University of North Carolina Athletics
Lang Reflects on His Years in Chapel Hill
February 18, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 18, 2002
By Jason Owens
Athletic Communications Student Assistant
It happens all the time. Every playground, gym and backyard basketball hoop in North Carolina has hosted a Final Four. Stars are born every day as they hit crucial shots in the ACC tournament or make the big play to upset Duke or NC State or UNC, whoever the most hated rival is. Just ask the neighbor's kid, or watch him as he takes his opponent to the hole. It doesn't matter that nobody's really guarding him. He's just clinched the ACC Championship.
Almost every kid who grew up in North Carolina and has dribbled a ball has dreamed of playing ACC basketball. And they live out those dreams on late afternoons when they have the court all to themselves. Even though nobody else is there, they can hear the roar of the crowd as the final seconds tick off the clock. They feel the pressure of the defender trying desperately to hold on to the lead. And they celebrate wildly with their teammates after hitting the big shot to bring home the win. For most of those kids, though, that's all it is-just a dream. Not for UNC senior center Kris Lang.
Lang, a native of Gastonia, has done exactly what many kids only play out in their minds. He emerged as one of the top players in the country his sophomore year of high school at Hunter Huss. The Charlotte Observer declared him Mr. Basketball in the state his senior year. Now, he has started four years on Carolina teams that have won the ACC regular season championship, advanced to the Final Four and have been ranked number one in the country. And, he too was one of those kids that played out his dreams in his back yard.
"Every kid does that," Lang says. "I used to stand in my driveway and pretend I was hitting the shot to win the championship. I grew up on ACC basketball."
Kris modeled his game after some of the ACC's greatest big men as he watched them dominate the college scene when he was growing up. He wanted to play at the level of Eric Montross, Tim Duncan and Christian Laettner. Kris realized his dream could come to fruition his sophomore year of high school when recruiting analysts labeled him as one of the top players in the country. And then the letters came. It didn't take long for Kris to grow tired of the barrage of recruiting mail that bombarded his mailbox twice a week, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays.
"The letters started piling up outside the door," Lang says. "The mailbox would be full and the postman would have to lay the mail down on the rocking chair outside. Then it would rain and the mail would get wet."
Most kids wouldn't have much sympathy for Kris' dilemma. He didn't feel too sorry for himself either, especially when he started to garner top five national rankings. That's when the letters from North Carolina, Wake Forest and other top caliber teams arrived.
It wasn't an automatic decision for Kris, but he knew after seeing then assistant coach Phil Ford in the stands at one of his games, that he definitely wanted to wear Tar Heel blue.
"The history and dedication to success at Carolina showed me that Chapel Hill was where I wanted to be," Lang says.
Once Lang got to Carolina, he didn't have to wait long to make an impact at the ACC and national level. Lang hustled and banged his way into the starting lineup as a freshman, averaging over 10 points a game as he developed his trademark hook shot.
His strong play caught the attention of the regional and national media, as he earned ACC All-Freshman honors and was named to the College Hoops Insider national All-Freshman team.
Lang has continued to excel on the court and is having his best year this season, averaging 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while leading the team in blocked shots through February 12. His play and role as a team leader this year draws more and more attention his way.
As Lang continued to play in the public eye, he began to realize that his experience playing for Carolina would be a little different than he had imagined as a kid. All the days he spent on the playground and in the gym, he had just imagined making an impact on the court. What he didn't realize was how visible he would be to the public and what an impact he would make on his fans lives' just by being himself and playing basketball.
"It's nothing like what I expected," Lang says. "I walk down the street and people react differently to me. I get letters telling me how I've changed their lives. It's a great feeling."
The spotlight hasn't affected Kris' perspective on life, though. Throughout his career at Carolina, he has experienced the two extremes of college basketball. He was a member of the 1998-99 team that went into the NCAA tournament with high expectations, only to find a first-round exit. The next year, he developed as a team leader as the Tar Heels marched through the Southern Region of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Final Four. And, as he ends his career playing on struggling Carolina team, he has kept his priorities in check.
"As bad as this year's been, you've got to realize things could be a lot worse," Lang says. "If the worst thing that happens to me is that I played on a losing basketball team, I'll be just fine."
Lang's experience at Carolina goes well beyond his exploits on the basketball court. UNC has opened doors to other cultures and people for Lang, who has spent his whole life living in North Carolina. He has met people from around the world that now live in Chapel Hill and has had chances to travel to other countries.
In addition to just enjoying the offerings of other countries as he traveled to Europe, Lang gained an appreciation for the opportunities he is afforded.
"The best part of being at Carolina is the exposure to other cultures," Lang says. "I traveled to Europe and some other places that I've never been before. Not everyone has the luxuries we do. Some places didn't even have toilets and had to shut the water off at night. It makes me realize that as long as I've got a roof over my head, I'm doing all right."
So, Lang's career as a student-athlete has run the gamut in his years at Carolina. He has been places that he'd never been before and learned a lot about the world. He's also had a chance to live out the dreams of all those kids who win a backyard championship every time they pick up a ball.
Kris has had several of those big moments in his playing career, but some stick out more than others.
"The best moment was when I was cutting down the nets after making it to the Final Four and I looked over at my mom," Lang says. That was a special moment. Everyone said we slipped into the tournament and wouldn't do well, but there we were getting ready for the Final Four."
Oh yeah, there was one other Carolina basketball moment that sticks out above the rest in Kris' mind.
"Beating Duke in Cameron last year was pretty special too."
