August 2022 // Firsts

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

My first Carolina Basketball game happened on December 21, 1983.

The opponent was what I believed to be an incredibly stout Dartmouth squad. I remember very little about the actual game but everything about the excitement I felt walking across campus to the game, and the buzz in the sold-out Carmichael Auditorium stands before and during the game.

Somehow, a loaded Carolina squad featuring Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins and Kenny Smith was able to squeak by the Big Green, 103-58. Jordan had 25 points, including 19 in the first half. I was hooked. If my parents had known the type of enabling they were doing to introduce me to Carolina Basketball, they might have thought twice about letting me attend (we only had two tickets; someone had to stay home in order for me to go, although I don’t recall who it was).

Those memorable firsts are exactly what we wanted to commemorate in this issue. No one else treasures the otherwise meaningless 1983 Carolina-Dartmouth game the same way I do. No one else is constantly on the lookout for a ticket stub or program from that game. But we all have those games where everything began for us.

This issue is all about those indelible firsts, with the hopes that something in these pages is relatable to your Carolina experience. And who knows? When the Tar Heels return to Kenan Stadium and the other facilities across campus, maybe you’ll have an extra ticket and be able to provide that first for someone else.

Even Tar Heel veterans can still experience those amazing firsts. The women’s lacrosse program is a certified juggernaut. But until this year, Jenny Levy and the Tar Heels had never played an entire season without a loss. They did it this spring, making them one of only 13 teams in the history of the athletic department to enjoy a completely unbeaten, untied season that led to an NCAA championship — one in men’s basketball, three in men’s lacrosse, four in field hockey and four in women’s soccer … and now one in women’s lacrosse.

It was a nice reminder that there’s always time for another first.

Adam Lucas Editor in Chief

PRODUCED BY THE RAMS CLUB // EDITOR IN CHIEF ADAM LUCAS // CONTRIBUTING WRITER LEE PACE // PHOTOGRAPHY JEFFREY CAMARATI & MAGGIE HOBSON // DESIGN JUJUBE SPORTS PUBLISHING

“I’ve never been part of a moment like that. Everyone was being super real, and it was OK to really tell people what you were feeling because they were feeling the same way. It was motivating and emotional.”

the TAR HEEL FIRSTS edition

ON THE COVER:

Sebastian Cheeks begins his inaugural Tar Heel season this fall as someone who has already done something no Tar Heel football freshman has ever done before.

COVER PHOTO: UNC ATHLETICS/HEATH KLEINDIENST

— SAM GEIERSBACH ON THE CAYLEE WATERS-LED TEAM MEETING DURING A WEATHER DELAY IN THE NATIONAL SEMIFINAL

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

12 Perfect Champions

A blend of talent, experience and leadership helped guide women’s lacrosse to the program’s first undefeated season BY ADAM LUCAS

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

16 Eyes Straight Ahead

In his first season as head coach, Hubert Davis helped establish expectations and values that will set the tone for his tenure

BY ADAM LUCAS

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

20 Tar Heel Firsts

Memorable Tar Heel firsts from across the athletic department

BY ADAM LUCAS

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

24 A Tribute to Great Lessons in Character

Donna Gutterman honors Dr. Beth Miller and celebrates Carolina Volleyball

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

28 The Business of Excellence

Sebastian Cheeks’ talents on and off the football field made him the first to receive a prestigious academic honor

BY LEE PACE

36

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

An Experience Unlike Any Other

Austin Greaser played his first Masters this year, and wants to make sure it’s not a singular occurrence

BY ADAM LUCAS

FIRST PERSON

&

40 ‘A season of firsts’

Brady Manek’s first and only year as a Tar Heel gave him a new second home BY BRADY MANEK

CAROLINA EVERYWEAR p. 34

EDITOR’S LETTER

TAR HEEL TICKER p.

TAR HEEL TICKER

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

FIRST CAROLINA GAME

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Ed & Leanne Dominguez (& Makenna) // Sierra Madre, CA

Our first Carolina game was extremely special and emotional. Women’s Soccer vs. Duke, Sept 17, 2021. It was a tough loss, but we watched our daughter wear Carolina blue for the first time. Dreams do come true! Go Heels!

