Before Jordan became the GOAT, Roy Williams saw his legendary work ethic firsthand at a North Carolina camp.
Roy Williams had a legendary coaching career in college basketball with Kansas and North Carolina. Although his career spanned five decades, one of his biggest accomplishments came very early while he was still an assistant coach to Dean Smith. Williams was one of the coaches who brought Michael Jordan to that North Carolina team — a move that forever changed the basketball program.
In an interview, Williams explained the first meeting with Jordan and how he impressed everyone on the coaching staff.
“I had called around the state and tried to get the best players we could to come to our camp,” Williams said. “The first week that Michael was in camp, I was opening up Carmichael auditorium at that time and kids were coming down and playing pickup and the council would bring over about 30 kids at a time and then take them back.”
What separated Jordan from other high school players
Williams explained that they only had about 20 minutes per group, that there would be 30 players in those groups, and that the groups would change fast, but he had special treatment for Jordan.
“So he came over and I thought, wow. And I told him, I said, I want you to stay with the next group. And I told his counselor to take that group back,” he said. “And so Michael stayed a second 20 minute period.”
Williams recalled how Jordan did something that really impressed him and what was unnecessary at the time, but showed a different mindset than all the other players there.
And then he went back to the dorm, and it was hot. It was June in North Carolina,” he said. “That’s like a mile walk. And all of a sudden, two groups later, he shows up again and he said, no, I just love to play. And so we kept him down there and, uh, I’m not joking whatsoever.”
The moment Williams knew MJ was special
Jordan’s performance in that training camp and his mentality impressed Williams and his colleague Eddie Fogler very early and Williams shared what he said to Fogler in that moment.
“I told Eddie Fogler that night, I think I just saw the best 6′ 4″ high school player I’ve ever seen,” he added.
After that training camp, Mike committed to North Carolina and spent three seasons with the team. His freshman season was already impressive as he managed to win the 1982 NCAA Championship, and he hit the game-winning jumper in the final game – cementing himself as a clutch performer at just 19 years old.
Jordan finished his college career with 1,788 career points and had his #23 jersey retired by North Carolina. He declared for the NBA Draft in 1984 and was picked third overall by the Chicago Bulls — the rest is well-known history.
