University of North Carolina Athletics
Jerry Stackhouse Earns Another Tar Heel Victory
August 3, 1999 | Men's Basketball
The Tar Heels, seeded second in the region, were to play top-seeded Kentucky the following day in the heart of SEC country and the Wildcats were favored. As the media questioned Coach Dean Smith and Carolina's five starters about the matchup, Stackhouse's look grew more serious with each passing moment. Upon the conclusion of the 45-minute session, one reporter commented on Stackhouse's unusual demeanor to a member of the Carolina athletic department.
"He's not mad," said the Tar Heel staffer. "He's just heard all the talk about Kentucky and their plans for a victory party and he is just totally focused on playing tomorrow. I think Kentucky is in big trouble."
Indeed, Stackhouse's drive and determined effort led the underdog Tar Heels to a 74-61 win over the Cats. He scored 18 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, and had six assists, two blocked shots and two steals in a remarkable performance.
It proved to be his final victory in a Tar Heel uniform - but not his last at Carolina.
A former student-athlete since May 1995, when he announced his intentions to declare for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season, he is now Jerry Stackhouse, Carolina '99. He completed his degree in African-American Studies by taking classes in summer school and correspondence courses while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. He finished his academic load by taking eight hours this summer.
"I don't think I have ever had a feeling after a big game like I felt after that last sociology exam," says a beaming Stackhouse, just hours later. "I'm more proud of this than anything I have ever accomplished on the basketball court. This is similar to winning a championship. It's rare. I've been playing basketball a long time, so winning a game or having a big game are things I have done before."
Stackhouse came to Carolina from Kinston High School and Oak Hill Academy as one of the most highly recruited athletes in recent memory. He became just the third freshman in league history to earn Most Outstanding Player honors at the ACC Tournament as he helped lead the Tar Heels to the title in 1994.
As a sophomore, he led the squad in scoring with 19.2 points per game and averaged 8.2 rebounds per contest. Sports Illustrated named him National Player of the Year, and he earned first-team All-America and All-ACC honors.
Stackhouse teamed with classmates Rasheed Wallace and Jeff McInnis and upperclassmen Pat Sullivan, Donald Williams and Dante Calabria to reach the 1995 Final Four in Seattle. Unfortunately, he suffered a deep thigh bruise just 12 seconds into the national semifinal and the Tar Heels were eliminated in a hard-fought game with Arkansas.
Weeks later, he announced he would enter the NBA Draft, where the 76ers selected him with the third overall pick. Going to the NBA did not mean the end of his educational pursuits, however.
"Earning my degree was important right from the beginning," says Stackhouse. "It was one of the goals I set out for myself even when I came to Carolina. I wanted to become the best athlete I could be and graduate. When I decided to leave early I made a promise to Coach Smith and to my mother that I would continue to try to do just that. I wasn't just going to pursue a basketball career, I wasn't going to end my academic career.
Stackhouse has played four seasons in the NBA. He averaged 19.2 and 20.7 points per game his first two years with Philadelphia, but was dealt to the Pistons midway through his third campaign. Last year he averaged 14.5 points a game and has four-year career numbers of 18.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest.
"I had a great opportunity to go to the NBA after my sophomore year," says Stackhouse. "It was good timing to come into the league, but I was sure to I get my mom and Coach Smith in my corner. I made sure they knew I was not stopping my academic career. I was just postponing. Now I am done and I have my degree."
Many players who leave school early announce their intentions to come back and graduate, but not all are willing to spend the time necessary to earn the diploma.
"I didn't know what I was getting myself into," he admits. "I thought I was going to be able to come back and take the same type course load that I had my first two years, but it doesn't work that way. You can only take a few hours at a time in the summer. It took me longer than I had planned.
"People doubted me. Lots of guys who have come out early have said the same thing. I felt it was time to show and tell. I wanted to prove to everybody, even myself that this was something I could attain. I had a lot of hours to make up in the classroom because I left after just two years."
"We are extremely proud of what Jerry has accomplished by earning his degree," says UNC coach Bill Guthridge. "He is certainly to be congratulated. Jerry dedicated a lot of time and effort in the summer after long NBA seasons. It is especially rewarding in light of the fact he had to complete two full academic years. I know his family is proud of his achievement."