Joan Althaus // Raleigh, NC

This is the story of my mother’s first of many football games. My father, Elmer Wrenn ‘38, an All-Southern guard, was an aviator serving in the Marine Corps. He was stationed at Cherry Point, NC, where he met my mother, a Navy nurse. Wanting to share his love for Carolina, he brought her to a football game, probably in 1946, when they were dating. She recounted that he was dressed in his Marine Corps uniform, and she was dressed in a new suit and leather heels. They were late, and he never wanted to miss kickoff, so he was pulling her by the hand up a hill, through the pine trees to the stadium. The hill was covered with fresh fallen pine needles. Midway up the hill, the band struck up The Star Spangled Banner. Daddy dropped mother’s hand and jumped to attention leaving her to grab onto the nearest pine tree with her feet flying like she was running on a treadmill. He did not notice her until the anthem was over when he proceeded to grab her hand and run to the stadium. They made the kickoff, but she had no memories of the game except for his pride in being a Marine and a Tar Heel!

I do not remember my first game, as I was only 3 years old in 1952, but here I am in my letter sweater dressed to go to the game.

Jesse Archer // Chesterfield, VA

One of my first memories of attending a football game was in 1966. UNC was playing the US Air Force Academy on November 12, 1966, in Chapel Hill. The Academy’s mascot is a falcon whom they proudly showcased at their football games. At halftime on this particular Saturday, the falcon’s handler released this majestic bird to soar above the crowd, make a couple of circles over the stadium and then return to the handler’s waiting arm. Well, the falcon, after soaring and circling above beautiful Kenan Stadium, decided he liked Tar Heel Heaven and proceeded to fly off into the wild blue yonder. We never did see that bird for the rest of the game. And, as far as I know, he made a nice home for himself among the stately pine trees on campus and lived a long and happy life as a Tar Heel.

Keith Williams // Swansboro, NC

My Dad is not a big sports fan, but when he was 80 years old, I talked him into going with me to his first Tar Heels football game. It was a very exciting game, and I was cheering loudly, “GO HEELS!” Sometime around the middle of the fourth quarter, he looked over and asked me, “Who do you keep telling to ‘Go to Hell?’”

Lee Oakley // High Point, NC

My first game at Kenan Stadium was nothing short of amazing. I was in the living room with my friends Josh Craven and Quincey Glenn watching the game versus #4 Miami in 2004. At halftime Josh’s dad said, “Y’all might wanna go to Franklin Street.” So, we jump in the Jeep, the top was off, and it’s late October so we’re freezing! Drive from Roxboro to UNC, get to the gate just before the timeout was called before Connor Barth’s kick. The lady at the gate said, “Go stand in the tunnel.” So, we stood with the other 20 or so people and watched the kick go through, stormed the field, took down the goalpost, nearly got maced, sung the alma mater, and went back to Roxboro in Carolina Victory!

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Jonathan Gladston // Durham, NC

My first ever game in person in the Dean Dome was February 2007 against Wake Forest with the reunion of the ‘57 and ‘82 teams at halftime and when MJ kissed Coach Smith. It was the first time in person that I witnessed the Carolina family and how there is no other family like it in college basketball.

Roy Collette // Kernersville, NC

My parents took my brother Perry and me to our first Carolina football game in September 1970. We still have 8mm footage of the game that looks like it was shot by Abraham Zapruder. We sat in what is now Section 205 and watched the Heels beat Kentucky 20-10. We’ve been there every year since then.

Jay Hall // Sweetwater, TN

I was a freshman in High School in 1978-79. Having been a Tar Heel since 1976, I always wanted to attend a basketball game in person. My friend Mike’s parents graduated from the University of Arkansas and had an extra ticket for the Arkansas vs. North Carolina game on Sunday January 14, 1979, in Greensboro. The game was on national television and boasted several prominent players including Arkansas’ heralded Sidney Moncrief and Carolina’s Dudley Bradley. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be there and saw a tremendous win for my beloved Tar Heels, 63-57.

Marvin Carver // Chapel Hill, NC

Do I ever remember my first Carolina game, or at least the first time I ever was a Carolina fan! I grew up in Durham with a family that bled the wrong color blue. My father, both grandparents, and numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins all went to Duke. My grandmother graduated in the last class of old Trinity College and my grandfather the first class of Duke University. I grew up going to football games in Wallace Wade Stadium and watched basketball in Duke Indoor Stadium, obviously before the name was changed to Cameron Indoor Stadium. Our family had season tickets, so I was indoctrinated at a young age to be a Dookie.

My senior year in high school I applied for admission to Carolina and was thrilled to be accepted. Interestingly enough, that was right at the time, early spring 1971, that both Carolina and Duke were invited to Madison Square Garden to play in the NIT. This was during the earlier days of the NCAA tournament when only the ACC Champion was able to advance to the NCAAs. My dad, always the avid fan, decided to take the family to New York for the NIT. Carolina and Duke squared off in the semifinals, and the Tar Heels beat Duke to advance to the NIT Finals. This was the famous tournament when Bill Chamberlain (the eventual MVP) exploded against Duke and had an exceptional performance in the championship game two nights later against Georgia Tech. This was my first experience as a Tar Heel fan, and it was glorious … and about to get even sweeter!

