ST. LOUIS (KMOX) -- Count Roy Williams among those who have used a Cardinals broadcast to get them through some late nights.
"The signal was so strong that I could get it in North Carolina and Kansas," the Hall of Fame basketball coach told KMOX's Sports on a Sunday Morning. "There were many nights on the road (recruiting) where I'd find KMOX. I do enjoy baseball."
Williams, who grew up in Asheville, NC, was a basketball and baseball player in high school. He says he's been a Yankees fan since 1956, but has always respected the Cardinals' deep and storied tradition.
"Stan Musial and those teams," Williams recalled. "Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa. I listened to Cardinals games quite a bit."
Williams also has another connection to St. Louis: He won his first of three national championships here, defeating Illinois in 2005.
"My three favorities cities in the United States are St. Louis, Detroit and Phoenix, because those happen to be the three (where) we've won national championships," Williams laughed. "But that time in St. Louis was pretty special to me."
He called a timeout late in the game to try to get his team to hold off a talented Illini squad.
"I said: 'I don't have anything to tell you, I just want you to catch you breath," Williams recalled. "If you play your tails off the last few minutes right here, you're going to be national champions. St. Louis will always be a special place for many reasons... that's a big one."
Monday night in New Orleans, he'll watch a former Tar Heel, Hubert Davis, coach North Carolina in the national title game in New Orleans on Monday night. And he'll be cheering a player he also recruited, St. Louis native Caleb Love (CBC). The sophomore guard scored 28 points, including a three-pointer and three free throws to seal a Final Four win over Duke.
"He's tough enough and wants that big shot," Williams said. "A lot of guys say they want it, but they're tight when they take it. And Caleb's not."
Click above for the full interview, including Williams' thoughts on facing his former school, Kansas, in the national championship game... and for the first time, what life is like away from coaching.
Listen to the NCAA National Championship on Monday night at 8:20 PM CT on KMOX and Westwood One.