CONTROVERSY IGNITES: Roy Williams Ranked ABOVE Coach K on Top 25 Coaches List — And Duke Fans Are Furious!
July 27, 2025 – By Emily Forrester, The Sporting Ledger
In a move that has set social media ablaze and reignited the most storied rivalry in college basketball, The Athletic has released its much-anticipated list of the Top 25 College Basketball Coaches of the 2000s—and at the center of it is a decision that has stunned even the most seasoned fans: Roy Williams ranked ahead of Mike Krzyzewski.
Williams, who retired from UNC in 2021 after a 33-year coaching career, was placed #2 overall, just behind UConn’s Geno Auriemma (factored in due to cross-program influence in a hybrid men’s/women’s edition), with Krzyzewski slotted at #3. The ranking, justified by The Athletic’s panel through “decade-specific dominance, program-building, postseason performance, and modern adaptability,” has Duke faithful crying foul.
Twitter? In flames. Reddit? A battleground. Tobacco Road? Divided.
THE METRICS BEHIND THE MADNESS
While both coaches are undisputed titans—Krzyzewski with five NCAA titles, Williams with three—The Athletic’s breakdown leaned heavily on sustained tournament performance in the 2000s, and adaptability to player turnover and one-and-done culture.
From 2000 to 2021, Williams’ teams won three national championships (2005, 2009, 2017) and appeared in five title games. Krzyzewski, in the same window, claimed two titles (2001, 2015) and had three Final Four appearances. The Athletic’s editorial noted that “while Coach K had a higher career win total, Williams’ teams in the 2000s were more consistently dominant in March.”
That logic, however, did little to calm the fury in Durham.
DUKE LEGENDS RESPOND
Former Duke guard and current ESPN analyst Jay Williams called the ranking “revisionist history at its worst,” while 2015 national champion Tyus Jones tweeted simply:
> “I love Roy, but this ain’t it.”
Krzyzewski himself, now retired and working on his third memoir, declined formal comment but posted a cryptic quote on his Instagram story:
> “Respect is earned, not handed down by a panel.”
CHAPEL HILL CELEBRATES
Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, the mood is triumphant. A banner reading “#2 All-Time? Sounds About Royght.” was seen draped over the Dean Dome’s front gate by morning.
Former Tar Heel great Tyler Hansbrough called the ranking “validation,” saying:
> “Coach Williams never asked for praise. He just built champions, year after year. The numbers speak.”
Current UNC head coach Hubert Davis, who recently won his second national title, added:
> “Roy didn’t coach for rankings. But we’ll take it.”
THE RIVALRY RENEWS
If fans thought the UNC-Duke war cooled after Coach K’s retirement, this ranking just poured gasoline on the coals. With both programs thriving under Davis and Duke’s Jon Scheyer, and recruiting battles tighter than ever, the debate over legacy is no longer a whisper—it’s a war.
As one UNC student shouted outside the Dean Dome on Tuesday night, waving a Jordan-era jersey:
> “They say numbers don’t lie. But sometimes, they also hurt.”
One thing’s for sure—March Madness may still be months away, but the fire between Durham and Chapel Hill is already burning red hot.
Let me know if you want a fan reaction piece or even Coach K’s fictional op-ed response.
