Chicago Bulls guard Coby White also cannot fathom his former college coach Roy Williams' shocking retirement announcement on Thursday.
After all, it seems that the legendary University of North Carolina tactician has been with the team forever and there seemed to be no indication of him stepping down anytime soon.
Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times, White admitted that he had no inkling about Williams' plans to step down, but wishes him nothing but the best on his next journey.
“It was a surprise. I’m happy for him and kind of sad at the same time because he will forever be my coach and forever be that role model, that guy, that figure I can go to in my life. But I’m happy for him, he’s done this a long time and he’s one of the best ever. So now he gets to enjoy time, he gets to enjoy his family.’’
Coby White and Williams' player-coach relationship certainly grew deeper even after the 21-year-old's one-and-done stint with the Tar Heels in 2018-19.
In fact, Williams even showed up during one of White's Bulls games last November against the Knicks, when the 6-foot-5 shooter figured in a horrible slump. With his beloved coach watching in the stands, Coby White played in the best game of his life, scoring 27 points including a Bull's franchise record of seven fourth-quarter threes.
White, who has missed Chicago's last two games due to nagging neck pain, also shared his most recent conversation with the selfless mentor.
“What’s crazy is, he called me because he didn’t see me in the box score, so he was making sure that I was OK. He didn’t even call to talk about everything that had happened. He called to see what was wrong with me.’’
The Bulls, of course, are grateful for Williams' tutelage of Coby White, as he continues to be one of the team's young promising players. In 44 games so far, White has been averaging 15. points on 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 35.1 percent from deep, to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
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