North Carolina, Browns alma mater, was playing Kansas a week ago for a right to play in the final four. The same coach who respectfully chose to stay at home on Monday night cheered as if he were a Kansas fan whose life depended on them beating UNC. North Carolina if brown forgets is the school that gave him a shot at playing college basketball, and Dean Smith gave him his start in coaching as an assistant. So why would Brown show such bitterness toward North Carolina? Many North Carolina fans believed he stole Danny Manning away from Coach Smith by hiring Manning's father as an assistant coach at Kansas. Brown went on to win a title in 1988 with Manning, but the Jayhawks were banned from the 1989 tournament for recruiting violations that occurred while Brown was in Lawrence.
After Brown left Kansas just after the National Championship for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs the Jayhawks were banned from the NCAA tournament in 1989. The Kansas program turned to another Tar Heel in Roy Williams. Williams just as Dean Smith ddid in 1960 took over a program that had the NCAA cloud over it. Williams went on to be one of the best college coaches and has won two national championships after moving back to North Carolina.
So why is Brown so bitter toward the place he began his college and pro career? I am positive he no ill feelings toward Coach Smith, but he was not seriously considered for the UNC job when Coach Guthridge stepped down and Matt Doherty was hired. This move by Dick Baddour made Brown angry and it looks as though he carrying a grudge. There is no doubt Brown is a heck of a coach, but he jumps locations often, and given his track record at Kansas the North Carolina Athletic department could not have anyone who had ties to NCAA violations running their program.
To see Larry Brown rooting for Kansas against NC State was clearly understandable, for Roy to cheer on Kansas in 2008 after losing to them in the final four is forgivable, but to outwardly cheer against your Tar Heel breather-en on National TV is something Tar Heel fans will never forget and most likely never forgive. To add more salt in the wound by mentioning the classy thing to do would be stay at home between Kansas and Kentucky (who Tar Heel fans hate) Larry Brown will have a few less supporters in the town of Chapel Hill.
Larry Brown will not care about me or my opinion nor the opinion of Tar Heel fans, but a statement as to why he chose to cheer against his alma mater may shed some light onto this incident. Fences can be mended, but that can never happen to things that are just left off to the side unattended.
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