Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Family First
August 25, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Saturday night's reunion events were more laid back with the same amount of Tar Heel greats.
By Adam Lucas
Let me try to set the scene for you.
On the fifth floor of the Kenan Stadium's Blue Zone on Saturday night was virtually everyone you've watched and loved for the last several decades.
The latest installment of Carolina basketball's reunion weekend—following Friday night's more formal dinner and court naming and Saturday afternoon's pickup session—unfolded Saturday evening in the Blue Zone.
This event was a little more laid back. Kids—some of whom are in elementary school, and some of whom can be seen on your televisions wearing argyle beginning in November—ran through the bounce houses set up on the concourse. A group of children of former players and coaches commandeered the Kenan Stadium turf and played a full 100-yard pickup football game. Cornhole games on the walkway outside the Blue Zone attracted both current and former players.
Back to the scene. Tickets to the event featured one of Roy Williams' favorite quotes: "It's amazing how much can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit." You walked in and were greeted by national championship trophies, and then you started seeing them—Tar Heels. Everywhere.
Doug Moe was the first to meander by. You might know him better as a former NBA Coach of the Year, or perhaps as the only person to ever regularly call Dean Smith "Smitty" or "El Deano" to his face.
Scott Williams was in the food line. Not the Scott Williams who spoke so eloquently at Friday night's ceremony, but the Scott Williams who formed a menacing post duo with J.R. Reid in the late 1980s. People of a certain age will read that sentence and immediately recall that Scott Williams is from Hacienda Heights, California, one of those hometowns that becomes synonymous with a Tar Heel.
Then Brice Johnson walked around the corner. It's hard to reconcile the idea that Carolina has played two full seasons without Johnson, given that it seems like approximately two days ago that he was unleashing 39 points and 23 rebounds on Florida State.
That's within the first five minutes of walking into the building. Imagine what the rest of the three hours must have been like.
There was no formal program for Saturday night's event. Don't confuse this with the idea that no preparation went into Saturday night's event. The planning team of Eric Hoots, Kaye Chase, Sean May, Josh Reavis and Tony Tucker once again had the evening running smoothly while looking terrific.
We've all been to reunions. We all know sometimes they can be a drag. This one wasn't, and here's the secret: the people. The most unique aspect of the entire weekend, including Saturday, is how incredibly happy everyone seemed to be there. Whether they'd spent four years with you or had never met you before, there was always a hearty handshake or maybe a hug.
It wasn't fancy. It wasn't a marketing event. It was designed to let family be family. There was no "cool table." Current players mixed with former players and former teammates picked up right where they'd left off the last time they were in the Carmichael Auditorium or Smith Center locker room. There was a photo booth with crazy hats and fake mustaches and one of the very first couples to hit the booth was Roy and Wanda Williams.
How many Saturday nights do you think Roy Williams gets to spend watching his grandkids careen around a bounce house? Aside from a very short speech on the microphone when he welcomed everyone to the night and recognized Charles Scott for his upcoming Hall of Fame induction, that was one of the head coach's primary activities on this evening.
After all the cake pops and popcorn and cotton candy were gone, it seemed like everyone was ready to do it again. An impromptu letterman-wide autograph session began when the evening's gift bags were handed out, because each bag contained a white panel UNC basketball perfect for signing.
In order to persuade everyone to leave, they finally had to start dimming the Blue Zone lights. It was no bother. Multiple Tar Heels immediately made plans to reconnect later in the evening—on Friday night, one collection of Roy Williams-era alums naturally saw their post-ceremony gathering turn into a heated debate on the relative merits of 2005 vs. 2009 vs. 2017.
Expect more of the same later this evening in Chapel Hill. The family is back in town.
Let me try to set the scene for you.
On the fifth floor of the Kenan Stadium's Blue Zone on Saturday night was virtually everyone you've watched and loved for the last several decades.
The latest installment of Carolina basketball's reunion weekend—following Friday night's more formal dinner and court naming and Saturday afternoon's pickup session—unfolded Saturday evening in the Blue Zone.
This event was a little more laid back. Kids—some of whom are in elementary school, and some of whom can be seen on your televisions wearing argyle beginning in November—ran through the bounce houses set up on the concourse. A group of children of former players and coaches commandeered the Kenan Stadium turf and played a full 100-yard pickup football game. Cornhole games on the walkway outside the Blue Zone attracted both current and former players.
Back to the scene. Tickets to the event featured one of Roy Williams' favorite quotes: "It's amazing how much can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit." You walked in and were greeted by national championship trophies, and then you started seeing them—Tar Heels. Everywhere.
Doug Moe was the first to meander by. You might know him better as a former NBA Coach of the Year, or perhaps as the only person to ever regularly call Dean Smith "Smitty" or "El Deano" to his face.
Scott Williams was in the food line. Not the Scott Williams who spoke so eloquently at Friday night's ceremony, but the Scott Williams who formed a menacing post duo with J.R. Reid in the late 1980s. People of a certain age will read that sentence and immediately recall that Scott Williams is from Hacienda Heights, California, one of those hometowns that becomes synonymous with a Tar Heel.
Then Brice Johnson walked around the corner. It's hard to reconcile the idea that Carolina has played two full seasons without Johnson, given that it seems like approximately two days ago that he was unleashing 39 points and 23 rebounds on Florida State.
That's within the first five minutes of walking into the building. Imagine what the rest of the three hours must have been like.
There was no formal program for Saturday night's event. Don't confuse this with the idea that no preparation went into Saturday night's event. The planning team of Eric Hoots, Kaye Chase, Sean May, Josh Reavis and Tony Tucker once again had the evening running smoothly while looking terrific.
We've all been to reunions. We all know sometimes they can be a drag. This one wasn't, and here's the secret: the people. The most unique aspect of the entire weekend, including Saturday, is how incredibly happy everyone seemed to be there. Whether they'd spent four years with you or had never met you before, there was always a hearty handshake or maybe a hug.
It wasn't fancy. It wasn't a marketing event. It was designed to let family be family. There was no "cool table." Current players mixed with former players and former teammates picked up right where they'd left off the last time they were in the Carmichael Auditorium or Smith Center locker room. There was a photo booth with crazy hats and fake mustaches and one of the very first couples to hit the booth was Roy and Wanda Williams.
How many Saturday nights do you think Roy Williams gets to spend watching his grandkids careen around a bounce house? Aside from a very short speech on the microphone when he welcomed everyone to the night and recognized Charles Scott for his upcoming Hall of Fame induction, that was one of the head coach's primary activities on this evening.
After all the cake pops and popcorn and cotton candy were gone, it seemed like everyone was ready to do it again. An impromptu letterman-wide autograph session began when the evening's gift bags were handed out, because each bag contained a white panel UNC basketball perfect for signing.
In order to persuade everyone to leave, they finally had to start dimming the Blue Zone lights. It was no bother. Multiple Tar Heels immediately made plans to reconnect later in the evening—on Friday night, one collection of Roy Williams-era alums naturally saw their post-ceremony gathering turn into a heated debate on the relative merits of 2005 vs. 2009 vs. 2017.
Expect more of the same later this evening in Chapel Hill. The family is back in town.
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