North Carolina coach Roy Williams says he’s feeling better since vertigo episode
North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he’s feeling better after suffering from a vertigo attack in UNC’s game against Clemson.
“I’m feeling a lot better than I looked when I walked out of the game on Saturday,” Williams said Monday.
Williams had to be escorted off the floor with about a minute left in the first half and did not return to coach.
The third-ranked Tar Heels have won 12 of their last 13 games and are riding a five-game winning streak. Williams is expected to coach when UNC (24-5, 14-2 ACC) plays at Boston College (14-14, 5-11) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. UNC is 8-0 this season in ACC road games.
Williams briefly spoke to the media after the Clemson game and said that he was feeling better then. He said his vertigo occurred when he turned to the bench to try to substitute one of his players into the game.
As Williams turned, he began to fall to the floor. UNC assistant coach Steve Robinson caught him. Officials stopped play, while Williams was being checked on.
Robinson finished the game for Williams and helped coach the Tar Heels to a 81-79 win over the Tigers on the road. Robinson filled in for Williams when he had to leave a 2016 game at Boston College after a vertigo episode.
Williams said the two incidents were similar. He has dealt with vertigo over his coaching career.
“It’s excruciating pain for a little while,” Williams said Saturday. “I started feeling a heck of a lot better. He was up six or seven at that time and I didn’t want to jinx him. If we had lost I would have gone out there with him.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2019 at 1:16 PM.
