University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: End Of An Era
February 5, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
I'm just going to go ahead and say this very quietly: I miss Maryland.
The Terps came to Chapel Hill Tuesday night for what is likely the last time for a very long time. They left, as they so often have, with a loss, taking a 75-63 defeat that means Carolina ends the series having won 81 percent of the games played in Chapel Hill and 70 percent of the games overall.
Their departure was mentioned by the crowd, which mustered an "ACC" chant that reverberated through the Smith Center late in the game. It was not quite as notable for the players.
"Until the crowd started chanting, 'ACC,' I completely forgot they were leaving," said Marcus Paige, who can be forgiven for not being up to date on his conference realignment since he is from Iowa--which, comically, is now a destination where Maryland will find a conference rival.
But it was hard not to miss them a little when it was over. Next year the date that has always belonged to the Terps might belong to Louisville, and that will be exciting because it will be different. But it won't be Maryland.
Talk to anyone over the age of 50 and they will tell you about how Carolina's ACC games against South Carolina used to be some of the highlights of the season. It all seems a little weird--South Carolina? In the ACC? And those were bitter games? Tell me about when you had to walk all the way to the television to change the channel, Grandpa.
And now, that's going to be us talking about Maryland in a few years.
Maybe it's not that I miss actual Maryland all that much. The trip to College Park was never a season highlight. Maybe it's more the idea of Maryland, the reminiscing about all those games against Lefty Driesell and Gary Williams and Walt Williams with those socks pulled way up high and Joe Smith falling out of the recruiting heavens into College Park and that chorus of "Amen."
The departure of Maryland means fewer reasons to tell Lefty Driesell stories, and the Atlantic Coast Conference will be poorer for that. One of the first things this then-seven-year-old was taught at Carmichael Auditorium was how to mimic the famous "Lefty stomp" and how to make his somewhat more infamous choking gesture.
That was when you not only knew exactly who coached every team in the ACC and how long they had been there, but also could relate at least one tic of every coach in the league (Terry Holland looked just like Tom E. Smith/Food Lion guy, Cliff Ellis liked beach music, and Lefty had his stomp). Making fun of Lefty's choke gesture was useful because there were so many opportunities to do it--from Al Wood's shot in 1979 to Michael Jordan's great block in 1983 to Dave Popson's jumper in 1985.
Asked a couple years ago about Jordan's block--which came, as luck would have it, against Chuck Driesell--Lefty Driesell responded with a laugh. "My son was wide open for a layup," he said. "And that daggone Jordan came back and blocked our shot. Most guys would've quit."
That daggone Jordan had a way of doing that, Lefty.
Oh, and one other thing from Driesell: "I know they turned the heat up in Carmichael. One year, I told my managers to find the heat and cut it down. They said they found it and it was turned up to 90."
You say good riddance to Maryland? That's fine, but you also have to admit that without Maryland there is no snow game, no John Henson demonstrating all he wants, and no this:
Maryland was also responsible for one other important realization in this particular Carolina fan's life: in 1986, I first discovered that other teams were also allowed to have good players. The occasion was Maryland's visit to the Smith Center. You have to understand that at this point in time, the Smith Center was brand new, and there was a general feeling that the Tar Heels might not ever lose there, such was its overwhelming nature.
But then Len Bias showed up, and, well, he was awesome. I remember being amazed that other teams could have players who made the plays that he did, including one particularly impressive reverse dunk.
When he died a few months after that game at the Smith Center, I went outside and shot baskets alone for most of an entire afternoon, trying to figure out what had happened to the man who looked invincible that night in Chapel Hill.
That in turn eventually led to Gary Williams, who was, if somewhat less colorful than Lefty, much sweatier. Williams was always incredibly respectful towards Carolina, but still had some of the same crushing results, including three straight top-10 showdowns during the 1995 season (Carolina won two), Antawn Jamison's buzzer-beater in 1996 and the overtime thriller in the 1998 ACC Tournament semifinals.
Around that time, Maryland discovered something else: they really, really hated Duke. Not in a hate-them-but-respect-them way, but in a hate-them-and-loathe-them way. So they can't be all bad.
I'm not sure who will show up on the conference schedule next year. But I know it is extremely unlikely that they will say the following:
"We were all jealous of Dean because he beat us all the time," said Driesell. "He was by far the toughest guy for any of us to beat. And when we'd have the league meetings with all the coaches there, most of us would go to a club and shag, but he'd stay in his room. And when we got back late at night, (former Virginia coach) Terry Holland would throw firecrackers at his room."
So, yes, maybe it's OK to miss Maryland--or, perhaps, to miss the moment in time that Maryland inhabited our Tar Heel fan lives--just a little. See you later, Lefty. We'll leave the heat on for you.
Adam Lucas is the editor of CAROLINA.
