GoHeels Exclusive: A Sisterhood

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

On an afternoon when Sylvia Hatchell questioned the North Carolina women's basketball team's effort, she didn't have to look far for an example of what she's looking for.

Over 50 former players and staff members gathered Sunday and watched the Tar Heels' 92-72 loss against Miami as part of Alumni Weekend. Among them were players from the 1998 team, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their run to the ACC Championship and NCAA Elite Eight.

Tracy Reid and Jessica Gaspar played influential roles in that team's success. And when recounting memories of them postgame, their perseverance first came to Hatchell's mind.

"That's why they won ACC Championships," Hatchell said. "I look out there and I see them and I think about when they played and the toughness that they had, the tenacity and just the mentality. That's what I'm trying to instill in this team."

But the loss didn't detract from the meaning of Sunday's celebration for Reid and Gaspar.

Gaspar, a junior guard in 1998, said this was the first Alumni Weekend she's attended. Reid, a Kodak and AP All-America selection in both 1997 and 1998, currently lives in Miami, where she said she drove from for her second visit back to Chapel Hill since graduating.

"I came to work a camp (last time) and I was amazed at the changes that have been made," said Reid, who became the first Tar Heel drafted into the WNBA when the Charlotte Sting selected her seventh overall in the 1998 WNBA Draft.

"We missed a lot, but we know we're a part of all this."

Throughout the weekend, Reid and Gaspar said they reflected with their teammates on the 1998 season. And it certainly featured plenty of memorable moments.

On Jan. 15, 1998, just 12 days before she was drafted, Reid scored 42 points in a 105-100 triple-overtime loss against Virginia. That remains the highest scoring total in school history. Of UNC's six regular-season losses, that was the only one that came at Carmichael Arena, where the team went 13-1. The Tar Heels also beat Georgia Tech at the Smith Center.

After finishing fourth in the ACC during the regular season, UNC knocked off Virginia and Duke on its way to the ACC Tournament final. It then dominated Clemson, 81-50, for its fourth conference title in five seasons.

"Going into that game after game, going to the final game and grabbing that W was pretty rewarding for everyone," Gaspar said. "You work so hard, you put in so much time and effort throughout the year to get to that one game to get that W and to be successful."

The Tar Heels opened the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Mideast Region. They defeated Howard, Florida International and Illinois to reach the Elite Eight.

Playing No. 1 seed Tennessee in Nashville, UNC led by 12 points late in the second half. But the Volunteers, who went on to win their third straight national championship, rallied for a 76-70 victory. The Tar Heels finished with a 27-7 overall record.

"We all talked (Saturday) night about how that Tennessee game, we still feel like that game was ours," Reid said. "And it got away from us. We admit to this day that a lot of us still haven't watched that game yet. That's something I think we'll never let go.

"It was a great memory, a bitter one, but one that we were so proud of ourselves for because of how we came out and played against that Pat Summit team."

Since that season ended, Reid and Gaspar said they've stayed in touch with their teammates, mostly via social media. But the weekend allowed them to reconnect in person.

"We haven't seen each other in a very long time, and it's like we never left," Reid said. "We still enjoy each other and we love each other to death, and that's part of what Coach Hatchell built when she built this program."

"These are your sisters for life," Gaspar said. "For four years, you're with them through and through and you go through your ups and downs. You can call them up any time and they'll be there. It's a great sisterhood."

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