CHAPEL HILL – Some people go to college to find themselves, learn who they are and set a course for what they’ll be moving forward. It’s called getting an education, something that comes in various forms and not always in a textbook.

Kenny Williams has done just fine with the books and in lecture halls during his four years at North Carolina, but perhaps the most important development in his life has been a faith born out of his basketball experiences – both good and bad – and personal relationships.

As Williams prepares to play his final home game in the Smith Center, he’s spent a lot of time this week pondering his path, thinking about the speech he will give Saturday night, and also thinking about the Tar Heels’ huge game with arch rival Duke. But it’s that other stuff that is more who Williams has become than anything else.

Basketball aside, the other stuff will stick longer.

“Not many people understand the person that Kenny has become from what he started as,” teammate, roommate and close friend Luke Maye said.

The details, from a hoops perspective, are of a young man who arrived at Carolina with the reputation as a sharp shooter, but he didn’t hit a 3-pointer until the ACC Tournament of his freshman season. Then, as a sophomore, Williams was starting at shooting guard and figuring things out before an injury in February sidelined him for the season.

So, instead of being on the court and helping the Tar Heels win the national championship, which they did that April, Williams wore a suit and supported his teammates. He struggled internally with not being on the floor contributing to the Heels’ amazing run, but Williams eventually made peace with what he was dealing with.

Few things are harder on an athlete than not being able to compete, but Williams worked through that with some help from his newfound belief in something greater.

“I think that is the reason I am who I am today,” he said Thursday. “Those first two years were really a struggle between not making shots and turning it around and finally starting to get my groove then not being able to play. I had to lean on something else and that’s where my faith was grounded. That’s when I found my foundation in my faith. To this day, that’s who I am and that’s (how) I identify myself.”

Williams has referenced his faith a few times this season, as he’s gone through some unforeseen struggles shooting the ball. He’s averaging 8.6 points and shooting just 40 percent from the field, including only 28.7 percent from 3-point range. A year ago, Williams averaged 11.4 points and converted 40.2 percent of his perimeter shots.

So, his faith has been tested yet again, but Williams isn’t stressing over what happens on the court anymore. It hasn’t diminished his intensity or desire to succeed, it’s actually strengthened it, which is why he carries a new disposition with such conviction.

“Whatever happens on the court, whether I make 10 threes or I make zero, I know God is going to love me,” he said. “And I’ve been able to find some peace in that and I don’t think I would be at this point without my freshman and sophomore year going the way they did.”

This point, as his Carolina career nears its conclusion, is as an integral part of a team that is one of the leading contenders to cut down the nets next month in Minneapolis, site of this year’s Final Four.

Williams has learned to do so many little things to help the Tar Heels win that he’s actually a much better player than two years ago before the injury and even a season ago in spite of those shooting numbers. He’s one of those whole-of-the-sum players needed to win championships.

“Kenny Williams has been pretty doggone important to our club for four years and particularly the last three years,” UNC Coach Roy Williams said. “I think he’s meant more to our team than anybody thought he was going to when we signed him. He’s meant so much mentally, emotionally and physically on the court as well.”

Initially, it appeared as if Williams was headed to Virginia Commonwealth. He committed to VCU, which is just several stone throws away from his home in Midlothian, VA, but ended up decommitting after Rams coach Shaka Smart took the job at Texas. Williams didn’t want to go to college that far from home, so he opened his recruitment and checked out UNC again.

He had a Carolina offer and seriously considered the Tar Heels before committing to VCU. The offer still stood, so Williams visited UNC and played some pickup with the current Heels at the time, and the reports Roy Williams got about the 6-foot-4 guard were glowing, with the players telling the Hall of Fame coach “God almighty, he made every shot.” Williams popped for the Heels not long after and here he is.

Four years have passed and Kenny Williams is a different player, became a different kid and will leave a different man. So, it comes to no surprise when Williams radiates positives when describing his experience playing for an iconic program while being grounded in reality time and again.

“It honestly blew away my expectations,” Williams said. “You never know what it’s really like until you experience it, but it definitely blew away my expectations. These last four years have been second-to-none, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”

And isn’t that what the college experience is supposed to be about?