this program, very
19:03
knowledgeable history of this program.
19:05
And now it seems like what he wants to
19:08
um emphasize is player development to an
19:10
extent. I think that's also what coach
19:11
Balich is doing with the the football
19:13
program. How do you think that approach
19:15
is going and do you think that's going
19:16
to work in well with winning now?
19:19
>> I think that was one of the big uh uh
19:22
negatives about Hubert's program is they
19:24
just didn't see enough development over
19:27
a period of time while the guys were
19:29
there. And I heard that from other
19:30
coaches around the country. You know,
19:32
things had changed. Um, obviously when
19:35
you go from a Steve Robinson and uh you
19:38
that type of even go back to Jared H and
19:41
CB McGrath and all those guys who were
19:43
so good. Joe Holidayiday obviously is
19:45
one of the greatest assistant coaches
19:47
ever. Um, but you go from that staff to
19:50
to Huber staff just it the change was so
19:52
drastic over that period of time and the
19:54
guys just didn't seem to develop as
19:56
much. So, I do think he's brought in
19:57
great player development guys and the
20:00
Brandon Robinson's, Deion Thompson's get
20:02
a chance now to learn from these guys,
20:04
too. And when they're learning and and
20:06
developing, it's going to be really
20:08
interesting to see how this team looks
20:11
six months from now.
20:14
>> Uh I want to ask about uh he still
20:18
hasn't arrived at Chapel Hill and
20:21
classes start on Monday. Are we
20:24
concerned about this that this might
20:27
linger or what do you hear from Chapel
20:30
Hill in that regard?
20:32
>> The last I heard about Kaida today was
20:34
that he just received his visa and he
20:36
should be here early next week.
20:38
>> Oh, so just in time.
20:40
>> I don't I don't know if that's true or
20:41
not, but that's that's what I heard
20:43
today, [laughter]
20:44
>> right? Because we saw what we had to go
20:46
through last season uh with the last
20:49
minute uh
20:51
>> uh deal. So hopefully don't have to do
20:54
that. Uh what about the schedules now?
20:57
It used to be Carolina played a blue
20:59
white game and they played a exhibition
21:01
game against a division 2 school, but
21:05
now there's a exhibition against
21:08
Southern Cow, an exhibition against
21:10
Indiana.
21:11
And oh, by the way, uh, next Wednesday
21:16
they appear to be officially announcing
21:19
the Greensboro game against NC State.
21:22
>> But, um,
21:24
do do you like, uh, the being able to
21:27
test this, uh, team so early, um, even
21:31
though there's been so many changes?
21:34
>> Yeah, I love it. And part of it is I'm
21:36
curious to see how coach Malone does a
21:38
rotation during those games, whether he
21:41
really cares about winning or not. I've
21:42
never cared about exhibition games or
21:44
scrimmages about winning and losing. I
21:46
want to see as much time as I can from a
21:48
certain amount of guys. Uh sometimes
21:50
we'll even script it. We'll say, "Okay,
21:52
this guy's going to play eight minutes.
21:53
This guy's going to play 12 minutes.
21:54
This guy's going to play 16 minutes." So
21:55
that we can see film. I do like the fact
21:58
that you have a Big 10 team that's going
22:00
to be tough and physical in Indiana and
22:02
that style of game is going to be
22:04
different than the USC team is going to
22:06
be maybe more up and down and maybe a
22:08
little bit more free flowing. Um, so I
22:12
do like that there's two different
22:13
styles of play and I think the blue
22:14
white game will happen and I think they
22:16
may pick up another exhibition game. I
22:18
don't expect it to be against the D2. I
22:20
think it'll I think that was something
22:21
Hubert did that was a personal thing for
22:23
him and his family. I think it's going
22:25
to be something from u maybe a mid major
22:29
that they can play a bunch of people
22:30
against to be able to see more playing
22:32
time from more guys. But again, I don't
22:34
have any inside information on that.
22:36
>> We know that there was
22:37
>> So, you saw a lot of the scrimmages and
22:40
the workouts at the camps. Is there a
22:42
player that you think will be an X
22:44
factor that maybe people aren't talking
22:46
about?
22:47
>> Maximal Adams was really impressive. And
22:51
again, the first week he he first time
22:53
he was his first week he was there. So,
22:55
we didn't really get a chance to see a
22:57
whole lot that first week. Um, but he
23:00
was very impressive and you can see he's
23:01
got all the tools to be a really good
23:03
player.
