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A lot will soon change for Bell, Maye and all other 2019 Carolina graduates.
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
GoHeels Exclusive: A Long Journey
May 11, 2019 | Football, Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Academics
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
The biggest sports fans in their 20-person kindergarten class at Huntersville Elementary School, Corey Bell Jr. and Luke Maye struck up a friendship when they were just 5 years old.
Throughout elementary school, their bond strengthened. And they grew even closer after they enrolled at Bailey Middle School. But it wasn't until they started attending Hough High School and eventually North Carolina that they truly realized how special their relationship is.
"It kind of became a thing where I think we just knew we were going to see each other all the time," Bell said. "Going to Hough together, we always knew we were going to grow up together. I think when we got to college is when we were like, 'Dang, we've really been in the same vicinity for (13) years.'"
Soon, that'll change.
After going to the same school together for 17 years and never living more than 10 minutes apart, Bell, a double major in exercise and sport science and communication studies, and Maye, a business administration major, will graduate from UNC this weekend. But before turning their tassels, they took time to reflect on how far they've come.
Bell and Maye began playing basketball and football together in elementary school. They continued doing so through eighth grade. By high school, they both started settling into their respective sports, but they never went their separate ways.Â
That didn't even seem like a possibility until the time came for their college decisions.
Maye always dreamt of attending Carolina, where his father Mark played quarterback from 1984-87 and his mother Aimee also went to school. Bell, however, grew up a Duke fan. And his father Myron, who played eight seasons in the NFL, attended Michigan State.
"I was looking at other schools, as well," Maye said, "Then Corey came up to me one day in high school and said, 'Hey, man, I think I'm going to North Carolina.' I was like, 'Really?! What?!'"
On Feb. 4, 2015, Bell made it official, signing his national letter of intent with the Tar Heels. Maye attended the ceremony. Bell did the same when Maye signed three months later.
As freshmen, Bell and Maye both lived in Ram Village. Bell's apartment was only three floors above Maye's, so whenever he had some downtime, Maye would go and see if Bell was free. When he was, they'd typically play NBA 2K. Some time has passed, though, since either has played a video game, much less with each other.
With little overlap in their schedules, Bell and Maye weren't able to spend as much time together in college as they were used to. They still saw each other here and there throughout their first two years. Then they moved off campus as juniors, making it even harder to regularly catch up.
Still, both made a concerted effort to see each other whenever possible.
During the school year, Bell said the most time he was able to spend with Maye was usually after basketball games. Occasionally, Maye would give Bell an extra ticket, and he'd watch the game with Maye's family. They'd then go eat afterward. They also scheduled other meals, including a midnight dinner after Maye and the basketball team returned from their first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games in Columbus, Ohio in March.
No matter where they went, Bell said people always flocked toward Maye and asked for pictures. They all see Luke Maye, the Tar Heel legend who is now on the cusp of a professional basketball career. Said Bell: "I just see Luke."
"It's interesting to see how this whole thing has played out, how I've gotten to see from a first-person point of view how his story has unfolded," Bell said. "It's just been a long journey. Everything that's happened to him, it couldn't have happened to a better person. It's fun seeing one career for him close and now he's on to a new one."
Bell will soon make a similar transition. But with one year of eligibility remaining, his Carolina career will last at least six more months. No longer being in the same town or at the same school as Maye will surely be different. That, however, isn't the only thing Bell will have to adjust to.
A cornerback throughout his first four seasons at UNC, Bell moved to wide receiver during spring practice. Before then, he hadn't played the position since middle school.
Bell's quarterback back then? Maye.
"His dad was our offensive coordinator, so we were probably the only middle school team in the state running an Air Raid," Bell said. "We were throwing it out."
Shortly after the coaching staff approached Bell three practices into spring ball and proposed the position switch, he said he saw Maye and told him he was considering the change. To that, Maye replied: "I don't know why it took you so long." Bell went through his first practice as a receiver on March 19. Coincidentally, Maye was in attendance.
"He's great in the slot," Maye said. "He's very quick. He always had great hands. It's just going to be a lot of fun to see him on the other side of the ball, as long as good Lord willing he stays healthy. I think he's got a bright future. He's just always been somebody who has had his head on right. So I'm excited to watch.
"I'll be giving whoever the quarterback is a call," Maye added, smiling, "making sure they throw him the ball in space."
A majority of Maye's future interactions with Bell will also take place over the phone, at least until Bell leaves Chapel Hill. Maybe then they'll reunite in the same city. But even if they don't, they'll remain close. So will their families.
And on Sunday, they'll gather inside Kenan Stadium and celebrate one last graduation together.
"The past four years have been great," Maye said. "Not being here and seeing Corey and all the rest of the basketball guys and football guys who I've gotten to know pretty well will definitely be a new change for me. But I feel like the biggest thing that I've learned is how with relationships, you just have to be very upfront and you have to be very straightforward and you have to take the initiative to keep relationships going.
