Lucas: For The Kids

By Adam Lucas

Carolina's junior class is having a breakout season on the court. Which is good, because they probably don't have a future on The Price is Right.

The Tar Heels made their annual holiday shopping trip on Wednesday, using funds they generated with the sale of autographed basketballs. This year's shopping benefited the Me Fine Foundation, a local group that directly assists families whose children are hospitalized at UNC and Duke Hospitals.

As executive director Joey Powell told the team in a moving speech before the shopping began, Me Fine assists with the cost of being treated—which means everything except medical bills. For example, parking at UNC Children's Hospital costs $10 per day. For a family whose child is hospitalized for two months, those seemingly minor costs add up very quickly.

Each player was given a wish list from two children, along with a spending limit of $80 per child. Before they began to roam the store, Powell gave them a sobering reminder: "As you're pulling things off the shelves, keep in mind that it's possible this might be the last Christmas some of these kids get with their families."

With a reminder like that, it's no wonder several Tar Heels paid very little attention to the prescribed limit. It's interesting to watch the personality of the team come through in their shopping. In some years, the shopping trip is a brutally competitive challenge to see which player can get the closest—without going over, as Bob Barker would require—to the limit. In other years, it's pure mayhem and fun.

This year was the latter. On one aisle, Kenny Williams was hunting down Trolls while Andrew Platek looked for Hatchimals. Multiple Star Wars lightsabers were purchased. When Maye placed a large item into his cart, an onlooker said, "You know that costs $70 by itself." Maye powered through the comment like a weak post defender. "I think we're OK," he said.

That was the tone set by the upperclassmen. Joel Berry was one of the first players to finish. When it was pointed out that he'd breezed by the limit of $160 for two kids, he just gave a big smile to assistant coach Brad Frederick, who was in charge of tallying and bagging the purchases. "How can you put a price on a good Christmas?" Berry asked.

.@JoelBerryII is making sure to fill his ?? for @MeFineNC #CarolinaGivingSZN pic.twitter.com/iP9gCH8K2m
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) December 13, 2017

Some of the younger players were more budget-conscious. Two freshmen, Garrison Brooks and Andrew Platek, came the closest to the goal, with Brooks just 84 cents away. Some of their classmates may have actually been a little too skittish about exceeding the limit. One of those was Jalek Felton, ever-vigilant about the wishes of the coaches. When he came in a few dollars under, his face turned serious. "Hey," he said, "I'm on a budget. Got to watch the spending."

As much fun as the Tar Heels had shopping, there will be even more smiles in the coming days, when the Me Fine Foundation deliver the gifts to the families. Powell says every year, he sees families in tears as they realize their kids will have an unexpectedly bountiful Christmas. One year, he received a photo of a family completely decked out in their Christmas pajamas, with a child—IV line still attached—happily opening the gifts provided by the Foundation. It was perhaps the closest that family had been to normal in months. "We hope this enables the adults to just be parents," Powell said. "We want to take the other worries away, so they can just be a parent to their kids."

As Maye watched his tally at the cash register climb higher, Frederick hovered nearby, shaking his head. He'd just watched Kenny Williams come through at over $100 past the "limit." When fellow junior Maye's individual total finished over $70 higher than the target mark, Frederick gave him a disbelieving smile.

Maye, who is already done with exams and had purposely erred on the high side, gave the coach a friendly wave and left him with a reminder: "It's for the kids, Coach Fred!"

Tar Heel fans who want to help the Me Fine Foundation (one constantly helpful item: gas gift cards for families) can visit the organization's website or call them at 919-202-0086 for more information.

Players Mentioned

Garrison Brooks

Jalek Felton

Andrew Platek

Kenny Williams

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