ACC Basketball

Former North Carolina star Ty Lawson didn't take too kindly to allegations that Roy Williams supposedly badmouthed him to multiple NBA general managers. 

In a since-deleted Instagram story (h/t Tyler Thompson of Kentucky Sports Radio), Lawson accused Williams of talking "s--t about someone who won them a championship" when he played for the Tar Heels:

"[You're] weird... I got messages from 10 NBA GMs that said it came out your mouth ... That's why I don't f--k with Carolina or support anything y'all do. ... It's a blessing I don't open my mouth about s--t. They ask me why I don't show love to North Carolina ... Roy Williams knows why."

It's unclear when and what Williams may have said about Lawson. The 2008-09 ACC Player of the Year has been supportive of the Tar Heels basketball team on social media in recent years, liking and commenting on multiple posts during their NCAA tournament run in March 2016, per WSJS Sports Hub's Josh Graham (warning: contains profanity):

Lawson played three seasons at North Carolina under Williams from 2006-09. He led the program to a national title during his junior year, scoring a game-high 21 points in the Tar Heels' 89-72 win over Michigan State in the championship game. 

After winning the championship, Lawson declared for the 2009 NBA draft. He was selected No. 18 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who subsequently traded him to the Denver Nuggets. 

Lawson played nine fulls seasons in the NBA—averaging 12.7 points and 6.0 assists—for the Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings before heading to China to play for the Shandong Golden Stars. He came back to the NBA to play 96 minutes across five playoff games for the Washington Wizards in 2018.

He returned to China for the 2018-19 season and is now a member of the Fujian Sturgeons.

Roy Williams has gone 467-152 and claimed three NCAA national championships since taking over as North Carolina's head men's basketball coach in 2003.

Yet he told Kansas City's 610 Sports Radio on Monday that didn't feel so great about his move from Kansas to North Carolina when he decided to leave the Jayhawks (h/t 247Sports' Scott Chasen):

"If I had known how dirty I was going to feel walking out of that meeting where I told the players I was leaving, I never could have done it. Because that was the low point. I just felt so worthless. And yet my sister was sick back in North Carolina. My dad was sick. My dad died—we weren’t real close, but my dad died the first year I was back. My sister died three years later. And coach [Dean] Smith himself had said, 'We wanted you the other time. We need you this time.'"

The Tar Heels previously tried to lure Williams in 2000, but he decided to stay in Lawrence.

"I went through it in 2000, and I had promised Nick Collison I was going to be there his whole career," Williams added. "And I never could figure out how to justify leaving after I promised a kid. That was the biggest thing."   

Williams led Kansas from 1988 through the 2002-03 campaign. The Jayhawks went 418-101 under Williams but never won a national championship.

The 2019-20 season saw Williams surpass the late Dean Smith, his mentor at North Carolina, for fourth on the Division I all-time wins list:

The 70-year-old Williams grew up near Asheville, North Carolina, and completed his bachelor's degree in education at UNC in 1972.   

Based on seeding, Duke's worst loss in the NCAA tournament came in 2012 when No. 15 Lehigh stunned the Blue Devils 75-70 in the round of 64. 

On Wednesday's episode of Go Off alongside Seth Curry, former Duke guard Austin Rivers called that defeat a "stain" on the program's reputation (starting at 18:48 mark).

Rivers and Curry were the top two scorers for the 2011-12 Duke team that went 27-6 during the regular season and advanced to the semifinals of the ACC tournament. 

That squad won eight of its last 10 games between the regular season and conference tournament to earn a No. 2 seed. 

Lehigh won the Patriot League tournament, knocking off top-seeded Bucknell in the championship game. The Mountain Hawks were led by future Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum. He scored a game-high 30 points, despite shooting 9-of-24 from the field.

Rivers and Curry combined to shoot 6-of-23 and only made three of their 14 three-point attempts. 

That game marked Duke's first opening-game loss in the NCAA tournament since 2007. It's one of only nine times in tournament history that a team seeded No. 15 or lower has won a round-of-64 game. 

Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski may reportedly be deposed as part of Gina Ford's lawsuit against former Blue Devils star Zion Williamson.

Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported the news, noting lawyers for Ford, who is with Prime Sports Marketing and used to represent Williamson, are in the discovery process of the suit and are looking into various people to potentially depose.

That includes the legendary coach.

"We are leaving no stones unturned, if you get my message," attorney Willie Gary said when asked if Krzyzewski will face a deposition.

Forde summarized the situation, noting Williamson sued Ford and Prime Sports Marketing last June in an effort to end the representation agreement. The New Orleans Pelicans forward signed with Creative Artists Agency after entering into the agreement and said he could do so because the previous agreement violated North Carolina's Uniform Athlete Agents Act since Prime Sports is not certified as a registered athlete agent in the state.

In response, Ford sued Williamson for breaking their contract and is looking for $100 million in damages.

According to the attorneys Forde spoke with, proving Williamson received impermissible benefits during his time at Duke would mean he could not be covered by the Uniform Athlete Agents Act since he would not be an eligible student-athlete.

