Though 5 Weeks Away, Williams Discusses Bahamas Trip

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina will return to the Bahamas in August to play a couple of exhibition basketball games, an experience Coach Roy Williams says can be quite valuable, but also a lot of fun.

The UNC coach met with the media Tuesday morning following a promotional for the new REAL ID cards law passed by Congress last year that goes into effect in 2020. The purpose is to enhance security measures for those traveling.

But Williams mostly spent his time with the media discussing his basketball team, including handling a few questions about its trip next month.

In going to the Bahamas, the Tar Heels will practice twice and play two games, much like they did four years ago when a team that included then-freshmen Theo Pinson, Joel Berry and Justin Jackson split a pair of contests. Having the additional practice games allows the team to practice up to 10 times in preparation, but the Heels won’t use the entire allotment.

In addition to that practice time, the NCAA allows four practices over a one-month period essentially in July. The Tar Heels practiced on June 25 and July 10 and will practice two more times over the next few weeks.

So this means the Tar Heels will see a lot of each other before fall classes even begin on Aug. 21, and it gives the staff an opportunity to learn something about its team and everyone to bond and have some fun.

“We haven’t (technically) practiced yet, we’ve introduced some things,” Williams said. “That gives us a chance to actually come back and have three days of practice before we go down there. You can bring them back for 10 days, but I won’t take up their summer vacation, so we’re just bringing them back for three days and then two days down there and play two games.

“We want to get our freshmen used to playing at a faster tempo than they’ve ever played seeing how they fit in, and it gives us an early indication of how fast we may be able to go when we start preseason.”

The freshmen in question this time around are McDonald’s All-Americans Nassir Little and Coby White along with Rechon Black.

This will be UNC’s fourth trip to the Bahamas, as also it went in August of 2005 and 2010. The NCAA allows programs to play in international exhibitions once every four years, and while some teams go to Europe and elsewhere – Duke went to Saudi Arabia and China several years ago – Williams prefers shorter trips, but also to appealing destinations. The Bahamas clearly qualifies.

“I don’t want to get on a plane and fly seven hours and bring them back (prior to the trip) for 10 days of practice,” Williams said. “It’s an easy flight, it’s a great place to go, everybody enjoys it – some of our alums go and they enjoy it. Great food, and so it’s a vacation but you get some basketball done.”

The Tar Heels actually lost the last time they were there to a team that included a very young Deandre Ayton, who was the No. 1 overall pick in last month’s NBA draft. Although just 15 years old at the time, Ayton had a big game against the Heels.

“We were introduced to DeAndre Ayton at a very young age at 15 or 16 years old and he had like 21 and 15 against us,” Williams recalled. “I think we lost one game down there in the three previous trips and it didn’t hurt us.”

The Tar Heels will leave for the Bahamas on Aug 15 and play two games on the 17th and 18th before returning home on Aug. 19.

*Roy Williams and his staff took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge in Aug. 2014 the last time they were in the Bahamas. Below is that videos:

*Here's a GAMER from UNC's loss in 2014

*Here's an interesting COLUMN from the loss in 2014