23:04
>> We know that there's a a real kind of
23:08
learning curve, what what do you want to
23:10
call it? We talked with about coach
23:11
Bichic making the uh the transition from
23:13
NFL football to college football not
23:14
quite as easy as some people thought and
23:16
coach Maloney is going to have to make
23:17
the transition from NBA to college. Is
23:19
the college game so similar to the NBA
23:21
now that the transition might actually
23:23
be a little bit easier for coach Malone?
23:25
>> I think it definitely is. The big thing
23:27
he's got to adjust to is the 20-minute
23:29
halves, you know, but even then when you
23:31
have the media timeouts, I don't think
23:33
it really is that big of a deal. Um,
23:36
you're not you're not ending it like you
23:38
don't have last second shots at the end
23:40
of the first quarter. So, some of those
23:42
things you don't have to plan as much,
23:44
but I don't think it's going to be any
23:46
any problem for him at all. He's such a
23:47
brilliant basketball mind. He's a
23:49
basketball junkie. He's going to be able
23:50
to adapt as quickly as possible.
23:54
>> Yeah. Bill, I want to give you a chance
23:55
to to uh give people who have not seen
23:59
the book uh an idea maybe one of your
24:02
favorite stories in the book uh or
24:04
musing stories.
24:06
>> Yeah. My favorite story, and this is
24:08
really how it got started, too, is I
24:10
used to tell the story and then people
24:11
would be like, "Man, you got to write a
24:13
book." And that that's kind of but this
24:15
was the story. We had a a kid in our our
24:18
camp at 11 years old at uh Chapel Hill
24:22
Auxiliary Gym. This tiny little gym.
24:25
Coach Holiday walks in and says,
24:26
"There's Sam Combmes here first day of
24:28
camp." And oh yeah, he's right there.
24:30
Why? He's this little kid. Said, "Oh,
24:32
that's Coach Smith's grandson." And
24:34
we're all like, "Oh, geez." Well, that
24:37
afternoon I went to the afternoon
24:38
session. Walking down the h the tunnel
24:40
off the off the court, I run smack into
24:43
Coach Smith and his secretary. Wow.
24:46
>> And I said, "Hey, coach, you know, we've
24:48
got, you know, your grandson in in camp
24:50
and he won the free throw shooting
24:51
contest first day." He said, "I think
24:54
about coming out and watching him play
24:55
tonight." And I said, "Great." And I
24:59
thought, "Oh no, this is going to be a
25:02
mess if we have Coach Smith in the gym
25:04
with a bunch of 11 year olds." Told my
25:06
staff on the bus over that he might show
25:08
up and
25:10
um we just kind of do things as normal
25:12
and just kind of run through it. Well,
25:13
we started the games and nobody was
25:15
there. The bleachers are pushed in. It's
25:17
auxiliary gym to run side courts.
25:19
There's no bleachers on the other side.
25:20
I took two chairs, put them over there
25:22
for coach and his daughter. And about 10
25:24
minutes into the game, kids playing ran
25:27
to the back exit.
25:29
>> Jeez.
25:29
>> And I'm like, what is going on? The kids
25:31
are just running off the court. Well,
25:32
Coach Smith had walked in. So, I ran
25:35
out. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, stop,
25:37
stop. Got coach over to his seat. I
25:39
said, coach, what do you want me to do?
25:41
These kids want to meet you. And I mean,
25:42
I'll be honest, I I want them to meet
25:44
you, too. I mean, this is a once in a
25:45
lifetime opportunity for these kids. He
25:47
said, "Billy, if you're just having, you
25:48
know, don't overwhelm me." We stopped
25:51
the games, brought the kids over by
25:52
teams, you know, six or seven kids at a
25:54
time, made a line, shook hands, just
25:56
about got through, the side door opens,
25:59
and Tyler Hanssboro walks in, reigning
26:01
national player of the year.
26:02
>> Wow.
26:03
>> So, I go over to Tyler and I'm like,
26:04
"Tyler, Coach Smith's here. Is there any
26:06
way can we just go to the hallway?" He's
26:08
like, "Yeah, coach, no problem." So,
26:09
Tyler goes to the hallway. We get them
26:11
set up out there. We stop the games. We
26:13
walk the kids over to them. I walk back
26:15
in the gym and one of my my buddies
26:17
says, "Uh, hey, hey, hey, Bill. I hear
26:19
the president's on his way." Haha.