The attorneys said they are seeking to prove Williamson or his family received gifts, money, housing and possibly a car.

This comes after The Athletic's Daniel Wallach passed along Ford's requests for admission asking Williamson to say he received such benefits from sources such as Duke, Nike and Adidas:

Wallach pointed out the possibility remains this is an effort to convince the star rookie to settle:

Forde noted Williamson was also mentioned in federal court in 2018 during a trial looking into corruption in college basketball. Adidas consultant Merl Code told Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend what Williamson's stepfather was looking for during his recruitment, which was revealed in a transcript of a wiretapped call.

"I know what he's asking for," Code said. "He's asking for opportunities from an occupational perspective, he's asking for cash in the pocket and he's asking for housing for him and his family."

Williamson played for Duke during the 2018-19 season and won the Associated Press Player of the Year and Wooden Award. New Orleans selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft.

Wake Forest center Olivier Sarr is entering the transfer portal following the school's hiring of Steve Forbes as its head basketball coach this week.

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Sarr explained he initially planned to return for his senior season after speaking with former head coach Danny Manning:

"What happened was I wanted to test the [NBA draft] waters. I requested the UAC [Undergraduate Advisory Committee]. I tried to test the waters; then I had a conversation with Coach, and he convinced me to stay and get my degree. He had plans for me. I was going to do great things in the ACC, with the team and individually of course. It was late April; Coach was going to stay. Then 24-48 hours before the [draft] deadline, Coach got fired. I didn't get the chance to put my name in and change my mind."

Wake Forest Director of Athletics John Currie announced April 25 that Danny Manning had been fired after six seasons with the program.

Currie said the decision came after a "comprehensive review of the men's basketball program." The Demon Deacons went 78-111 with one NCAA tournament appearance under Manning.

Borzello noted that Sarr will be the top transfer target this spring, though the French center didn't rule out returning to Wake Forest.

"I want to give Wake Forest a chance and listen to what [Forbes] has to say," Sarr said. "I'm entering the transfer portal because I want to listen to all the options. I want to be able to pick my own coach, not have one chosen for me."

Despite not being able to graduate before transferring, Sarr did say "there's no way I sit out" for a year.

The NCAA Board of Directors has recommended delaying a proposal to adopt a one-time transfer waiver in time for the 2020-21 academic year, but Sarr could potentially receive a transfer waiver exception to play next season if he goes to another school.

Sarr (7'0", 255 lbs) averaged 13.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 30 games (26.7 MPG) as a junior.

Wake Forest called upon the services of Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul and San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan as part of the search to find a new head basketball coach, according to 247Sports' Evan Daniels.

The Demon Deacons announced last week they fired Danny Manning. Daniels reported they will hire Steve Forbes as Manning's replacement. Forbes has spent the past five seasons at East Tennessee State, compiling a 130-43 record.

While it's unclear how much work Paul and Duncan did to vet Forbes specifically, Daniels noted the two interviewed coaching candidates on Zoom.

Duncan played four years for the Demon Deacons, helping them reach the Sweet 16 in 1995 and Elite Eight in 1996.

"We don't make it this far without the people around us," Duncan said in November 2017 as he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. "Wake Forest gave me the opportunity. Coach [Dave] Odom gave me the opportunity, probably to a kid that didn't deserve it. But I made the most of it."

Paul was Wake's starting point guard for two years before making the jump to the NBA. The team reached the Sweet 16 in 2004, his freshman season.

In August 2018, he donated $2.5 million to the program.

By virtue of getting the job, Forbes seemingly received the seal of approval from Duncan and Paul. Getting endorsements from two famous alumni would help him hit the ground running with the fanbase.

East Tennessee State head basketball coach Steve Forbes is reportedly leaving the school to accept the same position at Wake Forest.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported Thursday that Forbes will be the Demon Deacons' choice to replace Danny Manning, who was fired Saturday after six seasons, "barring a collapse in negotiations."

"After a comprehensive review of the men's basketball program, and with the support of president [Nathan] Hatch and university leadership, I have determined that it is time for a change in our head coaching position," athletic director John Currie said in a statement Saturday.

Currie previously crossed paths with Forbes when he was the executive associate athletic director at Tennessee and Forbes was an assistant on the Volunteers' coaching staff.

The 55-year-old Iowa native led East Tennessee State to a 30-4 record in 2019-20 with regular-season and postseason championships in the Southern Conference. The Buccaneers would have represented the SoCon in the 2020 NCAA tournament, but it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Forbes received the 2020 Hugh Durham Award as the top mid-major coach in the country.

"My mom asked me who voted on it, and I said one person," Forbes jokingly told Joe Avento of the Johnson City Press. "Seriously, any time you get those kind of awards, it's a reflection of your players and staff. I'm very honored to receive something like that, as honored as I am to coach these players and work with the guys I work with. Everybody shares in that."

The Southern Arkansas University product served as head coach at Southwestern Community College in Iowa, Barton County Community College in Kansas and Northwest Florida State College during a coaching career that started in 1989 and has included numerous stops as an assistant.

He's led the East Tennessee State program since March 2015.

