North Carolina Coach Roy Williams took part in the weekly ACC Coaches’ Conference Call late Monday morning to field a half-dozen questions.

Among the things Williams was asked during his 10-minute stint were included Anthony Harris’ play in his debut over the weekend at Florida State and how Williams might use him moving forward, more about the effect COVID is having on the season, even when he’s scheduled to take the vaccine, and about not being able to recruit in person.

Above is the full Q&A session and below are some notes and quotes from what Williams had to say:

*Anthony Harris played in a game Saturday in Tallahassee for the first time since injuring his knee 383 days earlier, which obviously ended his 2019-20 season. Saturday was also just Harris’ sixth game as a Tar Heel, since he missed the first part of last season recovering from a knee injury in high school and only played in five games.

Harris played just nine minutes in the loss to the Seminoles but scored five points and handed out three assists. Now that Williams has seen the film and had a chance to talk briefly with Harris on Sunday, what are thoughts about the redshirt freshman’s performance and how he’s feeling after finally getting live game action?

“I assume he responded well, but… we haven't practiced,” Williams replied. “And we have all of our guys come see the trainers on Sunday and I saw him on Sunday, and he said he was feeling fine. But I went and saw our trainer, Doug (Halverson), before I even put him in the game because I just wanted a little more energy level.

“And Anthony supplies that, and he was fantastic. He played eight or nine minutes and tied for the lead in assists on our team. And so, it either says great things about Anthony or poor things about the other guys. I guess you can look at it either way.”

*Furthermore, Harris had a team-best plus-10 during his time on the floor, and it was obvious he impacted the game with respect to his spirit, energy, and he had some solid defensive sequences. Does Williams have a plan yet on how he might handle Harris moving forward?

“Well, he's been doing half court stuff for almost a month, but it's just been a couple of weeks that he's been doing the full court stuff,” the coach said. “And he works really hard. I mean, even before he was doing that, he was working hard on his conditioning. Coach (Hubert) Davis and he were doing a lot of the shooting drills that, at the end of a two-minute stretch, you’ve got to rest.

“So, his conditioning wasn't that bad, but it's still not anything like what everybody else’s is. He played eight or nine minutes, but I took him in and out three times, he wasn't in for eight solid minutes. But I thought he was phenomenal and, as I said, I just wanted some different energy level out there with our club and, if the other guys played at that level, there effort and focus and a sense of urgency, I'd be a heck of a lot better coach I can tell you that.

“And, going forward guys, I’m scared to death every possession and I just want to make sure we're taking care of him. I did, as I said, talk to the trainer first and then before I put him back in, I talked to the trainer again and I talked to Anthony, I said, ‘Are you sure you're okay?’ But, he's just a great youngster and I was so happy for him to have that moment.”

*COVID has caused an upheaval of sorts all around the sports landscape, and most definitely with respect to college basketball. The Tar Heels have actually been able to get in most of their games, and the three that have been postponed weren’t their doing. That said, much is lost and missed during such a protective time when what was the norm is no longer, at least for the foreseeable future.

So, what are some of the things Williams and his team have missed during this period?

“Well, the disruptions is the one that’s easiest to answer,” Williams said. “Last week, we practiced and then we run some and then we stretch and then everybody goes opposite our bench and sits down in a seat that we have separated.

“And I was asking our coaches, ‘Okay, tell me what the schedule is for tomorrow.’ And I turned around and started walking over to the team and I saw two or three guys looking at me with their eyes wide open and like, oh my gosh. And I said, ‘Guys, we're okay.' And Anthony said, ‘Coach, when we see you talking to somebody like that and you're coming over to talk to us, we're worried about what's happening.’

“So, the disruption is much more evident with the way our kids are always thinking that something's going on. And two times this year, one time we’ve told them that we had a game was canceled and another time we said we're not playing this game, but we are playing Notre Dame. And so, that part has been difficult for the team. For me, our players always talk about running through that tunnel and coming out on the Smith Center court. And now, it’s not a very big deal. So, I hate that for them.

“I'm coaching the same way now as I would be if there's people in the stands, but you don't have the excitement level that the fans and the kids love. I’m more concerned about how we're doing in that position than I am about listening to how loud the crowd is, but I miss that, too. But the other thing is just the indecision every day, something has changed. Somebody is having to stop, somebody’s doing this. And so, for us, it hasn't been a very smooth ride with six freshmen for sure because they're just looking at each other like, what's going to happen next?”

*Williams has been very open about his thoughts regarding COVID protocols, wearing a mask, and lately getting a vaccine shot. With the state of North Carolina last week shifting the qualified minimum age from 75 to 65, it means Williams, who is 70, can now get the shot.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski followed Williams during the conference call Monday and said he and Blue Devils football coach David Cutcliffe got their vaccine shots last Friday, so when does Williams plan to get his?

“Yeah, I'm hopeful,” Williams said. “We’re working on getting it and we've done the paperwork, we’ve done all this. We're hopeful to get it at the end of next week because I'm above that magic number of 65 and I wish I was just barely above it.

“But the bottom line is I'm 70, so they're saying that I'm eligible to get it. And I didn't make any moves to try to get it any earlier because they said 75. But, I am 70, so hopefully I have it at the end of next week.”

*Williams has always been at his best in recruiting when he can get on the road and see players in person, even if for a short period. He evaluates players much better seeing them once in person as opposed to multiple times on tape, and he’s just more comfortable with what he learns in person. The NCAA hasn’t allowed any in-person recruiting since last March, so how is Williams handling not being able to do what he does best and enjoys the most?

“It's very difficult because I love going out, I don't mind going to camps, I don't mind sitting there and watching 10 games in a day, I don't mind getting in the car and driving to Charlotte and seeing a game and turning around and driving back after the game,” Williams said. “It's something I've always done. I tell a lot of kids that I'm going to see you more than anybody and, most of the time, if I tell them that, that means that I really, really, really want them and I need to show them that.

“But, with what's going on, I'm not very good on the phone, I don't enjoy talking on the phone. And it's difficult for me because I don't think I make as big an impact on the phone doing something that I don't like to do, as opposed to going and seeing somebody.

“I tell a lot of kids, I'd rather drive 20 minutes to the airport, get in the plane and fly an hour and a half and get off and drive 20 minutes to their school and watch them shoot 15 free throws and then reverse it and come all the way back home. I'd rather do that than call a kid one time because it's just not a personal thing with me.”

*Jacob Turner contributed to this report.