John Shearer: Watching Some UNC Tar Heel Basketball – Again

  • Saturday, December 10, 2016
  • John Shearer
Several days ago, I headed over to Chapel Hill, N.C., to watch the University of North Carolina men’s and women’s basketball teams play for the second December in a row.
 
While I generally pull for the Tar Heel men’s team, they are only about my third or fourth favorite college basketball team. In fact, I actually pulled hard for Indiana, my favorite team along with my alma mater, Georgia, in the Hoosiers’ Nov. 30 game against UNC on TV.
 
So the reason I went was not to cheer with an unbridled passion.
Nor was it to scout them in connection with the rare visit of the Tennessee men’s team to the Dean E. Smith Center this Sunday afternoon.
 
I went simply because I like the college town of Chapel Hill, and I find watching a tradition-rich team like UNC fun and relaxing and a good way to get away from the everyday hassles of the world for 24 or 36 hours.
 
Some people might enjoy getting away briefly by hiking or camping for a weekend, visiting a bustling city like New York around the holidays, or maybe even getting a deluxe manicure, pedicure and back massage.
 
For me, it is going to a sporting event that is simply relaxing and does not bring on the strong emotions I feel when watching Georgia play football.
 
I had actually wanted to go see my Atlanta Braves play a night game in Cincinnati back during the summer and stay over and watch them play the Reds again the next day at noon. But those plans never materialized, so I decided to follow through with this trip, since I had enjoyed it so much last year, except for the more-than-5-hour drive to get there.
 
So I hopped in my car a little after 8 a.m. last Wednesday and, after dropping Maisie our Westie off for a doggy sleepover at the vet’s, headed east with a “nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina” mindset.
 
My wife, Laura, had an overnight trip in Virginia related to her pastoral counseling work in the United Methodist Church, so I went solo. Of course, she prefers the manicures or pedicures or maybe spending time with her children and grandchildren as her favorite kinds of daylong or weekend escapes, not watching a random team like UNC.
 
I arrived in Chapel Hill about 2 p.m. and checked into the neat and historic Carolina Inn within the confines of the UNC campus. It would be slightly pricey for my budget if I traveled like this more than once or twice a year, but it is so neat and within walking distance of the campus and basketball arenas that I have always splurged and stay there. Besides a nice room, I also love its relaxing lobby. I have never tried its restaurant, usually because I am eating concession food at basketball games, but it looks nice, too.
 
Another place where I always eat is the Mediterranean Deli on West Franklin Street, just off campus. While I ate a full Greek meal there last year after arriving a little past the normal lunchtime hour, this year my stomach could not quite hold out that long. In fact, I was already munching on a McDonald’s Big Mac that I had bought before 11:30 a.m. while still on the road.
 
But I did enjoy a piece of tiramisu and a glass of water at the Mediterranean Deli. The woman who took my order at the counter apparently enjoyed how I said tiramisu in a way that rhymed with “Miss Sue,” but with a Southern Appalachian accent.
 
After enjoying the dessert, I walked back through the campus. Although I was going to be a sports spectator later, I was being a participant for the time being by jaunting through the front and older parts of the campus and enjoying the neat and historic buildings and the landscaping. The must-stop place, of course, was the landmark Old Well pavilion.
 
For the first time during my three visits to UNC in the last five years, the students were in school in mass and were everywhere, including at the Old Well filling up on water out of the drinking fountain. They all looked like serious students at this institution that many consider the most challenging state school academically in the Deep South.
 
They seemed at least smart enough to realize one intersection in front of the Carolina Inn could be crossed once diagonally instead of twice across two streets in the normal manner.
 
After walking around campus and seeing one person doing some street preaching in front of the bookstore, I headed back to the Carolina Inn and enjoyed the lobby for a few minutes.
 
As 5 p.m. neared, I began walking the roughly half mile over to historic Carmichael Arena. The unusually configured facility had opened in 1965 as Carmichael Auditorium and was home to the UNC men’s team for years under coach Dean Smith. This was where Michael Jordan and many others starred.
 
Now it is where the North Carolina women play under the guidance of coach Sylvia Hatchell, who worked with the late Pat Summitt at Tennessee early in their coaching careers.
 
On the large artificial turf field next to Carmichael was where President Barack Obama spoke right before the recent presidential election while campaigning for Hillary Clinton.
 
In the basketball game, the women Tar Heels easily beat Marshall, 75-53. There were only about 500 or so fans there, so I found a good seat and stretched out some and enjoyed my hot box of popcorn and later a hot dog after realizing the popcorn was not enough.
 
The best part was watching the UNC pep band entertain, especially at the end, when the Tar Heel players, cheerleaders and fans – except me -- did some special dance movements during the playing of the alma mater.
 
After the game ended in well under two hours since it was not on TV, I began walking another half mile or so south toward the Dean Smith Arena for the men’s game against the fellow North Carolina team, Davidson.
 
