University of North Carolina Athletics
Senior Night For JV Team
April 7, 2016 | JV Men's Basketball
By Cassie Creech
With March Madness officially over, and the final game in Houston still heavy in our hearts, I can't help but to think back to the madness that occurred in Chapel Hill just prior to the start of the long-awaited NCAA Tournament... February 29th, 2016: Senior Night at the Dean Smith Center for several Carolina student athletes.
I know what you're thinking--"I can't believe how fast this season flew by!" Or, "No, it's still too soon, I can't think about never seeing Brice, Joel, and Marcus play together again."--But I'm not referring to those beloved players honored before their final home win against Syracuse all those weeks ago, but rather, the six young men that stepped out on the same court for the last time just a few hours before them.
As the first wave of students and fans entered the Smith Center at 5:30 that Monday evening, many of them learned for the first time that Carolina has a junior varsity basketball team. For six JV Tar Heels, that Monday night was probably the end of their basketball careers.
Chandler Goodson, Mike Hutter, Harrison Lancaster, Kane Ma, and Tyler Petty have all been a part of the team for two years now, which is the max that students can play on JV. In addition, senior Andrew Ocampo also had one last night next to head JV coach C.B. McGrath on the Tar Heel bench. Ocampo has worked as an assistant coach since he finished his second year as a player. For these athletes, the JV team offers an incomparable opportunity: to be a part of one of the most renowned basketball programs in the country, and to play under the leadership of Coach CB McGrath and Hubert Davis.
For fans, players, and coaches alike, the end of that game was one to remember, and nothing short of the madness we've come to love in college basketball. Early in the second half, Greensboro Day School led by 22 points, and things were not looking good for the Tar Heels. However, what seemed to be out of nowhere, things just clicked, and the team that McGrath had been waiting for finally made an appearance.
"We slept-walked the first 30 minutes of the game. In the last ten minutes, we started playing much harder and we did a great job executing down the stretch on offense and making plays defensively. Thankfully, that carried into overtime as well. I think, obviously, the way it ended was good. It wasn't a smooth game- but that's basketball. I'm especially proud of our second year guys and all the time and hard work they've put into making themselves and this team better."
After holding Greensboro to a five minute scoring drought late in the second half, Carolina came back to tie the game and go into overtime for the first time this year. Because the game ran late, the students there for the varsity game were able to see the JV Tar Heels in action, and it could not have been a more perfect ending for their season. The student section instantly became engrossed in the few minutes that remained in the game, chants erupted, and the team began to play with a whole new level of energy. As someone that's been to each of their games and has seen how hard they've worked this season, I could not have been happier for them to finally receive this support and recognition.
For the seniors, this was all the more special. In his last post-game interview, Mike Hutter put it simply, "It was fun, and that's what we needed. [Having that many fans watching,] that's never happened before. I was kind of sad yesterday thinking about the fact that today was our last game together, but now I'm just excited, it couldn't have ended a better way." In his last performance as a Tar Heel, Hutter was the second-leading scorer with 13 points, 3 of which came from a bank shot at the top of the key to put his team ahead in overtime. As for the season as a whole? "I feel great about it," he continued. "This whole experience has been a blessing- I never thought I'd be able to play basketball past high school, and this has given me the opportunity to meet awesome guys and play for great coaches in the best venue in all of sports. I'm going to miss it a lot, but I'm glad to have spent my last year with this team."
Kane Ma, a sophomore second-year player, had similar thoughts. "If there's any right way to end a season, that was it. When the student section came in at overtime, that was amazing. A perfect ending. It was a great year, I had a lot of fun with all the guys, and we'll see what next year brings." Ma, like some of the other younger players, dreams of taking one more final step in his Carolina basketball career.
Two of this year's varsity players, Spenser Dalton and Toby Egbuna, both played on the JV team the last two years before being pulled up to varsity, and some of their former teammates hope to follow in their footsteps. Ma led the team that night with a personal season high of 16 points, an impressive end to his consistent performance on the team. As for his future as a Tar Heel? "We'll see. I'm hopeful, but we'll just have to see."
And as for the rest of us? Well, we must now endure the long six month gap that spans between college basketball seasons. The JV team will be back in action as soon as the varsity team is in October, this time with Hubert Davis as head coach. And whether you chose to count down the days by looking through preseason predictions, rewatching game footage and postgame interviews, or by enjoying sunny afternoons out at Boshamer Stadium and Kenan Stadium, I hope you remember that it is, as always, a good day to be a Tar Heel.