Friday night’s action in the Dean Smith Center between UNC men’s basketball and NC Central University featured some courageous and tough plays — but they paled in comparison to a courageous fight happening behind the NC Central bench.

The Eagles program welcomed Onyx Williams to its team as an honorary assistant coach for the matchup after NCCU head coach LaVelle Moton heard about the Durham four-year-old’s ongoing battle with an aggressive, cancerous brain tumor. The child’s story was shared by local news stations in recent weeks, which caught Moton’s attention — and he invited Onyx and his family to join NCCU on their trip to Chapel Hill to play the Tar Heels.

Williams stood with Moton and UNC head coach Hubert Davis at halfcourt before the national anthem on Friday, with Davis presenting him a personalized, signed UNC jersey and basketball signed by the Tar Heel team. Williams sat behind the Eagles bench during the game, with the NCCU players and coaches wearing shirts that said “All In With Onyx.” Afterward, the four-year-old joined Moton at the podium for the post-game press conference.

 

Afterward, UNC men’s basketball’s pages shared a GoFundMe campaign Onyx’s father created last December after Williams’ diagnosis with high-grade glioma. The fundraiser has garnered more than $10,000 as of Saturday afternoon, with new donations beginning to come in.

UNC men’s basketball won Friday night’s matchup vs. NCCU 97-53, which was the first meeting of the programs since 2020.

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