University of North Carolina Athletics
Roy Williams
Photo by: Joe Bray
Lucas: Fast Break Launches New Season
September 25, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
Roy Williams' annual breakfast enjoyed another successful year.
By Adam Lucas
Now the basketball season can officially begin.
Roy Williams launched the 2018-19 season in traditional fashion on Tuesday morning, hosting his annual Fast Break Against Cancer breakfast.
The event benefits the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center and had raised $2.4 million to fight cancer prior to this year. The 2018 event, with ticketholders seated on Roy Williams Court to hear from Williams, master of ceremonies Jones Angell, and guest speaker Mack Brown, will add significantly to that total, with four live auction items bringing in nearly $50,000 and the silent auction total still being tallied to supplement ticket sales and sponsorships.
In addition, this year fans who weren't able to attend the breakfast can bid on more than a dozen online auction items that are up for bid between now and Late Night with Roy Williams on Oct. 12. The online items include a seat on the UNC bench for a Carolina home game and other exclusive items available only through this auction.
As usual, Williams took pride in selecting items from his personal collection to be auctioned. "The only problem," he told the crowd on Tuesday morning, "was that this year Wanda was there when we were picking the items, so I wasn't able to get everything I wanted."
He still found plenty to entice the crowd, which was also entertained by Brown's stories of coaching at Carolina alongside Dean Smith in the 1980s and 1990s. But Brown's message also had a serious side, as he relayed the lessons learned by his family as multiple family members have fought cancer, including wife Sally's battle with the disease before the couple ever came to Chapel Hill.
The Fast Break breakfast began an extremely busy week at the Smith Center, as the building's staff—including director Brett Botta, assistant director Emilee McCollum, and the hardworking maintenance staff that includes Tom Goodman, Jamie Groce, Kip Holsonback, Jonathan Guthrie, Michael Copeland, Billy Modlin and David Thomas—had to begin switching the facility over to host Charlotte Hornets training camp as soon as the breakfast concluded. Add in UNC Wilmington practicing in Chapel Hill this week, and it's one of the busiest basketball weeks in the facility's history. Tuesday morning also saw the public debut of two of the four enormous new video boards; by the time the entire project is completed before Late Night, the Smith Center will boast over seven million LED lights.
The Tar Heels will begin practice on Wednesday, and GoHeels.com will have complete coverage. Fans are encouraged to bid in the online Fast Break items from now through Oct. 12.
Now the basketball season can officially begin.
Roy Williams launched the 2018-19 season in traditional fashion on Tuesday morning, hosting his annual Fast Break Against Cancer breakfast.
The event benefits the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center and had raised $2.4 million to fight cancer prior to this year. The 2018 event, with ticketholders seated on Roy Williams Court to hear from Williams, master of ceremonies Jones Angell, and guest speaker Mack Brown, will add significantly to that total, with four live auction items bringing in nearly $50,000 and the silent auction total still being tallied to supplement ticket sales and sponsorships.
In addition, this year fans who weren't able to attend the breakfast can bid on more than a dozen online auction items that are up for bid between now and Late Night with Roy Williams on Oct. 12. The online items include a seat on the UNC bench for a Carolina home game and other exclusive items available only through this auction.
As usual, Williams took pride in selecting items from his personal collection to be auctioned. "The only problem," he told the crowd on Tuesday morning, "was that this year Wanda was there when we were picking the items, so I wasn't able to get everything I wanted."
He still found plenty to entice the crowd, which was also entertained by Brown's stories of coaching at Carolina alongside Dean Smith in the 1980s and 1990s. But Brown's message also had a serious side, as he relayed the lessons learned by his family as multiple family members have fought cancer, including wife Sally's battle with the disease before the couple ever came to Chapel Hill.
The Fast Break breakfast began an extremely busy week at the Smith Center, as the building's staff—including director Brett Botta, assistant director Emilee McCollum, and the hardworking maintenance staff that includes Tom Goodman, Jamie Groce, Kip Holsonback, Jonathan Guthrie, Michael Copeland, Billy Modlin and David Thomas—had to begin switching the facility over to host Charlotte Hornets training camp as soon as the breakfast concluded. Add in UNC Wilmington practicing in Chapel Hill this week, and it's one of the busiest basketball weeks in the facility's history. Tuesday morning also saw the public debut of two of the four enormous new video boards; by the time the entire project is completed before Late Night, the Smith Center will boast over seven million LED lights.
The Tar Heels will begin practice on Wednesday, and GoHeels.com will have complete coverage. Fans are encouraged to bid in the online Fast Break items from now through Oct. 12.
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