Stackhouse says the hardest part of finishing his coursework was the motivation factor.
"I told myself I would not settle for anything less than graduating," he says. "It's hard to keep asking yourself: What's this really going to mean? Am I really going to need this to take care of my family after basketball? I had to stay focused and keep out the distractions.
"When you have a pocket full of money and a lot of extracurricular things you could be doing, it's tough to be in school," he adds.
"There aren't coaches out checking classes. It feels so much better when you have to do it on your own. The only pressure to go to class is your own. If you don't go, you don't go. And I didn't miss a single day. Actually, I had to miss one biology class, but I got it straight with my professor before I missed. I told my agent, in terms of appearances, it was fine to schedule them for the weekend, but this summer I was totally dedicated to finishing school. I was in class from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day."
Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge played a big part in his successes on and off the court according to Stackhouse.
"They were just like my mom," he says. "They stayed on me, making sure I finished. They encouraged me to make the sacrifice now, even if I had to give up vacations to finish."
Coming back to school over the last four summers allowed him to appreciate the friends he made in Chapel Hill.
"I don't know what to do now that class is done," he says with a laugh. "I really had a good time going to school. I didn't get to build on the friendships I made here as a freshman and sophomore, but I have made a lot of relationships the last few summers that will last a long time.
"My teaching assistant in biology lab told me that we were freshmen together. I was like, Man, I came to Carolina with that guy and now he's a professor and I'm the student. One day I came to class and he was wearing Fila "Stackhouse" socks. He told me he used to sit up in the bleachers at the Smith Center and rock."
Stackhouse's days as a student actually may not be over, even though he has earned his undergraduate degree. Even though the NBA has allowed him to be financially secure, Stackhouse says there is more to life than basketball.
"Whether I ever have to use the degree I don't know," he says. "But its nice to have something to fall back on. Times have changed in the NBA with the money. With proper management, you should be able to take care of your family and your next generation for a while and I plan to do that.
"But I want to do something in another capacity after basketball and I want to be qualified and be able to do that. I want to come back to the University and do something. And I'm still not done. I probably will be in Chapel Hill and I think I'll take some graduate courses."
One thing he is not certain of is whether he will be able to march in commencement exercises when his class graduates on December 18th, 1999, in the Smith Center. Safe to say, he will be the only graduate whose jersey is hanging from the rafters. (Unless Antawn Jamison, who also earned his degree this summer, marches alongside Stackhouse.)
"That would really be special, not only to me but to my parents," says Stackhouse. "That's a once in a lifetime experience and I hope there is not a conflict with the Pistons' schedule."
Stackhouse is one of a number of Tar Heels who have left school early to play professional basketball. Jamison, the consensus National Player of the Year in 1997-98, completed all but two courses toward graduation in his three years in Chapel Hill.
Vince Carter also left after his junior season and was the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year playing for the Toronto Raptors. He will finish his degree next summer.
"Hats off to him for pursuing and finishing his degree," Carter says. "I know from experience its easy to come back that first year and go to class, but he did it year after year. We would be in the gym playing ball and we'd see Jerry with his backpack heading off to class."
That same focus Stackhouse showed the day before the NCAA win over Kentucky is evident again in the way he went after his degree. And he says that although his situation worked out for the best, hes not sure it is for everybody.
"In terms of coming out or staying in school, I think everyone has to look at their own situation and weigh financial and family obligations. If you were really committed to getting your degree, I would say to stay in school all four years. It worked for me leaving after two years, but it was hard. I wouldn't recommend that. But everybody has to do what is right for them."
Stackhouse's favorite moment as a Tar Heel came when Carolina defeated Virginia to win the 1994 ACC Tournament. His most memorable game was the epic, 102-100 win in double overtime at Duke his sophomore year. And, yes, his favorite dunks were the vicious windmill on Virginia Tech in Greensboro and the wrap-around jam at Duke.
ut the No. 1 thing he will remember from his Carolina days is the sense of pride and accomplishment when he put down his pen and finished that sociology exam in August 1999.
It was truly a championship moment!
- By Steve Kirschner
Director of Media Relations for Football and Men's Basketball
University of North Carolina