Fast forward to the fall of 1971, and I am now in my freshman year at Carolina. The phone rang in my room in Granville Towers and my father says: “Do you want to come home and go to the Duke-Carolina game on Saturday?” Of course, I wanted to go, but my Dad cautioned me to behave sitting among all his Iron Duke friends. After the Heels thrashed Duke 38-0, I looked at my Dad and said: “ So far, I am really enjoying being a Tar Heel.” His response – total silence! That has always been my favorite thing about a Duke-Carolina game, the ability to make Duke fans be silent – while Heels fans are singing Hark the Sound!

I have never regretted the decision to apply to Carolina, but my family always asks why didn’t I apply to Duke. My response has always been – it was divine intervention. And yes, I do thank God I am a Tar Heel!

John Dykers // Siler City, NC

UNC vs. Texas football game. It is rather a blur as I was little and half-brother Dr. Tyndall Harris was taking me. It was after World War II and Charlie Justice was playing. And Art Weiner. I looked it up – we lost big. I better remember seeing Choo Choo at Byrd’s Grocery earlier that week. Nancy Van Camp’s mother was secretary to Carl Snavely. Nancy and I married two years ago.

Jay Gould // Delray Beach, FL

First game was my freshman year in 1958. I only remember being overwhelmed by being among such outstanding players as Lee Shaffer, York Larese, Harvey Salz … What I do remember from a game that year, I think against Wake: A fight broke out and was getting out of hand. As it escalated, a guy came rushing at Salz. Salz told him that we shouldn’t fight, “Let’s just watch them fight,” and they just moved off and watched. Aside, nobody got hurt enough to matter. This was a year or two before Art Heyman started fights with everyone.

Steve Cumbie // Vienna, VA

When I was a child in the 1960s my father was working with a sports photographer for the Greensboro Daily News. They were working the Duke-Carolina game and took me along. I don’t remember the year, but it would be easy enough to determine, because Carolina won 50-0 (Ed. Note: it was 1959). That’s the day I became a Tar Heel.

Larry Davis // Greensboro, NC

My first UNC football game was October 22, 1977, vs. South Carolina. I was fourteen. My father got tickets through a Rams Club member friend. We (Mom, Dad, my brother Russell and I) parked along a sidewalk on north campus (you could do that on game days back then!) and tailgated. It was a beautiful fall day with UNC winning 17-0. Little did I know that a few years later, I would be living in Grimes Dorm within sight of our tailgating spot!

Kevin Poplawski // Brookhaven, GA

I had just moved from Pennsylvania to Carolina in the summer of 2006 and my friends came down to visit that fall. Our first trip to the Dean Smith Center was Late Night with Roy that October. My friend and I were sitting in the seats when the gentleman sitting next to us got up and said, “Hey, I’m going to the concession stand. Can I get y’all something?” We looked befuddled but said, “No thanks, we’re ok.” He came back to the seats and handed me a box of popcorn (his hands were full so I’m guessing we were to pass it down to him after he sat down). As he sat down, my buddy went to hand the popcorn to him and he replied, “Nah, that’s for y’all to enjoy.” My buddy looked at me completely confused. I said to him, “That’s how the people are down here. They’re so nice!”

My five years working at UNC Sports Medicine were incredible and had many of these experiences (including meeting my wife!).

Always a Tar Heel!

John Leonard // Chapel Hill, NC

Most of my life, I’ve told everyone who was interested, “I saw Charlie Justice play football at Carolina.” I’ve now realized that is not strictly correct. In 1949 and 1950 when Justice played at Carolina, I was a little 6- and then 7-year-old boy. I went with my aunt and uncle. We’d park on what is today Stadium Drive. Then we spread out a blanket and had a picnic lunch amid the trees between the road and the stadium. We sat on the lower left side of the visitor’s side in old Kenan Stadium on old wooden bench seats. That’s where the problem started.

Carolina ran plays out of the old single wing formation with Justice at tailback five yards behind the center. Every play began with the ball being snapped to Charlie, and that’s when it would happen. As soon as the ball was snapped, all the adults around me would stand up and cheer. AND I COULDN”T SEE!

