University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Alums Return For Camp Game
June 20, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
June 20, 2012
Marvin Williams celebrated his 26th birthday on Tuesday, so it only made sense that he spent it with his Carolina basketball family and friends.
The member of the 2005 national champions was in Chapel Hill to participate in the annual camp game, one of the highlights of each session of the Roy Williams UNC Basketball Camp.
As he prepares to take summer school classes later this week--Williams continues to make progress on his Carolina degree, and is just a couple dozen hours shy of graduation despite spending just two semesters as a full-time student--the Bremerton, Wash., native delivered some almost unbelievable news.
"When I first came to Carolina, I was 17 years old," he said. "And today, I'm turning 26."
Hold on a second. It's been almost a decade since we got our first glimpse of Marvin Williams?
It's true, and that's why although he didn't play, Williams was a fixture among a sideline that contained nearly a dozen former Tar Heels who played in Tuesday's game. Jerry Stackhouse, Deon Thompson, Jawad Williams and David Noel were among the former players who participated in the game, and Sean May and James Worthy were among a handful of Tar Heels who dotted the sideline but did not compete.
The game, played to 80, is one of the most eagerly awaited parts of camp. New NCAA legislation means the coaching staff can spend two hours per week working with the current players on skill-related instruction. Last week, the staff used the 90-minute game as part of their two hours, so Roy Williams was able to watch his current and former players do battle. This week, the game did not count as part of the allotted two hours, so the coaches were not present.
With so many alums eager to teach and offer advice, the coaching presence wasn't necessarily missed. And while it's supposed to be an educational experience, it usually also becomes very competitive.
"Someone asked me today if we are really trying when we play in the camp game," said Marcus Ginyard, who has played professionally in both Germany and Israel. "I told them, `Yes, we're really going at it.' Both sides are attacking each other and trying to win.
"That's because we all learned from Coach Williams, and he's passionate about competing. He doesn't want you to waste any opportunity that you might have to get better. Any time we play against the younger guys, we're trying to help them get adjusted to what they're going to face in the months to come."
As the alums have learned, that Carolina influence will track them anywhere in the world they might go. Ginyard made friends with a boy in Germany who was familiar with the player because of his career as a Tar Heel. Closer to home, in San Antonio, Danny Green spent the season as a key part of the Spurs, but still found his Carolina pedigree following him.
"I talked about Carolina some with Coach Popovich," Green said. "Any time I mess up in practice, he always says, `Should I call Roy?'"
Green will spend most of the month of July in New York, where he will run some of his own camps for local children. He's also expected to be a sought-after NBA free agent, but says he's hopeful he will return to the Spurs.
He spent Tuesday flashing some of the skills that earned him a place in the rotation of one of the NBA's best teams. He swished a couple long three-pointers (none quite long enough to rival the "heat check" three against UNC-Asheville, though), and then, with the game close at the end, slammed through a follow dunk for the winning points.
He punctuated the slam with a slap of the backboard, a pointed reminder that the veterans had again earned bragging rights.
"As a young guy, we were always trying to prove a point to the old guys," Green remembers. "We knew Coach Williams didn't like us losing to them. Now, as an old guy, you want to put on a show and entertain the fans, but we also want to win. We're trying to give the younger guys a learning experience and help them understand how to play as a Tar Heel."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of six books on Carolina basketball, including the official chronicle of the first 100 years of Tar Heel hoops, A Century of Excellence, which is available now. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter and Facebook.
