A QUIET RETURN : Williams’ Homecoming Was Supposed to Be Pleasant--Then Tragedy Struck

When he signed with the University of North Carolina, Scott Williams, star of the Hacienda Heights Wilson basketball team, pointed to North Carolina’s two upcoming games at Pauley Pavilion. For him, these would be homecomings, something to look forward to. His parents, who had always been by his side and who were with him at the high school gym when he announced his decision, would come to see him play.

Last season, Rita and Al Williams saw him play at Pauley Pavilion as a freshman, making his only start against the Bruins in honor of his homecoming. Today, when he takes his rightful place in North Carolina’s starting lineup against UCLA, his parents will not be there.

Rita and Al Williams died Oct. 15. They were separated, and Al, reportedly despondent over the breakup, waited that day in the garage of her apartment complex for her to return from work. Before she could get out of the car, he shot her. Then he shot himself.

North Carolina Coach Dean Smith had to tell Williams that both of his parents were dead.

Williams is not yet ready to talk about it. Smith is saying little about the incident or Williams’ reaction to it because Williams wants his privacy. But Smith did say: “It was the most traumatic thing that ever happened to me. . . . Obviously it has an effect on him. Obviously nobody could be the same after something like that.”

Smith attended the funeral. Assistant coach Bill Guthridge accompanied Williams back from North Carolina for the funeral. Former Tar Heel players Mitch Kupchak and James Worthy also were there to offer support.

Williams, who had been unable to work out because of a back problem and missed the early days of practice, then missed the next week of practice. Smith and Williams discussed the possibility of Williams’ sitting out a season, but Williams decided to play. Smith says he’s doing a “remarkable” job on the court.

Williams, a 6-foot 10-inch sophomore forward, is averaging 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. He’s coming off a 25-point game--his career high--against Nevada Reno.

Williams is playing alongside 6-9 sophomore center J.R. Reid, another nationally recruited player who visited UCLA and finally chose the Tar Heels over the Bruins.

It is a talented, but very young, team that will face the Bruins in this afternoon’s nationally televised game. From the team that finished 32-4 last season, North Carolina lost four players to the National Basketball Assn. draft. The only two starters returning are Reid and guard Jeff Lebo.

Williams played in every game as a freshman but did not step into a starting role as Reid did. No problem, Williams said. “A lot of people have asked me if I would have signed with North Carolina if I had known J.R. was going to go there, too, and, really, that wouldn’t have made any difference,” Williams said. “I didn’t go expecting to be a so-called star.

“Besides, we have different strengths, and I think we play well together. He has a strong inside game, and I use more quickness and play more on the perimeter. . . . A good example was in the Nevada Reno game when I was shooting more from the outside. It was good because I wasn’t hunting my shot. I was getting it in the flow of the game.”

Williams did not have an outstanding performance in the Tar Heels’ loss at Pauley Pavilion last season. He said that maybe he got a little excited playing in front of his family. He mentioned playing in front of his brother, Al, who is 22. But he stopped short of mentioning his mother and father.

When he arrived at Pauley Pavilion for practice Thursday afternoon, there was an aunt and a small welcoming committee of cousins there to greet him.

“I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the game,” Williams said. “It’s nice to play here. When I was growing up, I always thought I would be a Bruin. It’s just that when it came time to make a decision, UCLA was having coaching changes and didn’t have the stability that North Carolina had.

“It’s still like coming home though, to play with guys I played against in high school (Trevor Wilson and Kevin Walker) and guys I used to play with in the summer (Pooh Richardson). I’m looking forward to it.”

UCLA Coach Walt Hazzard says he’s looking forward to the game, too. “This will be a good opportunity to get things turned around. . . . I expect a physical game. We’ll continue to use 9 or 10 people. Dean Smith always plays 10 or 11 people. So I expect both teams to play full-out all the way.”

Bruin Notes

The game will be nationally televised by NBC (Channel 4) and broadcast locally on KMPC (710) at 1 p.m. . . . UCLA’s record is 4-6. North Carolina is 8-1 and has won four straight. This is North Carolina’s third straight road game. The Tar Heels played at Illinois and at Nevada Reno before coming here. . . . UCLA lost at Chapel Hill two seasons ago, 107-70, and UCLA beat North Carolina at Pauley Pavilion last season, 89-84. The Tar Heels finished 32-4 last season. The other losses were to Notre Dame, North Carolina State and Syracuse.

Even if today’s game draws the biggest crowd of the season, and it should, don’t expect the Tar Heels to be overwhelmed in an arena that seats 12,000. Their home arena, the Dean Smith Center, seats 21,444. Last season, the Tar Heels averaged 20,074 at home. The Bruins are averaging 7,184.

North Carolina has the longest current streak of NCAA tournament appearances, having played in the tournament the last 13 years. That ties UCLA’s record string. UCLA also has the record for Final Four appearances with 13. . . . Coach Dean Smith’s teams have won at least 20 games for 17 straight seasons, the longest streak of any coach in college basketball history.

North Carolina guard Jeff Lebo played behind UCLA guard Pooh Richardson on the Pan American basketball team last summer. . . . UCLA guard Dave Immel, who missed the Bruins’ game Monday night because of the flu, practiced all the rest of the week and says that he is ready to play today.

Smith always tells the players he is recruiting that he will schedule a game in their hometown. That’s not too hard to do for a player from the Los Angeles area. But for starting forward Steve Bucknall, whose hometown is London, England, that involved a recent Christmas tournament in London.