I was surrounded by a sea of overcoats and fur coats and cheering big people, but no Charlie! Even if I stood up on the bench, I still couldn’t see. Finally, when everyone settled back down, the play was well over. I could see the results of what Charlie had done, not how he did it. Those amazing, swivel-hipped runs of his? Never saw a one. Heard plenty; never saw a single one. Those fabulous roll-out passes to Art Weiner? Ditto. So, these days, I’ll be rigorously honest and say, “I heard Charlie Justice play football at Carolina.” And I don’t mean on the radio.

Ed Burke // Chapel Hill, NC

It was Tar Heel basketball’s championship season of 1956-57. I was a high school sophomore in Mount Airy and attended the Wake Forest game in Winston-Salem. I was a guest of Dr. and Mrs. Otis Oliver, our next door neighbors. I attended the game with Dr. Oliver and Mrs. Oliver and their sons Bud and George. The Olivers’ daughter, Pat, was a senior at UNC and engaged to no less than Lennie Rosenbluth. They married in Mount Airy later in the spring after our team went undefeated 32-0 and captured the national championship. I subsequently entered UNC in the fall of 1959 and became an assistant basketball manager to Coach Frank McGuire and his young assistant coach, Dean Smith. Two years later when Dean Smith succeeded McGuire as head coach, I became Coach Smith’s head manager and earned my letter in that 1961-62 inaugural season.

Skip Tyson // Wilmington, NC

I was a freshman dental student at the UNC School of Dentistry and was so excited to attend my first game in the Dean Dome. We were playing Clemson. I got there so early that the Tigers had not come out of the tunnel for warm ups yet. I noticed a bunch of undergrads hanging around just above the visitors’ tunnel. Then, as Clemson came out of the tunnel, naturally, the students started to boo the poor visiting Tigers. I heard one student simply yell: ”YOU go to Clemson!” It took me awhile to figure out the jeer.

TAR HEEL TICKER

Tammy Sanford // Roxboro, NC

My first ever Carolina football game, we met the family of punter Ben Kiernan in the disability parking lot. Two brothers and little sister were there with parents. Super nice folks! And definitely one proud dad! I asked dumb questions and they were so wonderful to talk to. Loved the Irish accent!

Jim Nichols // Ocean Pines, MD

On September 12, 1981, my dad (who passed away in 2017) took me to Kenan Stadium for the first time. It was exciting and emotional. We all remember that Kelvin Bryant scored six touchdowns versus ECU that day. I hope we also remember what happened immediately after each score. The ball went to Steve Streater. The defensive MVP of the 1980 Bluebonnet Bowl was confined to a wheelchair after being paralyzed in a car accident after a pro football tryout. Steve would receive the ball, and with a wide smile, spike it. Years later, I took my dad to a game. I would give anything for the opportunity to do so again.

Greg Cauley // Kinston, NC

I recall that my first trip to Carolina for a football game was in 1967 as part of a group that one of my elementary school teachers carried, and my mind remembered that it was against Vanderbilt. Our seats were on the north side of the stadium, toward the east end zone. Google search today revealed that the game was on October 7, and we lost 21-7. That would have been the only game for me before the current uninterrupted home game streak started in 1972.

Greg Butler // Roseboro, NC

It was not my first UNC game, but the first one I went to on my own. I turned 16 in May of 1975 and somehow got tickets to the UNC vs. Notre Dame game in Chapel Hill on October 11, 1975. I was on the top row of the upper deck on the visitors’ side. Carolina led 14-0 late in the third quarter. I remember yelling “FOUR CORNERS!” and the entire section roared its approval. But there was no joy in Chapel Hill that day, no four corners, and no Carolina victory. In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame inserted a rarely used sophomore quarterback, and the Irish went on to score three touchdowns to win 21-14. That unknown quarterback was none other than Joe Montana. I still have the game program and the emotional scars.

Mac Culbreth // Carrboro, NC

The story is simple. First Carolina football game (as season ticket holder) upstairs on the visitors’ side. What I remember is the notification that the tickets themselves are GRATUITOUS. I called the athletic department offices and asked what that meant? The nice athletic department employee said: AND YOU WENT TO SCHOOL HERE? (This was 1978 season tickets) Anyway it was a little embarrassing, but I enjoyed what I believe was Coach Bill Dooley’s final season.

Rick Pfefferkorn // Winston-Salem, NC

On a chilly overcast October day in 1966, a nine-year-old kid from Winston-Salem attended his first college football game in South Bend, Indiana, with his father, Gordon Pfefferkorn. Under the watchful eyes of “Touchdown Jesus” and the backdrop of the Golden Dome, the Tar Heels took on mighty Notre Dame led by the legendary coach Ara Parseghian and the dynamic passing duo of Terry Hanratty and Jim Seymour. The #2-ranked Notre Dame wore down and defeated the banged up boys in light blue by the score of 32-0.

