Brice Johnson Reflects on Life as a Tar Heel

Brice Johnson is projected to be a first round pick in the NBA Draft. But, four years ago, he almost quit the UNC basketball team after his first practice.

In a narrative he wrote for The Players’ Tribune, Johnson remembers a conversation with his dad after his first collegiate practice:

“I called my dad that night and told him I didn’t think I could do it. I wanted to come home.”

His dad replied, “You have to keep going. You can’t give up, and you can’t come home. I didn’t raise a quitter.”

That story has become a big part of the legend of Brice Johnson at UNC. Head Coach Roy Williams discussed Johnson’s first practice in January of 2016. “Joe Holladay told me after [Johnson’s] freshman year—the first day of workouts—he didn’t know if [Johnson] would show up for practice,” Williams said, referencing his former assistant. “He said he thought [Johnson] would go home that day. Brice said ’I thought about it.’”

The relationship Johnson has with his head coach is a focal point in his Players’ Tribune story. Johnson recalls Williams’ recruiting visit:

“He came to my school senior year and sat down with me and my dad. He said he wanted me to play for him. I didn’t need to hear anything else. But man, I really had no idea what I was in for.”

Johnson goes on to write about how much Williams rode him during his four years in Chapel Hill. That included comparisons to Sean May and Tyler Hansbrough. “I never took it personally, though. I knew he was just trying to make me the best I could possibly be,” Johnson writes.

Fans of Brice Johnson and the Tar Heels know that it all clicked for him during the 2015-2016 season, particularly that Florida State game.

“That Was a Man’s Night”: Johnson Leads No. 6 UNC Past FSU

Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige. (Photo by Todd Melet)

Read Brice Johnson’s piece in The Players’ Tribune. He adds some nice words about his teammate and friend, Marcus Paige. Paige recently wrote his own piece for The Players’ Tribune.

Brice Johnson Reflects on Life as a Tar Heel

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