26:21
[laughter]
26:23
10 minutes later, Roy Williams walks in
26:26
[laughter]
26:27
and the kids start running to him. I
26:28
said, "No." I said, "No." I said, "You
26:31
got to see Coach Smith. You got to see
26:33
Tyler, but we are going to finish games
26:35
tonight. If you want coach's autograph,
26:37
you're going to have to find them
26:38
outside the, you know, Granville Towers
26:40
tomorrow or something else like that.
26:41
But that was absolutely the craziest
26:43
night and uh one of the most wonderful.
26:46
There's a chapter in there called u I'm
26:48
so getting fired, you know, for this and
26:51
a similar situation. Coach Williams
26:52
walked in my gym one day and as a gym
26:54
head, you want everything to be perfect.
26:55
>> Yeah.
26:56
>> And we were doing team play and okay,
26:58
this court's okay. And of course, my
27:00
court's fine. I don't have to worry
27:01
about my court. But I turn around and
27:04
make sure everybody's doing what they're
27:05
supposed to do. And he comes over and
27:06
goes, "Billy, Billy." I'm like, "Yeah,
27:08
coach." He said, "When did we start
27:10
playing six on six?" And my my kids had
27:13
not subbed correctly and now my kids are
27:15
going six on six and coach Williams is
27:18
calling me out. I said, "Oh, I am so
27:20
getting fired for this."
27:21
>> And you assured
27:23
>> you assured coach you were able to count
27:24
the five. You could successfully do
27:26
that.
27:26
>> Yeah, exactly. But that's what the book
27:27
is. It's just a bunch of stories. It's
27:30
135 stories. Took me six years. I
27:32
self-published it. It's not something
27:33
I'm trying to make a bunch of money off
27:35
of, but I I do like to have Coach
27:38
Williams ask me for books. He asked me
27:40
for 12 books last year. I got I got five
27:42
buddies I want to give it to.
27:44
>> Um to give Scott Smith, Dean Smith's
27:46
son, to give him two copies, one for him
27:48
and one for his son.
27:49
>> Um to to give one to Caleb Wilson last
27:52
summer.
27:52
>> That's cool.
27:53
>> You know, and um people that know people
27:57
who know Michael Jordan, they've gotten
28:00
a copy of it. I don't know if it made it
28:02
to Michael or not, but those that's more
28:04
of what it's about for me and I think
28:06
people will like it and um I've probably
28:08
given away almost as many as I've sold.
28:10
So, I it's not about the money. It's
28:11
just about I want this to continue and I
28:13
want people to understand that Carolina
28:15
Basketball School is a family in itself.
28:18
It's very different. Um and people I
28:20
mean it's like this family reunion for
28:22
us to go back for two weeks and just see
28:25
our friends. It's very special. Well,
28:27
the the the first time you ran into
28:28
Coach Smith, I mean, your heart must
28:29
have been beating about 500 beats of I
28:31
mean, it's like you you when you see
28:33
this guy in real life, it's like you
28:34
can't exist. You you're like this thing
28:36
that I It'd be like a guitar player
28:38
running into Jimmyi Hendricks or a
28:40
preacher running to Billy Graham. What
28:41
was that like?
28:43
>> Exactly. And I was able to get an
28:44
autograph that night. Um they used to
28:46
give us notebooks, Carolina notebooks
28:47
that they would give at their coaching
28:49
clinic. They would give them to us for
28:50
camp. And I got him to sign it. He's I
28:52
think he signed it to a great coach. Not
28:54
that he knew me or knew anything about
28:55
my coaching, but to have a a a Coach
28:58
Smith autograph that I have in my office
29:00
now is something that's uh it's
29:01
priceless.
29:02
>> Yeah, always remember that. Carolina
29:05
Basketball School, the name of the book
29:06
from Bill Robinson. It is available at
29:08
Amazon and everywhere else. There it is.
29:09
There's a picture of it right there.
29:11
Congratulations on the book and thank
29:12
you so much for coming out and talking
29:14
to us.
29:15
>> Thanks for the opportunity. I enjoyed
29:16
very much.
29:17
>> We'll see you next time on the Tarhill
29:19
Tribune podcast and of course for all
29:21
things Carolina, tarhilltribune.com.
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