I want to give some more context to this story. My father had been in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on business, the week before the game. He called home late in the week and said he got tickets and asked me if I wanted to fly up and see the game. The next evening my mother dressed me in a coat and tie and put a note in my coat pocket with our family contact information. So, unaccompanied, I boarded a Piedmont Airlines flight Friday night from Winston-Salem to Cincinnati, Ohio. There I changed planes and airlines and flew to Fort Wayne where I met my father. We drove to South Bend the next morning.

North Carolina’s QB was Danny Talbott, one of UNC’s greatest athletes, but he was injured. If my memory is correct, the backup, Jeff Beaver, got hurt and UNC finished with their 3rd string QB. The #1 ranked Fighting Irish would go on later in the season to pay the #2 Michigan State Spartans in the “Game of the Century” to a 10-10 tie. That Notre Dame team was filled with future NFL players, most notably Rocky Bleier, Alan Page, and Jim Lynch.

Dennis Goss // Chapel Hill, NC

November 23, 1974 was a day that changed my life forever, because at age 14 I got to see my first Tar Heel game in person. It was UNC vs. Duke football at Kenan Stadium. The game was not going well for the Heels, and we were down 13-0 as the fourth quarter began. The sponsor I came with decided it was over, and we left the game as the fourth quarter began. As we headed back home to Apex on Highway 751, he turned on the radio and we heard the new score was 13-7. Then Carolina recovered a late fumble, and after a successful drive went on to win 14-13. This day affected me permanently in many ways. My first game experience was incredible, and I became a citizen of “Tar Heel Nation” from that day on. I also vowed then and there to never again leave a Carolina game early.

John Greene // Morganton, NC

Season of 1947 or 1948 (whichever) was Duke game in Chapel Hill saw Choo Choo Justice play for the first time. I was fascinated watching him run with the ball, punt, and return punts. Never saw anything like it since he graduated. Later in life we became friends when he lived in Cherryville and played some golf together.

Jordan Honan // Raleigh, NC Carolina vs. Virginia, 1/10/98. The one memory that truly stands out: after the game, Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter walked RIGHT in front of me as they were leaving the court. My 9-year-old mind was blown, and that may well have been the moment that sealed my lifelong status as a Tar Heel.

Alysen Nassif // Morrisville, NC

I have been watching UNC Football and Men’s Basketball games with my Dad, Martin Nassif, for most of my life, and we’re a family that turned down the sound on the TV to listen to Woody Durham. My Dad took me to Kenan Stadium for the very first time to watch a game in person when I was 4 years old ... and 40 years later nothing has changed. I have been going to games with him ever since (and as I got older this expanded to include Men’s Basketball and Baseball games too). When my Dad started taking a portable radio to Kenan Stadium so he could listen to Woody, I wanted to do that also, so he got me a radio too. I have always said my Dad and Woody Durham were my teachers on UNC Football and Men’s Basketball, and to this day we still listen to the Tar Heel Sports Network whether we are watching with the TV sound turned down or at the football, basketball, or baseball games in person.

Bradley Davis // Charlotte, NC

I grew up a Clemson fan (since my father and grandfather went there). I actually was one of those people who always rooted against Carolina since they always seemed to win at every sport. I didn’t truly appreciate Carolina tradition until I decided to matriculate at the best school in the state and became a student-athlete myself. But the first game I went to was in 1987, I believe. And it was a football game between my favorite Clemson Tigers and the Heels. My best friend was a Carolina fan, so my father brought us both to the game. At the time there was still a grassy hill in the corner of the stadium, and I remembered wanting to sit there except that it was a cold and rainy November day. So instead, we moved up to empty seats under the overhang. We went to buy hot chocolate only to find it was sold out. The game was close, but Clemson ended up winning. While that provided me some satisfaction on that day, it was really the cold and wet that I think most people of the stadium would remember.

Rob Byrd // Charlotte, NC

My first Carolina game was the 1963 Gator Bowl football game. We played Air Force and won 35-0. The Tar Heels, with star running back Ken Willard, rolled. I also remember the large crowd and big stadium which added to it. Part of the thrill of the experience of the game was the fact that we traveled there by airplane. I was 8 years old, and it was my first airline flight.

