UNC Fans Welcome 2017 National Champions Home

A packed house at the Smith Center welcomed the UNC men’s basketball team as they returned to Chapel Hill.

With the 2017 NCAA championship in the books, UNC fans filled the Smith Center one last time Tuesday night to celebrate the return of their conquering heroes.

The Tar Heels won Monday night, defeating Gonzaga 71 to 65 and bringing the school its first title since 2009. The team came up short of the championship last year, falling to Villanova on a buzzer-beating three pointer by Kris Jenkins. Senior point guard Nate Britt addressed the packed house.

“Last year, when we went on our run, I was watching the Snapchats and Instagram posts of you guys celebrating and enjoying the success we had as a team and a university,” Britt said. “And it hurt so much that we couldn’t come back and celebrate that with y’all because we lost.

“And this year we brought it home. This is for y’all.”

The Smith Center was the team’s first stop after returning from Phoenix, the site of the 2017 Final Four. State troopers escorted the Tar Heels from Raleigh-Durham International Airport after the team landed. Five players were originally scheduled to speak in front of the crowd, but junior forward Theo Pinson – known for his antics with a microphone – was not going to be silenced. After junior Joel Berry finished speaking, Pinson seized his opportunity, grabbing the microphone from Berry and stealing the show.

“They tried to not let me get this mic,” Pinson told the crowd. “I just want to thank everybody for supporting us. And it’s been one hell of a year. And I love these guys.”

Monday night’s victory gave head coach Roy Williams his third national championship, becoming one of just six coaches to do so in college basketball history. It also marked his 100th NCAA tournament victory, an accomplishment a fellow Tar Heel congratulated him for.

“But I will read you one text that I got [Monday] night,” Williams told the crowd. “‘I’m so happy for you and the team. You raised the ceiling to the roof tonight.’”

Williams was quoting the text from Michael Jordan, who issued his now famous “the ceiling is the roof” quote earlier this year. Jordan was not in attendance at Monday night’s championship game after he attended the title game against Villanova in 2016.

“He’s like me,” Williams said. “He’s a little superstitious.”

Photo via Associated Press

‹

30th Annual Carolina Blood Drive Photo Gallery

The 30th Annual Carolina Blood Drive took place on Tuesday, June 5 and members of the local community came out to donate life-saving blood. The event resulted in 815 donors and 61 volunteers participating to collect 778 units of lifesaving blood, which can save up to 2,334 lives. Check out the photo gallery from the […]

Carolina Blood Drive Marks 35th Year With More Than 500 Donors

Hundreds of Chapel Hill community members lined up at the Dean E. Smith Center on Wednesday — not for any athletic event, but to donate blood. The 35th annual Carolina Blood Drive set up their operations in the basketball arena once again, this time a month earlier than normal in an attempt to boost student […]

Carolina Blood Drive Returns to Full Operations for 34th Year

Typically, the floor of the Dean Smith Center is being used for basketball action. But as visitors walked into the arena Tuesday, the floor was filled with donation beds, chairs and snack stations for the 34th annual Carolina Blood Drive. Jen DeNeal spoke with people waiting to be double-red donors, or double the […]

34th Annual Carolina Blood Drive To Be Held June 7

The 34th annual Carolina Blood Drive will be held in the Dean Smith Center on Tuesday, June 7 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Red Cross announced earlier this week. Are you ready to #bleedCarolinablue? https://t.co/Ck5gRsyyWX — Carolina Blood Drive (@UNCBloodDrive) May 25, 2022 “Blood donation is essential to the health of our communities,” […]

UNC, Red Cross Announce Date for 2021 Carolina Blood Drive

One of the American Red Cross’ largest blood drives in the country recently announced its date for this summer. The 33rd annual Carolina Blood Drive, held on the campus of UNC, is set to be held on Tuesday, June 8, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event, organized by the Red Cross and UNC’s […]

Photo Gallery: The Carolina Blood Drive Continues in Chapel Hill Despite COVID-19 Concerns

Carolina Blood Drive Returning for 32nd Year, Organizers Urge Participation

Like past years, the UNC-Chapel Hill Employee Forum is partnering with the Red Cross to hold its annual Carolina Blood Drive. This year, though, the need for participation may be greater than ever. The organizations announced the return of the Carolina Blood Drive Tuesday morning, saying it will be held Tuesday, June 2, in the […]

UNC Police Identify Person of Interest in Smith Center Break-In

UNC Police have confirmed that the person of interest in the March 9 Smith Center break-in has been identified, with the suspect being taken into custody in South Carolina by a separate agency. https://twitter.com/UNCPolice/status/977229319654256640 UNC Police are searching for an individual in connection with a break in at the Dean Smith Center earlier this […]

Chansky's Notebook: There When WE Need It!

Duke still has never witnessed the wine-and-cheese crowd. A few years ago, before his team made its annual visit to the Dean Dome, Mike Krzyzewski wondered aloud about all the talk of the actual cheese-and-wine tag hung on UNC’s home fans by former Florida State star Sam Cassell. “Don’t know what it is, we’ve never […]

UNC Fans Welcome 2017 National Champions Home

A packed house at the Smith Center welcomed the UNC men’s basketball team as they returned to Chapel Hill. With the 2017 NCAA championship in the books, UNC fans filled the Smith Center one last time Tuesday night to celebrate the return of their conquering heroes. The Tar Heels won Monday night, defeating Gonzaga 71 […]

›