Roy Williams, Kansas’ head coach, did not even have time to understand how his, once again, favored Jayhawks lost the NCAA championship. But the question was asked anyway, “How much interest do you have in the North Carolina job?”

CBS reporter Bonnie Bernstein had to ask the question as a journalist because it has been the hot topic surrounding the Final Four. But it was when Bernstein followed up with the same question that Williams began to get irritated.

In a poignant and understandable way, Williams chastised CBS producers for asking that question at that time. Viewers could even hear Williams cuss, which is the rarest thing in college basketball.

It’s easy to understand why Williams was so upset. Because to him, the relationships he forms with his players are the most important part of college basketball. He proved this when he weeped over the loss of his senior leaders Kirk Heinrich and Nick Collison.

The good news for Eastern students is they do not have to watch national televison and the top programs to find dedicated and loyal coaches. For 23 years, coach Rick Samuels has given his all to Eastern’s basketball program and should be apprceiated for it.

Another man who has been around and brought class to Eastern’s program has been assistant coach Mike Church. Church has been by Samuels’ side for 17 years and admires the way he coaches.

“Like Roy Williams said after his loss, coaching is about relationships,” Church said. “I feel that the players are almost a part of my family.”

“I think of it as a good relationship, because if I or coach Samuels wanted to leave, they would be disappointed.”

This is good to see because in an age of college basketball where coaches use most mid-major schools as spring boards to better coaching postions, Eastern’s coaches have been and remain dedicated to their school.

Recently, Pittsburgh coach Ben Howland left his job for UCLA’s illustrious coaching spot in Westwood, close to where he grew up. For Howland it was his dream job, and even though he had built Pittsburgh up to a national power, he felt that he should leave.

The problem with this situation is that he didn’t bother to tell the kids who had signed to play for him at Pittsburgh he was leaving. Many of the players felt betrayed and saddened by their coaches sudden absence.

“Sometimes that stuff gets blown out of proportion though,” Church said. “Things move so fast sometimes that coaches don’t get a chance to talk to their kids.”

“But at the same time, there are a lot of coaches out there who don’t care about the kids they sign. Some cheat and leave their kids, but there is nothing you can do about that. There are always going to be those kind of people in our profession.”

Nevertheless, it is a good thing to see that Eastern’s coaches are much more like Williams than like Howland. The dedication Samuels has shown to his players for over two decades proves that he is serious about his passion for Eastern basketball.

Some coaches, such as Texas’ Rick Barnes, believe that coaches recruit for the university and not for themselves. This way they give themselves a way out if they decide to leave. Maybe they feel less guilty about leaving their kids, but the fact still remains that most players are disappointed when their coach leaves.

At Eastern the coaches don’t have to be leary about telling a recruit that they will be here for all four years of their college career. Since most basketball players at Eastern stay all four years, they sign to come to Charleston mostly to play for Samuels.

It is good to see a coach who does not let his players down.