University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: UNC Basketball Mailbag Feb. 21
February 21, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2006
By Adam Lucas
We may have to issue a second edition of Led By Their Dreams.
Why? Because the authors of the book clearly failed to account for the monumental impact fans had on the 2005 national championship. When we asked for your favorite title-winning superstitions, well, we thought we might get a few. We got a landslide. And some of them are a little, um, different. I'm not trying to say you're scary but, well, the mental image of some of these superstitions taking place provided a great deal of humor around Mailbag World Headquarters this week. And we can laugh, because as we've already admitted, ours are just as silly. One thing I did notice: most of the superstitions revolve around watching the games at home rather than in person. Being removed from the arena seems to cause people to look for ways to impact the game.
We got so many quality superstition emails that we had to bump a really good stats-oriented email from Charles Duvall to next week. In fact, we had to bump everything non-superstition related to next week (although a couple emails that would've been in this week's print version will be answered in Wednesday's pregame show on the Tar Heel Sports Network).
Before you read on, please consider the following special reader advisory: do not, I repeat, do not read further if you are at work in a situation where loud outbursts of laughter will get you in trouble. The Carolina Basketball Mailbag denies all responsibility for any job-related incidents that occur as a result of this column. Also, I absolutely promise that these are emails that have not been made up in any form or fashion. Seriously, I promise.
Without further ado...
Jim Nichols of Ocean Pines, MD, issued a warning: don't share your superstitions if they're working. Uh, Jim, why do you think I'm just now telling you about the shoe thing? Even my wife was surprised to read about that one. That's because there's no way I would've mentioned it during the Tournament. Jim says his are currently working so he can't share them, and that's a choice we respect.
There were lots of variations on the "Don't change seats during a hot streak" rule. I actually saw this put into practice last week against Georgia Tech. The guy on the row in front of me made his entire group reseat at halftime. We know what happened.
We're giving special mention to Paul Houseworth of Raleigh, because he combines the Tar Heels (volume level on his TV always set to 23 in honor of Michael Jordan) and Cubs (he must wear his Cubs hat tilted back on his head). That hits close to my heart and also makes me wonder what Paul did to screw things up in 2003 when the Cubs were one game from the World Series and proceeded to blow the NLCS in the most spectacular fashion possible and break my heart unlike any sporting event other than the 1998 Final Four and 1996 UNC-Virginia football game has ever done, not that I am still scarred from that night in Wrigley Field or anything. Look, Paul, I did my part. It must have been you. Now get out your Kerry Wood voodoo doll and make it healthy (for Tar Heel-related content, I'll point out that the only thing wrong with Bobby Frasor is that he is a White Sox fan and walked into the Smith Center sporting a broom after the Sox swept the 2005 World Series).
We're choosing to ignore Christopher Coffey of Birmingham, who claims he purchased a bad-luck copy of Going Home Again, which we all know is a lie. Let's go straight to some email excerpts:
The tense last two minutes of the 1993 championship resulted in five people standing around the TV singing "Kumbaya" and one person in a fetal position in the corner repeatedly muttering "I'm going to throw up," but that's a different story.
Adam Beck, Chapel Hill
It basically works like this: if the Heels are doing well, you can't go to the bathroom because you are holding in the "Good Pee." If things are not going so well for the Heels, you should go to the bathroom to get rid of the "Bad Pee." While I have finished watching a game or two with my legs crossed, I feel it is the least I can do to help ensure a Carolina victory.
Andy Bagwell, Cary, NC
As the Tar Heels entered NCAA tournament play last year, I started a personal ritual while swimming my laps. I made sure to go swimming on the day before or the day of each game. I would always swim 40 laps, one for each minute of a game (sometimes I would do 5 extra in case of overtime). While swimming the lap number that would correspond with a player, I would think of his number and the contributions needed by him. Lap 1 for Melvin (hit those 3's), 2 for Raymond (run the offense), 5 for Jackie (D it up), etc.
Tom Prelovsky, Laurel, MD
If a Tar Heel was at the foul line taking free throws, I would say "In the bucket," with specific timing. "In" after the final preshot dribble, "The" as he raised the ball to shoot, "Bucket" right after the release. Only time I didn't regularly remember to do it was against Wake Forest. UNC didn't shoot poorly, but we all remember how well Wake shot.
Dan Schwind, Rockville, MD
Never written in, but I had to because well it is kind of weird that my family possesses this kind of superstitious power. It may be because we have 17 years of combined UNC attendance (two brother and mother Law grads, one brother undergrad and I was undergrad).
