The UNC men’s basketball team took another road trip Wednesday afternoon, though this one was closer to home than most. The Tar Heels visited the Hargraves Center in Chapel Hill’s Northside neighborhood for a collaboration with local after-school students.
Third-through-fifth graders from around the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools community gathered at tables in the Hargraves gymnasium to team up with the players and sketch designs inspired by Black History Month. Several presented their designs at the end of the event, and the Tar Heels will vote on which will be featured on the team’s warm-up shirts at the Smith Center for UNC’s game against Louisville on Monday, Feb. 23.
Ragan Copeland is the program’s Director of Community Engagement and organized the event. She says the opportunity for the larger-than-life Tar Heels to interact with some of their biggest fans is one that’s always worth taking.
“It’s really special and it just shows the impact that they have on this community,” Copeland told Chapelboro. “They can bring a lot of joy to a lot of people and a lot of kids, so I love putting together events like this for them.”
Copeland was named the Director of Community Engagement last summer. And while her position with the program may be a new one, UNC’s work with the Hargraves Center isn’t. Head coach Hubert Davis, who made a brief appearance Wednesday, has been a longtime benefactor of the center. Sunshine Mitchell, an after-school instructor at the Hargraves Center, said Wednesday’s event was not a one-time thing.
“They come and participate with the kids,” Mitchell said. “I remember them coming on Valentine’s Day last year to help make cards with them. They came a few months ago as well. Sometimes they’ll just come and play with the kids. They’ll play basketball. We’ll be outside with the kids and they’ll just come and hang out with the kids for a while.”
Mitchell said she tried to keep Wednesday’s appearance a secret from her students, but some of them still had a hunch something was up.
“They were pretty excited,” said Mitchell. “One of them came upstairs and came in and he was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I know what’s happening!’ They caught on pretty quickly”
“A lot of Carolina fans in this crowd?” I asked her.
“Yes, yes we are,” said Mitchell, who was wearing a UNC hoodie.
Most of the Tar Heel players’ homes are far away from Northside. From Menomonee Falls to Montenegro, this season’s roster has a decidedly cosmopolitan flair. But Wednesday’s event hit close to home for Jarin Stevenson, a Chapel Hill native who attended nearby Seaforth High School in Pittsboro. Though his 6-foot-10 frame was comically cramped into a plastic folding chair, Stevenson said he enjoyed seeing the students’ designs come to life.
“Seeing the kids around, interacting with them, they’re very creative,” Stevenson told Chapelboro. “They like lots of different things. I feel like we relate to them a lot. Being around them, learning their ideas. Being around them is really cool.”
Among the design presenters at the end of the evening were Caleb Wilson, Jaydon Young and Elijah Davis, with Davis’ design including a disclaimer at the bottom which read, “Elijah Davis help [sic] me on this project.”
“It’s awesome. It’s amazing, because a lot of times these kids don’t get the opportunity to experience some of the things other kids have,” Mitchell said. “So having [the team] come in and volunteer and play with the kids is really cool. It means a lot to the kids.”
UNC head coach Hubert Davis joins his players at the Hargraves Center. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh)
Elijah Davis and his partner present their design. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh)
Caleb Wilson presents his and his partner’s design. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh)
Caleb Wilson and Jaydon Young work with their partners. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh)
Jarin Stevenson and James Young work with their partners. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh)
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Michael Koh
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