'WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TAR HEEL'

AN EXCERPT FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF “WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TAR HEEL”
Published in 2010 by Triumph Books, a division of Random House
All rights reserved

By Scott Fowler

If you’re looking at this book right now, you probably have some deep connection to the University of North Carolina. So let me ask you a simple question: What does it mean to be a Tar Heel?

That was also the central question I posed to more than 40 men who know exactly what it means, having each worn a Tar Heel basketball jersey for some of the program’s most significant moments. Their first-person memories form the heart of this book – an uncensored and affectionate oral history of the Carolina program. I have structured each chapter in a way so that you can almost imagine the Carolina player in question sitting across from you at a coffeeshop or restaurant, telling you stories you never knew about the basketball program that you love.

Consider these men your tour guides on a journey through the last 50-plus years of Carolina basketball – from the championship of 1957 through the championship of 2009 and beyond. James Worthy is here. So are Tyler Hansbrough, Lennie Rosenbluth, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Billy Cunningham, Eric Montross and Phil Ford.

Walter Davis tells you all about the famous “eight-points-in-17-seconds” comeback win against Duke in 1974. Worthy guides you through the 1982 title season. Sean May and Raymond Felton talk about what it was really like during the 2005 championship run. Charlie Scott lets you know how it felt to integrate the basketball program. And current Tar Heel coach Roy Williams, who has already won two national championships at his alma mater, graciously agreed to help fans understand what it means to be a Tar Heel for him.

Neither Williams nor any of the 42 players that I interviewed for this book were paid for this reminiscing. They did so freely. In fact, when I had the opportunity to explain the concept of this book to former UNC players in a one-on-one conversation, not a single former player ever turned me down for an interview. They were eager to talk about a subject very dear to them all – their Carolina family.
In a number of cases, I also asked the players to describe their single favorite game in a Carolina uniform. You will find many stories about those battles here as well. Some of the players’ choices will surprise you. Some won’t – close to half of them mentioned some win or another over Duke.

You also get an inside play-by-play of the 1957 championship game – about how Tom Kearns really felt when he was asked to jump center against Wilt Chamberlain. Montross describes how the Tar Heels came back from a 21-point second-half deficit to beat Florida State. Donald Williams tells you about the 1993 NCAA win over Michigan. Five key players from the 2009 team – including Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington -- give you the inside story on that championship.

The former UNC players I tracked down for this book weren’t terribly difficult to find in most cases, although they sure were busy. Many have gone on to great successes both in and out of basketball following their careers. Besides the numerous NBA all-stars and famous head coaches like Larry Brown and George Karl, there are also men like Steve Hale, a pediatrician and father of four who lives in Vermont.

And whether they are in or out of the sport, all of the players remain committed to the legendary UNC basketball family. “It’s the greatest fraternity of sportsmen in the world,” said Karl, the NBA head coach. “I’m convinced of that. And most of that is due to one man – Dean Smith. When you meet someone else, just for 15 minutes, there’s something there if you both played for UNC. It’s a brotherhood. An automatic respect.”

Said Brad Daugherty, the Tar Heel center of the 1980s who became the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 1986: “I will never forget what Magic Johnson said once to me. He was laughing and he said: ‘What is it about you North Carolina guys? I’m sick of you! Every time I see one of you, there’s another one of you right behind him. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’re always hanging out together.’ The thing is, that’s true. We’re just a big family.”

A big family always has its big moments – the stories that relatives tell time and again, punching each other on the shoulder when they get together. The Tar Heels are no exception. You get to share those stories here. I’m only sorry I couldn’t include more players. Certainly, in the 100-year history of North Carolina basketball, there were hundreds more very worthy candidates.
The book is laid out chronologically, beginning with several players who played in the 1950s and ending with those who have starred in the new millennium. But this is not a book that must be read from the first page straight through until the end.

Skip around as you like. Each chapter is self-contained and lets the player tell his own story in his own words. Each chapter also contains a picture of the player during his UNC playing days and a postscript that I wrote to tell you whatever happened to the player once he left Chapel Hill.

I did all of the research for this book on my own time, and it was a pleasure. The interviews were conducted in person when at all possible and on the phone when necessary.

I have a passion for UNC basketball history, which is why I have written or co-written two previous books about this subject as well. Those were North Carolina Tar Heels: Where Have You Gone? in 2005 and Jimmy Black’s Tales from the Tar Heels in 2006. So this book represents the end of my own personal trilogy of Tar Heel basketball books.

Listening to these players tell their stories was a privilege. I hope it will be for you as well.
So take a journey with all of us. Join more than 40 of the best players in UNC basketball history. Discover what it means to be a Tar Heel.