Crowell Little, Jr. // Chapel Hill, NC

One of my fondest memories of growing up in Chapel Hill is spending Saturdays in Kenan with my Dad, Crowell Little. He was co-captain of the 1937 football team and had served as an assistant coach during 1946 through 1949, also known as the “Justice years.” He never missed a game and as soon as I was old enough, he would bring me with him. The picture documents one such Saturday. Judging my age and the Coke bottle I am holding, I believe this was in the middle 1950s. With us is one of Dad’s former players, Charlie Justice, and his wife. That Saturday and hundreds of other Saturdays at Kenan with my Dad and often my Mom, watching Carolina play reminds me how truly magical that place is and how fortunate I am. To this day, I rarely miss a home game.

PERFECT CHAMPIONS

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI

Before she helped fuel one of the biggest comebacks in lacrosse history, before she was an undefeated national champion, and before she was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 Final Four, Sam Geiersbach was just a little nervous about being part of the Carolina women’s lacrosse team.

Geiersbach, a graduate transfer from Richmond, was a member of the 2021 Tewaaraton Award watch list, an award that goes to the best player in the country. But even she had never seen a collection of talent like what she saw in the summer of 2022 in Chapel Hill.

“Stepping on the field the first day of practice,” Geiersbach says, “was really intimidating.”

The Tar Heels had finished 20-1 in the slightly unusual 2021 campaign, a season marked by virus and travel restrictions, plus online classes. And still, a one-goal loss to Boston College in the national semifinal was the only blemish on the season. That meant that coming into 2022, the Tar Heels had won 27 of the past 28 games and had won 35 straight games against any opponent other than Boston College.

When the NCAA granted players an extra year due to the Covid-shortened 2020 season, it set the Tar Heels up for a deep, talented squad in 2022. Players like Jamie Ortega, Ally Mastroianni and goalkeeper Taylor Moreno, who otherwise would have been out of eligibility in 2021,

were able to come back for another shot at winning the program’s third national championship.

And head coach Jenny Levy had made Chapel Hill one of the premier destinations in the country for graduate transfers, as players eager to combine great academics with a chance to compete for a national title were deeply interested in being a Tar Heel. For 2022, Levy added Andie Aldave from Notre Dame, plus Geiersbach and undergraduate transfer Olivia Dirks.

The veteran core of the team immediately began the task of explaining the season’s goals in very specific terms.

“We have spent so much time with those fifth and sixth years,” Geiersbach says. “They have so many stories about how it felt to come so close in past years. They’ve opened their arms and said, ‘You don’t want to experience this. This is not how you want to go out.’ They told us how much it hurts and how it hits you, and they’ve been nothing but inclusive to the rest of us.”

Mastroianni was one of those veterans. And even as the 2022 season progressed, with the same perfect results as the 2021 regular season — Carolina entered the NCAA Tournament as ACC champions with an 18-0 record — she thought she noticed something different about this year’s team.

“We have so much depth all over the field,” Mastroianni

A blend of talent, experience and leadership helped guide Carolina women’s lacrosse to the program’s first undefeated season

said. “Every person on the team is so talented. But our connection off the field was really important. We missed out on a lot of that last year (because of Covid), so we’ve really been honing in on those relationships. There’s nothing more fun than playing with all your best friends. When times get heated or tough, you know you can look to the person on your left or your right and have full belief and trust in them.”

And times would eventually get heated and tough. The Tar Heels obliterated Virginia, 24-2, in the NCAA Tournament opener. They won a defensive battle with Stony Brook, 8-5, to advance to a national semifinal against Northwestern.

It was the same round where the 2021 season came to an untimely end. And it looked like it might happen again when the Wildcats built a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and eventually led, 14-7, with 10:15 remaining. Being perfect, it appeared, would once again be too difficult a task.

That’s when Geiersbach caught fire. She eventually scored five of Carolina’s final six goals, including four in a row over a stretch of 3:30 to give the Tar Heels the lead. The Tar Heels won, 15-14, and would eventually defeat nemesis Boston College in the national title game.

“It was so inspiring to be part of it,” said Geiersbach. “Each huddle after each goal was so empowering and motivating. Everyone was

just screaming at each other. You look at the pictures, and our faces are so close together, there’s no space between our heads.”

Aldave eventually provided some veteran leadership and told the Tar Heels to calm down, that there was still work remaining. But the ultimate guidance, of course, came from Levy, who won the 2013 NCAA title with an epic triple-overtime win over Maryland and the 2016 championship by beating the Terps again, 13-7.

“We always talk about all of Jenny’s words of wisdom,” Mastroianni said. “She knows how to motivate everyone, and she makes so much effort to create those relationships. She sees the big picture and all the steps it takes to get there.”

