One bright UNC basketball spot happened last Friday when 70 former basketball player (ages 21-89) came together in Chapel Hill for a celebration of 100 years of Carolina basketball. The players were assigned to age groups and played for several minutes each.
[Photographs from the Tarheel Blue and Raleigh News and Observer]
Legendary Coach Dean Smith was honored yet again. Such a fine coach and a fine human being.
The players gathered 'round when 89 year-old bobby Gersten (he'll be 90 in August) beat out 83 year-old Nemo Nearman on the opening jump. Gersten still plays pick up games every summer at Brant Lake Camp in the Adirondacks.
Nemo Nearman (age 83) says he was glad they were divided by era. He allows he's not in shape to play those 60 year-olds.
The game ended with a score of 71-70, but no one cared about those numbers. It was a night of fun and memories with walk-ons playing alongside starters. Men who played for the college before I was born (and that, dear reader, was a LONG time ago) and men who graduated last year took turns playing for the crowds.
On Saturday, the current TarHeel team managed to defeat NC State to escape the cellar of the Atlantic Coast Conference. It made the team so happy to provide this victory in time for the banquet they attended with the alumni players.
I wasn't going to mention this...but we got dumped on with yet another snow storm early this morning. I am not at all happy about it. My friend across the street came back last night from a 2-week+ vacation on the sunny Mexican Gulf. She called me this morning and mentioned how beautiful everything looks in the snow. I may have to march across the street and smack her!
16 comments:
We're getting more snow today too. It's not supposed to stop until WEDNESDAY! That's just very annoying. Sigh.
I'm an NC State fan - so boo to you! LOL. Of course, that victory by the Tarheels kept is IN the cellar. Sometimes being a State fan feels like being a Cubs fan.
What a great post! Love basketball and although I don't know much about UNC I can see the fun and pride on those faces. Brant Lake is about an hour south of where I live.
Oh, this made me smile and LAUGH. I was smiling about the older guys playing basketball. (I just love when older people are remembered for what they did and can STILL accomplishh)
I laughed that you are going to be in trouble for domestic assault on your neighbor. :)
Wow, bet that was a fantastic game to watch! With regards to the snow - that, too, shall melt. We still need the moisture for our farms up here in northern Canada. Had such dry summer and our water table is low!
I live with a Tarheel fan and he wouldn't even turn the TV on for the Duke game -- said basketball was over for the year.
Great post..looks like everyone had fun and enjoyed the get together..had to laugh at your comment about your neighbor..went out of my way not to gloat about how nice our weather was while in fl...to my friends..knowing they were shoveling snow before we left...and now we are expecting another 6 tonight!! pay back, I guess... soon soon spring will come!!
LOL - well, you know that you and I may see eye-to-eye on many things, but college hoops isn't one of them. Go Duke!! :o)
I almost emailed to tease you about the recent Duke-NC game since you sure did give us Duke fans a rough time last year. But, I decided to be nice, instead!
The old-timers game sounds absolutely wonderful!
A dear friend of ours is a rabid Duke fan, so we are not allowed to even think about NC. Sorry.
Good post!
Sam
So fun!
I work at Hanesbrands with Dave Colescott who was there to play on Friday. It doesn't surprise me at all that he still has the moves!
All the UNC fans here at the office are just devastated by the year they are having! As a long-suffering Dallas Cowboys fan, I can so relate!
Thanks for this post!
For a few panicked minutes, I thought you were going to tell me that someone in YOUR household got out on the court.
LOL to the Bug. Alas, we're Cub and Wolfpack fans, too. I'm thinking of getting counseling for that!
Gorgeous cardinal! She's just beautiful -
Don't smack her! She'll be sick of it in no time.
(That cracked me up!!!)
Enough of the snow already! I'm with you sister. ;c)
How fun to see all those guys still play with such love and passion.
Thanks for your comments everyone. I was actually so happy to see my neighbor (and friend) that I resisted the urge to assault her. Of course, I did make her listen to the voice mail message she left me while she was on vacation. She used the words, "sunny" "warm" and "beach" at least a dozen times. And I did remind her of the phone call she made on Friday, letting me know that since the Atlanta airport was shut down, they would HAVE to spend another two days in Mexico soaking up the sunshine.
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