In 1993, my brother was watching the Florida State game in Fayetteville of all places. Unbeknownst to me- I was a Freshman and at the game- there was magic in the air that would transform the history of UNC. My 6-7 month pregnant sister-in-law (this is confirmed by my sister-in-law and several others in attendance) went to the bathroom as pregnant women often do. As you know UNC was getting slaughtered. Since my sister in law left the den UNC made a slight run. When she came down the hall Florida State hit a shot. At that time my brother ordered her back into the bathroom. Miraculously she actually went back into the bathroom. The comeback went on. Mind you my sister-in-law is a co-opted South Carolinian- now diehard Heel. She would peek out and ask for a score and the den would scream back sometimes a score or sometimes a get back in the bathroom. Apparently every time she opened the door Florida State would score. I am thankful to my sis-in-law for that wonderful game.
Eric Trosch
There is another version of the "stay-put" rule. If, during a game, we start a good run you need to stay in that position, don't move at all. If you're all curled up on the couch, stay that way. If you are sitting up leaning on your knees, stay that way. If you're in the kitchen leaning on the counter, don't move! This one has worked outside of basketball also. When the UNC football team toppled Miami I had not moved a muscle since halftime. I made a conscious decision not to move. My brother was sleeping on the couch and after the game revealed that he had woken up, but went back to sleep knowing it would mess up the karma. It all worked as the last second field goal was true!
Collins Wetzel, Fredericksburg, VA
Prior to last season, I had some Carolina blue baller bands made that read, "Believe." Before every game I put one on each wrist, kissed each one and then tapped them together like I was making an "X" with my arms. I then would give pep talks to my Carolina poster to each player, accompanied by a chest pound with my fist from me to each player. Also, I had to have my Rashad McCants replica jersey hanging on a hanger in the room I was watching the game in. Lastly, I had to have water or Coca Cola in a cup in the room I was in. I could not allow the cup to become empty so at timeouts and halftime I would have to refill.
Jeff Warren, Greensboro
My Shih Tzu Buddy dresses out in his "I'm A Little Tar Heel" infant t-shirt which we bought at the Kerr Drug store in University Mall. When he gets that shirt on, he does a little dance because he knows he's going to spend some quality time with the Heels (and Mom). He curls up beside me on the recliner in the den, and when the opposing players are shooting free throws, I give little Buddy a gentle nudge and say "Bounce it, Buddy," and it bounces off ALMOST every time! Buddy has about a 90% average of voodooing their shots.
Judy Thibodeaux, Efland, NC
When I was 14 or 15, I bought my father a Carolina blue and white lava lamp for Christmas. Somehow the lava lamp got transformed into the UNC good luck charm and earned a spot right next to the TV on a pedestal. Now, as any lava lamp aficionado will tell you, it needs an hour or so to warm up before it really gets going. It was a steadfast RULE that the lava lamp had to be on and warmed up with plenty of time before the game started. If it wasn't, the Heels would LOSE.
The best thing about the lamp was if the Heels weren't winning, my dad and I had to go over to the lava lamp, stroke it, and chant "lava lamp...lava lamp" over and over again during the commercial breaks. I feel like every time we did that, the power of the lava lamp would take over, and the Heels would rally and earn a win.
Heather Leith, Chapel Hill native
Steve and Cheryl Olsen from Spencer, NC have a free throw ritual they perform during each Carolina free throw. They touch their foreheads and say "Head," then their chests and say, "Heart," then in a forward motion towards the basket with arc on it - "Hole!" They say that they're about 80% with this technique.
Joel Ehlers from Cottage Grove, Wisconsin dresses his dog Rameses in a #42 Carolina uniform (jersey and shorts) along with the Carolina collar. He and his dog would go for a walk before the game to "clear their heads" then watch the game together. Last year, the only game they didn't watch together was the first Duke game because he was too loud and scared the dog away. For the other losses last year, he was either at school, at work, or otherwise unable to dress up the dog.
Three submissions earned a free copy of Led By Their Dreams. They are the following:
Since literally being christened as a baby in Carolina Blue (Carolina blue pigment was added into the water), I've come to know of several superstitions that I must partake in before the tipoff of every UNC game.
1) To wear all out Carolina Blue or UNC gear on game day. That's right, from my head all the way to my feet. I will be clad in everything Tar Heel. Either a UNC t-shirt, UNC parachute pants, White Socks for home games (Carolina Blue for road ones), Carolina Blue underwear, and even my trusted black UNC hat (which I've worn since the dismal 8-20 year. Should I be at work (My job with the NC Dept of Correction): I'm already wearing a Carolina Blue uniform, so it already works out. I will still wear the Carolina Blue underwear, but wear a pair of UNC gym shorts underneath my uniform pants for good luck. Also, I still will wear my socks for home/road games.
