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First Person: Shea Rush
September 7, 2017 | Men's Basketball
In his own words, the Tar Heel sophomore describes what it means to earn a Carolina basketball scholarship.
As long as I can remember, it was my dream to play for Coach Roy Williams. When I was a little kid playing basketball on the driveway, I would always pretend to be the Tar Heels, running up and down the court in the Dean Smith Center.
When I came to basketball camp in Chapel Hill, we played in the Smith Center, but the camp courts are turned sideways, so more games can be going at one time. I used to dream about what it would be like to play on the "big" court, with fans in the stands. I thought being able to do that would be one of the coolest feelings in the world. Last year, I found out I was right.Â
Sure, there are some hard days when you are a college basketball player. Training is intense and in season, with classes and travel, every day is exhausting.  But the positives vastly outweigh the grind.
I already was excited about my sophomore season. But then Coach Williams got us together as a team at the football game against Cal. We always have a team meal before each football game. He gathered us around, and he said some very nice things. He said that he was proud of me, and then he said he was going to put me on scholarship. That made me feel truly honored.
The guys all cheered. Everyone was really excited. Once it sunk in, I asked Coach if he would mind if I made a quick phone call. I knew I had to tell my family right away. Luckily, they were at home together. They were so excited – they started cheering. They were the ones who were there all those days when I was playing out in the driveway. They knew my dream to play at Carolina and they worked so hard to support me inevery way they could to help me toward it. I think it was pretty special for them to know that I'd achieved something so important to me. It's very expensive to go to Carolina as an out of state student, and I know my scholarship will make a big difference for them. I'm grateful this will help them.Â
Whether I'm a walk-on or on scholarship, my goal has been to do whatever I can do to help the team. Coach is a vocal guy, but it's not like you can ask him every day, "Do you think I'm doing a good job?" One of the most rewarding parts about getting a scholarship is it's reassuring to me that he wants me around and feels that I am beneficial to the team. Every day I want to make him proud, and I never want there to be a single minute that he regrets the decision to let me play basketball for North Carolina.
Last year was unbelievably amazing. Almost every day, something happened that I never could possibly have imagined. We won a National Championship. I met President Obama, Michael Jordan and Mark Zuckerberg all in one year. I learned great things in class. I was pushed on the basketball court to do things I didn't know I was capable of. I was so immediately accepted here, and I created great friendships with the guys on the team that will last a lifetime.
My dream was always to play basketball for Coach Williams at Carolina. The reality has far surpassed that dream. Every day, it's the greatest feeling in the world to be a Tar Heel basketball player.
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