University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Impressive After Midnight
October 12, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 12, 2002
By Meg Schiffman
UNC Athletic Communications
It was the kind of crowd that was so loud you could barely hear yourself think. The kind where the person next to you is screaming louder than you are, jumping higher and whose adrenaline might be pumping stronger because you missed a great play...until the next slam dunk, when your heart skips a beat and you catch up.
"Did you see those kids out there?" ESPN anchor and Carolina graduate Stuart Scott shouted. "You saw it, I saw it. Everyone saw it. These kids are gonna be rolling."
The Carolina fans who packed into Carmichael Auditorium Friday night for "Midnight With the Tar Heels," a celebration of Carolina basketball that marks the first day of NCAA practice nation-wide, saw a fresh, talented, solid squad ready to get to work.
"Carolina never left," Scott said. "8-20 doesn't mean Carolina went somewhere. It means the team had a down year. Matt's going to do some things - it's going to be good."
Scott hosted the event, igniting the crowd and players with colorful commentary during the night's festivities, which commenced with a 3-0 Tar Heel women's volleyball win over Wake Forest. The volleyball team, now 11th in the nation, is 5-0 in the ACC and 17-1 overall, marking its best start in program history.
"Tonight was a really great win," right-side hitter Malaika Underwood said. "We gave it to them. There was no chance for them to come back in the game."
A number of competitions followed the Tar Heel volleyball win, including a free throw competition, a student versus Coach Matt Doherty 3-point contest, a four on four game that pit UNC basketball coaches against the student intramural champions and a highly entertaining Sumo wrestling contest between student-body president Jen Daum and CAA president Kris Willett.
C.J. Hooker, one of the student intramural champs, guarded Coach Doherty during the half-court game against the coaches. "It was an unbelievable experience...yet it was demoralizing," he joked. "Why is a 45-year-old man hitting every shot he makes?"
It is this closeness with the coaches and the players and the intimate environment of Carmichael Auditorium that makes "Midnight" such a unique event. "These guys are students," director of sports marketing Michael Beale said of the basketball players. "They go to classes, they live in the dorms...they're just like everybody else. This makes it easy for students to relate to the players, and it's a great way to get both the team and the fans excited."
"Midnight" is a predominantly student-run event thanks to the diligence of CAA members. "They really did a great job," sports marketing's Matt Roberts said. "They take the lead on this, the organizing, the promoting - it's an event for the students, by the students."
Senior Nick Jordan, who arrived two hours early to ensure he got a good seat, said he was highly impressed by both the team and the overall aura inside the arena. "We're back," he said, as the basketball players filtered off the court and the crowd rushed to shake their hands. "I'm excited about this team - it was built on a tradition of winning, outstanding players, the culture around campus. There is so much excitement for the team - we're back this year."
The evening culminated with 20 minutes of intoxicating scrimmage by the Tar Heels. The fans loved it - the players loved it. And amid Stuart Scott's endearing rendition of the song "Noel" every time freshman David Noel made a jaw dropping play, following the slam dunks by Jawad Williams and Rashad McCants that stunned the tireless crowd on numerous occasions, the look-away passes by Raymond Felton, the renewed confidence of Melvin Scott and Jackie Manuel, one thing stood out.
It was a smile.
Not just any smile, but a coach's smile. The kind of smile that seems to say something good is going to happen.
"Tonight was a fun night," Doherty said. "It was a celebration of Carolina basketball...and tomorrow we'll go to work."
Meg Schiffman is a senior journalism major from Chevy Chase, Maryland.
