When the UNC men’s basketball team took the court minutes before tip-off against Miami on Monday, they had more than a dozen special guests with them.

The Tar Heels partnered with the Hargraves Community Center in Chapel Hill to have several children in its youth programs join the team for its game as part of Black History Month. The kids got to spend time with the Carolina players in the tunnel, dancing with them on their way to the Roy Williams Court and then standing with the team during the national anthem. The children also received special team shirts with the Tar Heel players on the front, and got to sit behind the scorer’s table to watch the game.

The Hargraves Community Center is located on North Roberson Street in the heart of the Northside District, which is a historically Black community on the border of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. While the building, park and athletics facilities are primarily used for recreation these days, the center has a deep-running history of being a place for social justice, activism, and community for Chapel Hill’s Black residents. It was initially built to house the B-1 Navy Band in the early 1940s and served as the birthplace of the Chapel Hill NAACP chapter in 1947 — holding such importance that Hargraves was bestowed a marker for North Carolina’s Civil Rights Trail last summer.

UNC head coach Hubert Davis has long been connected to the community center, with him paying visits to the basketball courts during his playing days at Carolina. As GoHeels.com shared ahead of Monday’s game, Davis and his family have continued to stay involved by ensuring Hargraves could operate as a wi-fi site for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting tutoring programs for the kids, and participating in food drives.

Here are photos of the visit, as shared by UNC men’s basketball and taken by the Chapelboro news team:

Children with the Hargraves Community Center in Chapel Hill walk out of the UNC men’s basketball tunnel for pre-game festivities between UNC vs. Miami.

Children with the Hargraves Community Center in Chapel Hill stand with the UNC men’s basketball team ahead of the national anthem on February, 26, 2024.

UNC went on to win Monday’s game 75-71 against Miami, in which senior R.J. Davis scored 42 points and set a new scoring record for the Dean E. Smith Center. More photos from the game can be seen here.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Basketball Collaborates With Hargraves Students to Design Warm-Up Shirts
The UNC men’s basketball team took another road trip Wednesday afternoon, though this one was closer to home than most.
Report: Buffalo Transfer Angelo Brizzi Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Angelo Brizzi, who spent the 2025-26 season with Buffalo, reportedly committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal Wednesday. Inside Carolina first reported the news. UNC will be Brizzi’s fifth school in five years. The guard began his career at Villanova in 2022 – entering college in the same class […]
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season
As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
Former UNC Player Ed Davis Among Several Indicted in NBA Gambling Scandal
Ed Davis, who played for the UNC men’s basketball team from 2008 through 2010 and helped the Tar Heels win the 2009 national title, is among six former NBA players who are being charged with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering as the result of a federal investigation. An indictment published Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
Chansky's Notebook: What Happened to Henri?
Blame Henri Veesaar's baffling slide in the NBA Draft on the muddled way the league and its agents do business.
The Morning News: Crisis Diversion Facility, Learfield Director's Cup, UNC-NC State Basketball
In today's news: Orange County moves ahead on a new Crisis Diversion Facility, and UNC finishes fourth in the Learfield Director's Cup.
UNC Men's Basketball to Face Illinois in Nashville Hoops Showdown in January
UNC is adding another high-level non-conference matchup to its 2026-27 schedule. The Tar Heels will face Illinois in the Nashville Hoops Showdown on Saturday, Jan. 30. The matchup has been confirmed by both programs and by Bridgestone Arena, which will host the game. Tar Heels 🆚 Fighting Illini in Nashville pic.twitter.com/UuhExCctMB — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]
UNC's Henri Veesaar Drafted by Los Angeles Clippers, Traded to Atlanta Hawks
Henri Veesaar is league-bound. The seven-foot center, who spent the 2025-26 season with UNC after committing to the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal, was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 52 overall pick in the NBA Draft, who then traded that pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Veesaar spent the first […]
Carolina and Chicago Fans React Online to Caleb Wilson Being Drafted by Bulls
UNC fans took to social media shared their excitement and appreciation for Caleb Wilson on Tuesday, while several Chicago Bulls fans did too.
›