"I think Corey and I won't have a problem with that just because we both value how far we've come and the relationship we've built."
Â
The biggest sports fans in their 20-person kindergarten class at Huntersville Elementary School, Corey Bell Jr. and Luke Maye struck up a friendship when they were just 5 years old.
Throughout elementary school, their bond strengthened. And they grew even closer after they enrolled at Bailey Middle School. But it wasn't until they started attending Hough High School and eventually North Carolina that they truly realized how special their relationship is.
"It kind of became a thing where I think we just knew we were going to see each other all the time," Bell said. "Going to Hough together, we always knew we were going to grow up together. I think when we got to college is when we were like, 'Dang, we've really been in the same vicinity for (13) years.'"
Soon, that'll change.
After going to the same school together for 17 years and never living more than 10 minutes apart, Bell, a double major in exercise and sport science and communication studies, and Maye, a business administration major, will graduate from UNC this weekend. But before turning their tassels, they took time to reflect on how far they've come.
Bell and Maye began playing basketball and football together in elementary school. They continued doing so through eighth grade. By high school, they both started settling into their respective sports, but they never went their separate ways.Â
That didn't even seem like a possibility until the time came for their college decisions.
Maye always dreamt of attending Carolina, where his father Mark played quarterback from 1984-87 and his mother Aimee also went to school. Bell, however, grew up a Duke fan. And his father Myron, who played eight seasons in the NFL, attended Michigan State.
"I was looking at other schools, as well," Maye said, "Then Corey came up to me one day in high school and said, 'Hey, man, I think I'm going to North Carolina.' I was like, 'Really?! What?!'"
On Feb. 4, 2015, Bell made it official, signing his national letter of intent with the Tar Heels. Maye attended the ceremony. Bell did the same when Maye signed three months later.
As freshmen, Bell and Maye both lived in Ram Village. Bell's apartment was only three floors above Maye's, so whenever he had some downtime, Maye would go and see if Bell was free. When he was, they'd typically play NBA 2K. Some time has passed, though, since either has played a video game, much less with each other.
With little overlap in their schedules, Bell and Maye weren't able to spend as much time together in college as they were used to. They still saw each other here and there throughout their first two years. Then they moved off campus as juniors, making it even harder to regularly catch up.
Still, both made a concerted effort to see each other whenever possible.
During the school year, Bell said the most time he was able to spend with Maye was usually after basketball games. Occasionally, Maye would give Bell an extra ticket, and he'd watch the game with Maye's family. They'd then go eat afterward. They also scheduled other meals, including a midnight dinner after Maye and the basketball team returned from their first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games in Columbus, Ohio in March.
No matter where they went, Bell said people always flocked toward Maye and asked for pictures. They all see Luke Maye, the Tar Heel legend who is now on the cusp of a professional basketball career. Said Bell: "I just see Luke."
"It's interesting to see how this whole thing has played out, how I've gotten to see from a first-person point of view how his story has unfolded," Bell said. "It's just been a long journey. Everything that's happened to him, it couldn't have happened to a better person. It's fun seeing one career for him close and now he's on to a new one."
Bell will soon make a similar transition. But with one year of eligibility remaining, his Carolina career will last at least six more months. No longer being in the same town or at the same school as Maye will surely be different. That, however, isn't the only thing Bell will have to adjust to.
A cornerback throughout his first four seasons at UNC, Bell moved to wide receiver during spring practice. Before then, he hadn't played the position since middle school.
Bell's quarterback back then? Maye.
"His dad was our offensive coordinator, so we were probably the only middle school team in the state running an Air Raid," Bell said. "We were throwing it out."
Shortly after the coaching staff approached Bell three practices into spring ball and proposed the position switch, he said he saw Maye and told him he was considering the change. To that, Maye replied: "I don't know why it took you so long." Bell went through his first practice as a receiver on March 19. Coincidentally, Maye was in attendance.
"He's great in the slot," Maye said. "He's very quick. He always had great hands. It's just going to be a lot of fun to see him on the other side of the ball, as long as good Lord willing he stays healthy. I think he's got a bright future. He's just always been somebody who has had his head on right. So I'm excited to watch.
"I'll be giving whoever the quarterback is a call," Maye added, smiling, "making sure they throw him the ball in space."
A majority of Maye's future interactions with Bell will also take place over the phone, at least until Bell leaves Chapel Hill. Maybe then they'll reunite in the same city. But even if they don't, they'll remain close. So will their families.
And on Sunday, they'll gather inside Kenan Stadium and celebrate one last graduation together.
"The past four years have been great," Maye said. "Not being here and seeing Corey and all the rest of the basketball guys and football guys who I've gotten to know pretty well will definitely be a new change for me. But I feel like the biggest thing that I've learned is how with relationships, you just have to be very upfront and you have to be very straightforward and you have to take the initiative to keep relationships going.
"I think Corey and I won't have a problem with that just because we both value how far we've come and the relationship we've built."
Â
Players Mentioned
Cornerback
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