Roy on knowing your limitations
If Clemson is to do the unthinkable later today -- beat North Carolina for the first time ever in Chapel Hill -- it's best they don't think about that big 0-50 record, which dates back to a 50-20 UNC victory in 1926 when the Heels were called the White Phantoms and played in the Tin Can.
But, best not to think about such details today if you're the visitor. Call it ignoring your limitations.
That is contrary to Roy Williams' philosophy, which he bases on a great Clint Eastwood line in his favorite Dirty Harry movie, "Magnum Force."
He shared this philosophy with reporters a couple of weeks ago when asked how much freedom he gives point guard Raymond Felton on the floor. I thought I might save this for a later story, but when you read it, you'll agree it works better as a Roy Williams monologue than as a quote in a Felton feature. Plus, at least one local blog enthusiast has been pining for more blogosphere "access" to the people we cover, so for his sake, enjoy ...
RW: "The first Dirty Harry movie was about some weirdo, but the second one was about some bad cops, and the chief of police was also a bad cop. And 2 or 3 times throughout the course of the movie, Dirty Harry said, 'You have to know your limitations.'
"And at the end, the chief of police, who was a dirty cop, got a bomb put in Clint Eastwood's car. And Clint Eastwood started walking toward the car and the chief of police walked toward his car, smiled, got in his car and turned his ignition and it blew up because Clint Eastwood had put it in his car.
"Clint turned around and said, 'You've got to know your limitations.'
"And that's the way I coach basketball. I give them all the freedom they can have, but, by golly, they better be able to do what they attempt to do. We get them to understand their limitations and then give them all kinds of freedom."
I should point out, Roy does NOT put a bomb in their cars if they fail to understand their limitations.
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