“Jenny just gets it,” Geiersbach said. “She has this really calm presence, but with so much passion. She’s really passionate about what she does and really cares about us as human beings. She’s the whole package when it comes to a coach and she’s an extraordinary person. She has so much will and drive that rubs off on us. Anyone should want to play under her.”

Less than two months later, Levy added to her championship credentials, as she served as the head coach of the United States women’s national team that won a world championship with an 11-8 win over Canada. The 18-player squad featured six Tar Heels, more than any other school in the country.

The team’s record was, of course, a perfect 8-0.

COMING

definitive book on the 2021-22 Carolina basketball team provides a behind-the-scenes look at the first year of the Hubert Davis era.

2022

TOGETHER

Pre-order yourcopy todayand save 40%!

The Amazing Story of Carolina Basketball’s 2021-2022 Season Adam Lucas, Steve Kirschner, and Matt Bowers

WHEN HUBERT DAVIS was named head men’s basketball coach at the University of North Carolina in April 2021, history had already been made, as Davis became the program’s first Black head coach. But after two difficult seasons, it was hard to imagine how quickly a new staff, a new playing style, and a new roster blending established players with prominent transfers and talented freshmen would be able to change the story—except within the fabled Smith Center locker room and practice gyms, where photos of the New Orleans Superdome helped players and staff focus on the possible.

In words and photos full of behind-the-scenes moments, this book reveals how belief in the program’s rich traditions and in one another enabled the 2021-2022 Tar Heels to achieve what at times seemed impossible, writing a thrilling new chapter in the story of Carolina basketball. From Davis’s remarkable work to build a new staff and roster to the ups and downs of the conference season to the amazing run through March to the pinnacle of the college game, the story takes fans through one of the most dramatic years in program history.

ADAM LUCAS is a featured columnist at GoHeels.com, the official website of Carolina Athletics, and the author of many books including Carolina Basketball: A Century of Excellence

STEVE KIRSCHNER is senior associate athletic director for communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. MATT BOWERS is associate director of athletic communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

208 PP., 8 X 10, 150 COLOR PLATES 978-1-4696-7276-2 $37.50

for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Athletics

Pre-order your copy today and save 40 percent! Visit www.uncpress.org and use promo code 01DAH40 at checkout. Or scan this QR code – and use the promo code 01DAH40.

EYES

EYES STRAIGHT

AHEAD

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HOBSON

Much has changed in a year. Last summer, Hubert Davis spent his first practices with his brand new team introducing his on- and off-court philosophies. Everything felt new.

This summer, when the Tar Heels gathered as a team for the handful of NCAAallowed summer practices, they did so as a known quantity. Davis won multiple coaching awards in his first season as Carolina’s head coach. The Tar Heels return four of the five starters from a team that was one win away from a national championship.

Until the final month of the campaign, virtually no one noticed how much the Tar Heels improved last season. Even the win at Cameron Indoor Stadium was largely seen as a fluke by outsiders … until Carolina sent home defending national champion Baylor in the NCAA Tournament round of 32.

Those accomplishments mean this year’s Tar Heels will enter the 2022-23 season with lofty outside expectations. On the very first day of summer practice, Davis reminded them that nothing has changed from his first season in terms of his requirements of the team.

“I’m not worried about all that stuff about being the number one team in the country,” he told the Tar Heels. “What I want is that there is nothing soft and nothing passive about anything we do. We’re going to punch first.”

That’s a mindset that was created over the course of Davis’s first season as head coach. Somehow, in the heat of a college basketball season at one of the nation’s most-watched programs, he managed to help the Tar Heels find the balance between competing on every single possession and enjoying every single moment.

It happened in games like the national championship, under the most pressure possible. Needing a stop in the game’s final minutes, the Tar Heels set up in man-to-man defense. And as the Jayhawks brought the ball frontcourt, there was Hubert Davis on the Carolina sideline, clapping his hands, an enormous smile on his face.

In his first season as Carolina’s head coach, Hubert Davis helped establish expectations and values that will set the tone for his tenure

That type of calm under pressure and enjoyment of the moment defined the first season of the Hubert Davis era.

“Basketball is fun for me,” Davis said. “Other than my wife and kids, that’s always been my happy place. It doesn’t matter what the scenario is. I’m not stressed, I’m not worried, I’m not nervous. My experience has been that whether what happens in a basketball game is good or bad, something good is going to come of it. I believe that because that’s what has happened in my life. So I really am having fun on the sideline.”