Forbes guided the Bucs to a 130-43 record (.751 winning percentage) with two NCAA tournament berths across five years. They lost to Florida as a No. 13 seed in the first round of the 2017 Big Dance.

He'll take over from Manning, who only generated one winning season in six years at Wake and finished his tenure with a 78-111 mark.

Caleb Love has received interest from the NBA's G League but has no intention to forgo college basketball and bolt for the professional ranks. 

"Yes, a representative for the G-League reached out to us," Dennis Love, Caleb's father, told 247Sports' Sherrell McMillan on Tuesday. "But we're committed to the college path, and Caleb is very excited to start his career at North Carolina. He's really excited to get to Chapel Hill and play for Roy Williams as well as experience the Carolina family culture."

The 5-star point guard verbally committed to North Carolina last October and signed his letter of intent last November.

Love's commitment to UNC became relevant when 5-star point guard Daishen Nix decommitted from UCLA in order to sign with the G League earlier Tuesday. Nix followed fellow 2020 5-star prospects Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd:

Love, according to 247Sports, is now the top-ranked point guard in the 2020 class after Nix's decision. The 6'3", 170-pound prospect was already the top-ranked prospect in Missouri and ranked 18th nationally.

247Sports' Brian Snow evaluated Love, who plays high school ball at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri, last March:

"Love can play either guard spot and shows significant potential on the defensive end. A score-first point guard, he has the ability to put his team on his back as a bucket getter, or to be a facilitator. Right now, he is more comfortable taking shots than setting up teammates, but his passing has improved and he is doing a better job of running a team. Ultimately, it comes down to Love’s ability to run a team at the college level and beyond, but there is no doubt he can score. The requisite athleticism is absolutely there."

Snow compared Love's potential to Charlotte Hornets point guard Terry Rozier, who went 16th overall in the 2015 NBA draft.

The Tar Heels' 2020 class ranks third nationally.

Power forward William Jeffress committed to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

The full commitment video can be viewed here.

Jeffress ranks 11th at his position and 58th overall in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. The Erie, Pennsylvania, native also received scholarship offers from Baylor, Notre Dame and Penn State.

The Panthers' fortunes on the court cratered following Jamie Dixon's departure for TCU in 2016. They won 24 combined games in two seasons under Kevin Stallings.

However, Jeff Capel appears to be turning the program in the right direction. Nobody expected Pitt to enjoy success overnight, so 14 victories in 2018-19 and 16 in 2019-20 were signs of progress.

With Jeffress on board, Pittsburgh sits 13th in 247Sports' composite team rankings. Assuming that holds, it would be a significant improvement on 2019, when Pitt finished 49th.

Jeffress told 247Sports' Evan Daniels that Capel was the first coach to reach out when the recruiting window opened during his sophomore year.

"We had a 45-minute conversation about me and his vision for the Pittsburgh program," he said. "That really stuck with me for the next two years. Just the unofficials that I got to go on and sitting in his office and talking to him really spoke to me. I feel like it was the right fit. I feel like I said, Pitt was it. When you feel it, you feel it."

Panthers fans haven't had reason to feel optimistic about the team for a few years, but that is beginning to change.

Pitt's leading scorer and rebounder this season was a true freshman (Justin Champagnie), and the next three leading scorers were all sophomores. Add that to Capel's work on the recruiting trail, and a postseason tournament bid should be attainable in 2020-21.

Ernest Ross, a 4-star power forward from Alachua, Florida, committed to NC State on Sunday, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com.  

"At the end of the day it boiled down to him having a great relationship with coach [Kevin] Keatts and his staff," Game Elite coach Russ Powell told Daniels. "They did a great job of him making him feel as home as possible. They made his family feel the most comfortable."

"He's a great talent," Powell added.

Ross is considered the No. 43 prospect in the Class of 2021, the No. 11 power forward and the No. 3 recruit from the state of Florida, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Josh Gerson of the recruiting site offered the following scouting report on the young player:

"High level athlete with good size and length. Pretty physically immature; has plenty of room to grow into body. As athletic as he is, should only improve there with added strength. Physical tools should make him an extremely versatile defender. Very raw on offense; doesn't have go-to move in halfcourt. Best in transition due to athleticism. Will need to improve facing and posting up. Has chance to be very good rebounder. Development of skill will determine everything; has NBA size, length and athleticism but will need to bridge gap between skill and physical tools. Wide variety of possible outcomes for now."

LSU and Texas A&M were the other two finalists in his recruiting.

Landing Ross is a solid move for NC State. Coming into Sunday, the Wolfpack ranked No. 9 in the Class of 2021 rankings, per 247Sports. He joins 4-star small forward Josh Hall and 4-star point guard Cam Hayes as headliners of the incoming group. 

Ross told Jacey Zembal of The Wolfpacker that NC State continued its recruiting pitch even with the COVID-19 pandemic changing the nature of recruiting this spring.

"They still were on top of it even with the coronavirus, and that was a great thing," he said. "As soon as it's over, I'll be looking forward to seeing North Carolina State. I have already had my mind made up. They have been showing the love and that's basically it."