University of North Carolina Athletics
Childhood Dream Comes True For Tar Heel
February 16, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2000
By Robert Taylor
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
Do dreams really come true? For senior guard Terrence Newby, his one childhood dream was to wear the Carolina Blue and White jersey and play basketball in the Smith Center. Midway through his senior year at Carolina, Newby continues to dream and establish successful goals for himself as well as his teammates, primarily to fulfill a four-year quest for a national championship.
Regardless of whether the Tar Heels are able to earn that championship ring in 2000, total personal satisfaction for Newby will come from his involvement with the North Carolina basketball program that he once fantasized about as a kid, but can now refer to as his second family.
"When I was younger, I would watch Kenny Smith, Jeff Lebo, J.R. Reid, Kevin Madden and I could go on and on," says Newby. "But when Coach Dean Smith offered me the scholarship to come to North Carolina and play basketball, to actually wear the jersey I idolized growing up, I was in shock. All I could think was that it was too good to be true. It was a dream come true."
The realization of his dream to come to Chapel Hill to play basketball and earn a college degree could not have put the Siler City, N.C. native in any better of a situation personally. Family is a top priority for Newby, especially the relationship with his mother, with whom he has remained in close contact with ever since he came to school.
"It has been a picture perfect situation for me and my mother," Newby says. "Unlike some guys, my mother never had to catch flights to come see me play, she has always been right there for me. I just love the fact that she can come here whenever she wants."
ut Newby has come to cherish a new addition to his family. He is now a lifelong member of the North Carolina basketball family.
"There is one thing that I absolutely admire about North Carolina, it is a family," says Newby. "I can always remember reading about the Carolina family traditions growing up, but to actually be a part of it is something special that you cannot get from reading a newspaper or magazine."
Newby commends the great athletes he has been teammates with spanning the past four years, not only for their basketball abilities but for their abilities to remain unique and distinct from each other.
"Some of the guys I have played with, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Shammond Williams, Serge Zwikker, Ademola Okulaja and the guys here now have just all been so different," Newby says. "There have always been so many different egos and characters among the many players, it is amusing for me to see how everybody acts just like a family."
Not only do Newby and the rest of his teammates become their own separate family unit, but also they become an important addition to the already existing Carolina family.
"You go down the line with guys from Michael Jordan to Charlie McNairy, it is just one big family," says Newby while gleaming at the retired jerseys hanging from the Smith Center rafters. "No matter whether it is a guy like George Lynch or Jerry Stackhouse, to come back here during the summer and play with us, they always treat you as if you were here playing with them during their time at Carolina. It is amazing to see how much loyalty Coaches Smith and Bill Guthridge have put into the players that go through the Carolina program. Everybody is always calling, wishing the team well, telling us to keep our heads up and that is something I cherish because I know that other programs around the country don't have that type of support."
ut as any family might experience, there have been some disappointments for Newby and his teammates over the last four seasons.
"When we lose and don't live up to the expectations that we as a team set, it becomes frustrating," says Newby. "My sophomore season, I thought that we were the best team in the country, honestly. Yes, we were happy to be in the Final Four, but not to win it all, especially since we also lost the year before, was just heartbreaking."
Newby, however, is very fortunate to have the ability to look past certain events that might appear as major setbacks and realize what is more important than individual wins and losses.
"Last year's finish combined with the slow start this season were very frustrating," says Newby as he stares as his practice jersey. "But nothing is ever a major disappointment when you are putting on this uniform. Not many people come along with an opportunity like this, so for me to ever think of my playing basketball here in a negative way is ridiculous."
Newby's future plans after school remain before him as the next challenge, but he will undoubtedly take what he has learned at North Carolina to influence the younger generation of players who are dreaming, like he once did, to play college basketball.
"After the basketball is over with, I would love to get into coaching," says Newby. "I want to be to the younger guys what other people were to me when I first got to Carolina. I have always taken on the role that whenever something was needed, or if anyone asked, I would volunteer my help for anything to help out the team. I just want to pass on to the next generation of players what I have learned."
Newby and fellow senior teammate Ed Cota are the lone graduating players on this year's squad, and have maintained a strong friendship on and off the court during their four years together at North Carolina. Even though the senior leadership roles that Newby and Cota have taken on this season might differ, they each contribute enormously to the team's intensity in their own unique way.
"Ed and I have really become more vocal this year," says Newby. "I was always the more vocal person between the two of us. But Ed has definitely taken on a more vocal role this season than ever before. In the past, he has always just been the great leader on the floor without having to say much. Ed will just say what he has to say and leave the rest up to me. I'm the one getting the team ready to go before each game in the huddle, while Ed takes charge on the court and leads by example."
Unfortunately for Newby and Cota, the time to pass the torch onto the next crop of Carolina players is fast approaching. Only two home games remain for seniors Newby and Cota and the special emotions they will experience during the senior introductions in front of the home crowd at the Smith Center prior to the Georgia Tech game are well deserved for them both.
"I know that it is going to be emotional," says Newby. "It is going to be my last time playing here in front of all the people and fans and especially my family. It marks the last time that Ed and I are going to play organized basketball on this court. I just hope I don't cry."
Of course, Newby's mother will determine how emotional he will get during the introductions.
"It is going to be more emotional for my mother than it will be for me," smiles Newby. "I remember the day that I left home to start my freshman year, I was packing up my car and she just started crying. I can't stand to see my mother like that. I knew that it wasn't hurt she felt but that it was happiness, so I couldn't hold back my tears either. My mother, grandmother, and aunt will all be here for Senior Day, so it will probably be really emotional. I hope it doesn't get too bad."
Although finishing his basketball career at North Carolina will be an emotional time, Newby's ultimate goal is to graduate and earn his diploma in African Studies.
"Graduating is very special because I will be doing something that a lot of people from my neighborhood don't get a chance to do," says Newby. "It's about finishing college, period. Not only was it a goal for myself but for my mother and my family. I can't wait to earn that degree and make everybody happy."
Terrence Newby's overall Carolina experience has fulfilled numerous dreams for himself and his family.
"I am going to get a degree from the University of North Carolina, I played basketball at North Carolina and I am from North Carolina," says Newby. "It has been the most fun-filled four years of my life. I experienced it all."
No matter what the future might hold in store for Newby, he can always look back on his stint at Carolina and truly understand that dreams really do come true.
