Lucas: Sign Of The Times

By Adam Lucas

The easiest way to gauge the coolness of a particular event is to watch how excited the people involved are to be around their fellow participants.

So all you need to know about Saturday's pickup basketball event at the Smith Center is that multiple Tar Heel hoops alumni were walking around with autograph materials to secure signatures of their fellow participants.

Here was Jeff McInnis getting multiple signatures on a Carolina blue pair of Jordans. There was Jackie Manuel passing around a Sharpie. King Rice was racking up the autographs, as were Michael Brooker and Melvin Scott.

In the background, there were two courts of pickup action being played on the newly christened Roy Williams Court (for pickup, the Smith Center seats are pushed back, and the courts turn the opposite way from the game court, meaning as many as three courts can be playing simultaneously).

On a normal day, the game action would have been plenty of distraction just by itself. Almost all the members of the 2018-19 Tar Heels played, sometimes mixing in with UNC basketball alums on the same team and sometimes facing off against an all-alum squad. As you would expect, a fivesome of alums that included Raymond Felton, Danny Green, Rasheed Wallace, Marvin Williams and Shammond Williams was virtually impossible to get off the court in the winner stays format, dispatching a series of opponents.

The trickle-down coaching was impossible to miss. During one break, Felton instructed Kenny Williams. In the next game, it was Williams barking at Nassir Little to hustle back on defense.

Once the games ended, Felton had an in-depth discussion with freshman Coby White about a particular move near the top of the key. McInnis joined the group, and the three point guards traded thoughts on the different ways to make the play. Imagine being White on a typical Saturday in August, less than three months removed from his high school graduation and soaking up the knowledge from two UNC point guards with a couple of Final Fours, six seasons playing under Dean Smith and Roy Williams, and a combined 24 years in the NBA.

This is Carolina basketball.

The games ended sooner than the socializing. Even after Rasheed Wallace, for example, had changed into his Phillies hat and reflective sunglasses, other lettermen were still lingering around the Smith Center.

As Roy Williams had specifically mentioned last night, he wanted this to be purely a reunion weekend, not an occasion to honor the head coach. Saturday felt exactly like a reunion, with hugs all around and kids who have gotten bigger and pictures being taken.

At one basket, Harrison Barnes and Kennedy Meeks were engaged in a heated debate over which player has the more developed post game. Remember, the argument wasn't over their Carolina post games. It's over which player can score more effectively in the post right now.

"Be careful," Roy Williams advised Meeks with a grin. "Don't forget Harrison played the four quite a bit this season."

At the other end of the gym, Rice was posing for a photo with his family, and enlisted J.R. Reid to take the photo. The crafty Reid—who was just added to Rice's coaching staff at Monmouth—posed the group with their backs to the end of the Smith Center that features the honored jerseys.

"Move a couple steps that way," Reid said with a grin. "I'm trying to get that 34 Reid jersey in the photo."

An announcement was made around 12:15 p.m. that the games were essentially finished. At 1:30, dozens of lettermen were still on the floor, making new acquaintances and renewing old ones.

As some of the current and former players adjourned to a catered lunch, just one player remained: Little, alone at the far basket, hoisting three-pointer after three-pointer, sweating through his practice jersey.

Players Mentioned

Nassir Little

Coby White

Kenny Williams

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