When Joel Berry retired from basketball in August, he told Tar Heel fans they “might see me back on TV again soon, I’ll leave it at that.”

Berry has now made good on his promise, as the ACC Network announced Monday that Berry and former UNC teammate KJ Smith will be joining the network as analysts for the upcoming basketball season. The news was first reported by The News & Observer and confirmed by UNC Basketball.

Berry will be a weekly contributor to the ACC Network’s show “Nothing But Net,” which airs every Sunday during basketball season. Smith will appear on the show “All ACC” and also contribute on social media.

“College basketball is everything to me,” Berry told The News & Observer. “I thought it would be something to where I can stay attached to the game.”

“I kind of realized that I liked, speaking more than more of the writing part of [media] and I realized I’m good at breaking down the game and talking to different guys,” Smith said. “And yeah, when the opportunity came from ESPN, I couldn’t turn it down. I was extremely excited and I’m excited to be a part of the team.”

Smith had previously been an analyst and contributor for the website On3.com. Smith’s father, Kenny, who also played at Carolina, is a well-known studio analyst for TNT’s NBA studio show, “Inside the NBA.”

Berry and Smith were teammates on the 2017-18 UNC basketball team which advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. After Berry graduated, Smith played under former head coach Roy Williams for two more seasons before graduating. He transferred to Carolina from Pacific prior to the 2017-18 season.

 

Featured image via ACC Network

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