Glenn: Haase Understands UNC-Kansas Drama Well

Beyond Roy Williams himself, few understand the North Carolina-Kansas dynamic better than Jerod Haase.

Now a UNC assistant coach, Haase was the starting wing guard on Williams' best Kansas team, in 1997. He later served as an assistant with the Jayhawks, under Williams, and watched first-hand as Williams rejected (in 2000) and ultimately accepted (in 2003) job offers from his alma mater. Since then, Haase has assisted Williams at UNC, including with one team that won the NCAA title (2005) and one that's challenging for another (2008).

Haase said he'll never forget watching his mentor go through the emotionally draining process of choosing between the Tar Heels and the Jayhawks five years ago.

"It really tore (Williams) up. There's no other way around it," Haase said. "To leave Kansas, and to have to leave those players, for him was gut-wrenching."

Here's the entirety of my recent conversation with Haase:

DG: Your 1997 Kansas team, with you surrounded by four future NBA players (Jacque Vaughn, Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz, Scot Pollard) in the starting lineup, was ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the NCAA Tournament but lost in the Sweet 16 to eventual national champion Arizona. Coach Williams actually included in his Hall of Fame induction speech last fall an apology to the members of that 1997 Kansas team. Was that one of the defining moments in your life, just as it seems to be for Coach Williams?

Haase: "There's no question. That was a special team, and obviously we didn't reach our dream of making the Final Four and winning the national championship. But it was a team that, to this day, we'll all remember that year forever. It was all that was right about college basketball. Obviously, that started with Coach Williams. But all of the players, we were all from different backgrounds and different personalities. You talk about buying into the system, and believing in your teammates, and loving each other in terms of wanting to win games and also caring for each other ...

"That team was a special, special time in my life, even though we didn't win it all that year, like we dreamed of doing. That was especially difficult. But even though we didn't win it all, I think we were clearly the No. 1 team in America, basically for the entire year. I think it goes to show you how tough it is to get to a Final Four."

DG: When you look back, can you keep that Arizona loss in perspective? Do you still view the 1997 season as a huge success overall, even though it didn't have the beautiful Hollywood- or Disney-style ending?

Haase: "No question. It was a successful year. It goes to show how much emphasis is placed on the NCAA Tournament. That's not all good or bad, but it's just a fact. We had a great year, a successful year, but we didn't win our last game. At the same time, it's just the nature of the beast. The postseason, the NCAA Tournament, in a lot of ways is how your season is defined."

DG: You've become an extra-popular guy here during Final Four week, with your dual backgrounds at Kansas and UNC. You and Coach Williams obviously both have lots of fond memories from your time at KU. What can you share about your feelings, and your perception of Coach Williams' feelings, about a place that obviously still means a lot to both of you?

Haase: "I think Coach and I probably have similar-type feelings. Kansas is a truly special place. You know, when you start comparing the two programs, the two towns, the two states, in a lot of ways there's more similarities than differences. Especially the basketball programs, they're just the elite. There might be a couple other programs you can throw in the mix, but when it's all said and done, Kansas and Carolina are two programs that have tradition, recent success, the whole bit. They're special places. The fan support, and the energy around the program, is really second to none."

DG: Coach Williams said this week that the worst feeling of his entire life — not just the worst of his basketball career, but the worst feeling of his entire life — was telling the Kansas players in 2003 that he was leaving. What are your memories of that difficult time?

Haase: "It's hard for people to understand how close the player-coach bond is, unless you've been in that situation. And Coach Williams is probably the extreme in terms of how he cares so much about his players. For him to care so much and then have to make a decision like that, it really tore him up. There's no other way around it. It's something that, I think, has been good for him, great for him to get back to his home state here. I know he's enjoyed every second of it. But to leave Kansas, and to have to leave those players, for him was gut-wrenching."

DG: Five years later, how many Kansas folks are still a part of your lives?

Haase: "When we win a big game, or when we made it to the Final Four, I would say the vast majority of the text-messages and voice mails are either from my family or people from Kansas. We have a lot of friends here as well, but my (Kansas) roots do run deep. I was there for 10 years and have a tremendous amount of friends there, and close family. My wife is from there. It's just a special place."

DG:  With this Kansas team in particular, I'm guessing it's a little bit lower on the drama scale than it could have been. If this Final Four game against the Jayhawks took place two or three years ago, it would have been a much different story, right?

Haase: "Yes. That's exactly right. Both programs really have sort of redefined themselves over the last five years. Both programs have been successful, and there's great stability in both programs. It's not as emotional, or as big a story, as it would have been, especially that first or second year."

DG: Looking at the Kansas game, and this year's Final Four in general, with four No. 1 seeds, are these the kinds of games where hot shooting or one or two possessions could mean the difference between winning and losing?

Haase: "I think there's something to be said for that. Making shots makes up for a lot, whether there's defensive errors or turnovers or whatever. If you can make shots, that's going to give you a huge advantage. At this level, these are four teams that have a chance to win it all and are good enough to win it all. So little things can certainly make the difference. Kansas is really good. We'll have to play a great game, and make shots, and play a smart game as well, to have a chance.

"Our goal is to play our best. If we do that, we'll probably have a chance to win at the end. We do scout, and we certainly look at the other teams. But when it's all said and done, our goal is to play our principles and do what we've been talking about and taught the entire year. If we do that, we'll probably have a chance to win at the end."