According to ACCNow and their parent source The News & Observer, UNC head coach Roy Williams' sister passed away today. Williams is set to lead his University of North Carolina Tar Heels into their first round NCAA Tournament game with Eastern Kentucky in a matter a few hours.
His sister, Frances Baker, lived in nearby Charlotte in an assisted living home. She had suffered from dementia. From the website:
No details were immediately available, but athletics director Dick Baddour said Williams had remained in Winston-Salem with the team today. Baker had been residing in an assisted living home in Charlotte.It isn't positively known if Williams will coach the team tonight, but as you just read, he is still in Winston-Salem [Charlotte is about a 2 hour drive away] and no one other than local press have covered this story. On that note, I would like to send my prayers to the Williams family as I know one of the reasons Coach Williams came back to North Carolina was to be near his ailing sister and ailing father [who passed away in 2004].
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My thoughts and prayers are with and for you Coach Williams. You are loved.
My thoughts and prayers are with you Coach Williams. You are respected and loved by many.
coach i am a die hard fan from the state of kentucky, what i saw you do with these kids this year was amazing, the maturity and confidence that these kids and yourself showed throught the year was a insight to your coaching and to the passion and faith of the carolina program i am sad to see rashaun, wes and dewey leave the program however i am blessed to see that they have all had the chance to not only live the dream of being a national champion, but have the dream of wearing the UNC jersey. this is a sad day in all of our hearts but the fact that we now that we will be back makes it all feel better and worth while our thoughts and prayers go out to rammy without you we are just a basketball team, with you we are the unstoppable force of NORTH CAROLINA!!!! i believe we will be back next year stronger and hungier than ever, good luck coach and good luck boys WE WILL BE WITH YOU!!!!!
SINCERELY, BIGGEST FAN OUTSIDE THE STATE OF CAROLINA
MARK WAINSCOTT!