It’s not an April Fools’ Day joke (just a really weird day to make an announcement that will send thousands of North Carolinians into panicked speculation). 

It is true: UNC men’s basketball coach Roy Williams is retiring after 18 seasons coaching the team.

The INDY confirmed the news, which the university’s athletics website, goheels.com, broke on social media this morning, with Steve Kirschner, the senior associate athletic director for strategic communications for the university’s men’s basketball program.  

Williams, who led UNC to three NCAA championships (in 2005, 2009, and 2017), retires after 33 seasons and 903 wins as a college basketball coach.

Williams, a Spruce Pine, N.C. (near Asheville) native, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1972 and led the Tar Heels to a 485-163 winning record, two Final Fours in addition to the three NCAA wins, nine ACC regular-season championships, and three ACC tournament crowns.

Williams will address media at a press conference on Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center today at 4 p.m. While closed to the public, fans can watch online at GoHeels.com.

Here are some online reactions from notable friends, fans, foes, and fellow North Carolinians. 

Jane Porter is Wake County editor of the INDY, covering Raleigh and other communities across Wake County. She first joined the staff in 2013 and is a former INDY intern, staff writer, and editor-in-chief, first joining the staff in 2013.