Roy Williams to UNC Fans: Throw Your Sophistication Out the Door

Carolina used to be one of the toughest places to play in the ACC, but the enthusiasm fans brought to games which helped give the Tar Heels one the best home-court advantages has noticeably subsided.  After Saturday’s win against Georgia Tech, Roy Williams addressed the issue telling the “wine and cheese” fans to leave their sophistication at the door.

“Senior Night, in 2013, Duke kicked our rear ends and you know what the first thing I said about it in the press conference? We let our crowd down. The crowd was sensational, they were fired up and they were ready and we as a team let the crowd down. If I can say that about my team, you don’t think I can say that about somebody else? Come on now. It’s a two-way street and we are in this together. I want everybody to be invested. Over at State, over at Louisville, over at Durham, when people see North Carolina come, it is kill, kill, kill. I had a former player say that it reminded them of when the Smith Center first opened. And I said let’s not talk about that. It’s now. We’re going to get better. What I was trying to do was to encourage people and tell them, whether the tone was good or bad, that is their decision, but we do need more help. Take your sophistication and throw it out the freaking door. I want you to yell your ass off. This is competition and I need you on my team.”

Kudos to Roy for calling out UNC faithful.  As someone who has been following the ACC for decades, the gradual decline of passion from college hoops fans is bothersome.  I think all schools and their fan bases need this wake-up call.

H/T: College Spun