Once inside the Smith Arena – or the Dean Dome as it is affectionately known – I had the second part of my supper: a barbecue sandwich. With about an hour until the game was to start, I found what I thought was my seat on the front row of the upper deck behind the goal and liked the fairly close view I had of the court.
 
Unfortunately after I finished my sandwich and began examining my seat number more closely, I realized I was not in my seat. I was in Section 202, and my ticket said Section 202A. With a quick glance, I realized where it was – several rows higher than where I was sitting.
 
Not only that, but my lone seat was at the bottom of an upside down triangle of seats, and two aisles actually ran past it. I quickly envisioned people constantly walking past me during the game, but tried to stay upbeat by realizing that at least no one would try to steal my seat.
 
It actually ended up not being too bad, and the number of people who walked past me were only a very minor hindrance, in part because the upper deck of the cavernous arena was only about 30 percent full.
 
Before the game, coach Roy Williams walked out and the students and a number of people applauded for him. How many college coaches not named Nick Saban are applauded like that in this day and time? It was neat to see, and he even threw some T-shirts into the student stands behind one of the goals.
 
The game was played on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, so they had a swearing-in ceremony and also showed a video of the UNC players visiting the USS Arizona Memorial during their recent participation in a tournament in Hawaii. During that tournament, they beat the UTC Mocs by 40 points.
 
The game I saw ended up being quite close. Feisty Davidson went out to a 7-0 lead, but North Carolina, led by Justin Jackson’s seven 3-pointers, came back and withstood a late Davidson rally to win, 83-74. If Tennessee fans or players need a scouting report, I would say to guard Jackson more closely! With 27 points and eight rebounds, he had almost a “double double.”
 
In terms of food, I had a double double, as the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream I had late in the second half after seeing a couple of people eating some gave me two entrees and two desserts for the day.
 
Needless to say, I stopped by the Old Well to sip some water on the way back to the Carolina Inn due to all the salty food I had consumed.
 
But before I left, I had to go down to the lower deck and watch the now-larger student pep band perform the alma mater and the catchy North Carolina fight song, “I’m a Tar Heel Born.” They were quite lively when I watched them at different times during the game, and the tuba players and members of the UNC dance team both dance around them in the stands on several occasions.
 
The students also seemed to be into the game a lot, even though it is not quite like the atmosphere at Duke’s always-packed Cameron Indoor Arena. The Tar Heel students have a unique clap and routine they do when a UNC player is shooting a free throw.
 
It was entertaining to see all that, and it was neat leaving the arena as if I were a diehard or regular UNC fan.
 
The next morning, I took a nice jog around campus as I have done in the past, saying goodbye to the pretty old buildings less than 24 hours after I said hello again. I jogged into Kenan Stadium, which was open, and looked inside at the field.
 
I am not sure I had done that before and was surprised how much it looks like Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia, just as some of the buildings and other parts of campus do.
 
I also stopped by the Old Well for some more water and noticed members of the China Philharmonic Orchestra posing for pictures in front of it before their performance later that day at the nearby Carolina Performing Arts Center. How many 24-hour visitors like me get to see something like that!
 
After dressing and eating breakfast at a nearby Panera, I stopped by for a quick tour of University Baptist Church by the campus. I was there because that church is designed by noted Chattanooga architect of yesteryear, R.H. Hunt. I took some pictures with the kind help of a couple of staff members, including the longtime pastor, and hope to do a story on it and its connection to Mr. Hunt in the near future.
 
I then walked back the short distance to Carolina Inn, checked out and began the not-so-short drive back home.
 
Next year I might try to go see a game at Indiana University, as well as one in Athens, Ga., and will likely anticipate both outcomes with a little more interest than I usually do at a Tar Heel men’s or women’s game.
 
But I once again thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Chapel Hill and UNC. I cannot explain completely why, but I always feel very much at home there.
 
I am not sure when I will physically return, but, as singer James Taylor says, I will certainly continue to go back to Carolina plenty of times “in my mind.”
 
Jcshearer2@comcast.net
Latest Headlines
Sports
Chattanooga Women Third At Spring Break Shootout
  • 3/18/2024

The Chattanooga Mocs got off to a solid start at the Spring Break Shootout. The ladies are 4 under on Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club’s South Course carding 280 over the opening 18 and 284 ... more

Sweetwater's Keke Norfolk Signs With Cleveland State
Sweetwater's Keke Norfolk Signs With Cleveland State
  • 3/18/2024

Keke Norfolk of Sweetwater High School signed a National Letter of Intent with the Cleveland State women’s basketball team this past week. Norfolk a 5’9” guard/forward, becomes the first signee ... more

Vol Baseball Win Streak Ends At 17 At Alabama
  • 3/18/2024

No. 5/5 Tennessee's 17-game winning streak came to an end with a 6-3 loss to No. 12/14 Alabama on Saturday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide (16-3, 1-1 SEC) ... more