2) To sing "Hark the Sound" at least 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Although I am not a UNC alum, I do know the alma mater and sing it before every game.
3) To eat the competition for lunch. Not literally, but you get the idea. If we're playing:
Duke: I'll eat Deviled Ham on Crackers
Wake Forest, Boston College, and Miami: Fried Chicken (Its the closest I could get with Baptists, and Chicken is closest with Eagle. For Miami, they have a stork as a mascot, and I hear he tastes like chicken too.)
Maryland: Turtle Soup
Virginia and Florida State (Since both having an Indian connection): Pemmican Beef Jerky (Has the Indian's head on the package)
Georgia Tech: Biscuits with honey (I know, the Yellow Jacket doesn't make honey, but its still a relative of the bee family)
Virginia Tech: Turkey with Dressing. After all, a Hokie is a synonym with a turkey!
NC State and Clemson: Some sort of beef, it's not kosher to eat endangered species such as wolves or tigers.
4) To tune out the TV announcers and listen to sound commentary by Woody Durham and Eric Montross.
5) Regardless of outcome, eat the competition again for supper. Usually I'll just wrap it up and try it again later, especially after a tough loss which makes it tougher to eat.
Jon Franklin, Marion, NC
I have had my Carolina superstitions for as long as I can remember. After hearing an interview once that Michael Jordan wore his Carolina shorts under his Bulls jersey, I wore the same pair of ratty ole' Nike Carolina-replica shorts for every game from 1994-2000. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't. But, as Ms. Brownlow points out, sometimes the boys just don't listen.
However, my most recent Carolina superstition is what I would consider THE most ludicrous, most ridiculous superstition ever. Shortly before the Maryland game in College Park, I had gone to the dentist and found that I had a couple of cavities on my wisdom teeth which had surprisingly come all the way in. As is typical with a dentist appointment, they instructed me that the healthiest way to keep my teeth in good shape was to brush regularly (which is common for me) and to floss. They gave me this cinnamon dental floss and while watching the game I thought "what a good time to floss." We were struggling against a well-rounded Maryland team in the second half but managed to win the game. So, needless to say, ever since then, during the second half, I pull out my cinnamon dental floss and I FLOSS my teeth.
Not only am I doing my part to help the Tar Heels but I'm keeping up good hygiene as well.
Derrick Collins, Morristown, TN
Long before I led the Heels to the 1982 national title by saving the newspaper headline clipping from each game and stacking them at 90 degree angles to the prior game's headline, I had come up with a fool-proof tactic for getting the boys in blue out of a pickle in close games. In games where we were trailing -- but within striking distance --and either team called a timeout (and this was before 30-second timeouts), it was my job to suffer for the team. I accomplished this by streaking out of the house as soon as the timeout was signaled and running down the driveway to the sidewalk. I needed a cold surface. I would then take off one shoe, the right, and the sock. I would step on the cold sidewalk with my bare foot for as long as it took me to sing the entire Carolina fight song. (I would replace "Go To Hell Duke" with "Let's Go Heels!" just in case it was God who was going to determine the outcome; I didn't want to offend any force that might have the power to intervene. See, it was a prayer and an exercise in rank superstition all in one ....) With time running short, I had to get back in the house, and in my regular spot on the sofa before play resumed. Having now suffered to just about the same degree as the players on the court, I used this cosmic solidarity to invest myself fully in the heroics which nearly always followed. I am now 41 years old and I still use this technique in emergencies.
An emergency is any game we must win. If we've lost three in a row, and trail in the next game with less than two minutes to go and the ACC regular season title is on the line, that's an emergency. All NCAA games qualify automatically, as do any games against Duke or State. All ACC tourney games used to qualify when you had to win the tourney to advance to the NCAAs. These days, if we're in the NCAAs anyway, there can be a non-emergency loss in the ACC tournament. Last year -- inspired by my routine -- my niece developed a Yoga routine that took exactly the length of a full timeout for those times when we -- and the team -- just needed to relax. Now, she ain't right....
Jay from Chapel Hill.
The best part of this last email is that Jay added the following postscript to his note: "Other than this I am perfectly normal." Look, you're among friends here. No need to explain. Jay, Derrick, and Jon need to send us their mailing addresses and we'll send your books in time for the postseason.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