“When you see your head coach over there clapping and smiling in that type of situation, it makes a difference,” said RJ Davis. “It makes it more fun to play for him. He has that energy like he’s on the court with you, and you feed off that as a player.”

Maintaining the head coach’s approach helped restore Carolina basketball to what Davis always believed was its rightful place among the nation’s elite. The in-season chatter about whether Carolina was a “soft” team wasn’t just disrespectful to the current squad. Under Davis, they realized it was also an unfair commentary on the program’s past.

One national college basketball writer released a video during the nonconference portion of the schedule breaking down the different ways he believed Carolina was a soft team. Players fumed, and relished the opportunity to see that same writer at the Final Four in New Orleans. Armando Bacot even mentioned it from the podium during a New Orleans press conference, pointing out the writer and reminding him of his comments.

“I actually had more I wanted to say to him,” Bacot said later. “Look, we’ve got coaches on our staff who were coached by Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge. When you call us soft, it’s like calling them soft. It’s like calling Michael Jordan soft. We may not be good. We may not be able to shoot. We might play badly in a game. But don’t call North Carolina soft. That’s never a word that should be associated with this program, and I hope we showed that to people this year.”

Prior to this season, no one on the Carolina roster had ever played in a Final Four. Davis helped get them there. He showed them what it took to advance in the NCAA Tournament, how precious the possessions are when you’re trying to move into the next round of the postseason. That will matter this season, when they’ll not only have to play in those big games, but have to do so with much weightier expectations. Experience doesn’t cure everything; just ask the 2022 Baylor and UCLA teams, both of which had plenty of experience but lost to a hotter Carolina squad. But it helps.

“I was standing there with Armando before the national championship game during the national anthem, and I was like, ‘Look around, we’re really here,’” said Leaky Black. “Making it to the Final Four is the Carolina standard. You can’t describe that experience to anyone. You have to walk out on the court and see the 70,000 people for yourself, and look in the stands and see how proud your family is.”

After two years of unusual settings and empty arenas, the 2021-22 season also restored the bond between the program and

EYES STRAIGHT AHEAD

the community. Franklin Street was buzzing on gameday again. Undergraduates packed the student section. Tickets were hot commodities.

“It felt like we revived the campus and the town of Chapel Hill,” Bacot said. “I remember going to Franklin Street that Sunday after the win at Cameron, and it was packed. Everywhere any of the players went, we got recognized everywhere. We had never really experienced this type of love before, we had just heard other players and coaches talk about it. It felt like a turning point in Carolina history.”

Because of the positive experience and the good vibes over the final month of the season, it’s easy to lose perspective and believe that the outcome of the 2021-22 season was simple. Just change an offensive strategy here, smile on the sideline there, and that’s how you make a national championship contender.

It was never that easy. Hubert Davis cried the night of the national championship loss to Kansas and cried again the next morning when he thought about the events of the past 12 months. It wasn’t just the defeat. It was the incredible emotional swings that had accompanied the last 365 days.

Davis had often quoted Proverbs 4:25 to his team, and he’d tried hard to follow it as well: “Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.” Once the season was finally over, it was his first opportunity to actually internalize everything that had happened over the previous year.

Being the head coach means something is always happening, and games are often the last refuge from everything else. It means smiling for a photo every time you go into a restaurant. It means everyone needs just “a couple of minutes,” from first thing in the morning to last thing at night.

Being the head coach means there are no breaks. Even this spring, sitting in his office recounting some of his favorite moments from the just-completed season, Davis was interrupted to get his thoughts on a potential issue with the 2022-23 team. It never stops.

“It’s been really hard,” Davis said. “And it’s been really emotional. You’re disappointed because you lost the national championship game. But look at what they accomplished to get there, and that is complete joy. This was probably the hardest year of my life. It’s exhausting. I don’t know how long it will take to unpack what happened this season.”

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“YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE YOU LOST THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. BUT LOOK AT WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED TO GET THERE, AND THAT IS COMPLETE JOY.”

TAR HEEL FIRSTS

MEMORABLE TAR HEEL FIRSTS FROM ACROSS CAROLINA ATHLETICS

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY JEFFREY CAMARATI, BOB DONNAN & UNC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Erin Matson

Anson

First win as women’s soccer head coach First goal as a Tar Heel

In the first game at the brand new Karen Shelton Stadium, Carolina led Michigan 2-1 on August 25, 2018. That’s when Carolina field hockey fans were treated to what would soon become a very commonplace occurrence: an Erin Matson goal. Matson scored her first goal in her first game as a Tar Heel. “It wasn’t one of my prettier ones,” she said. “It was just a normal tapin on a ball that was trickling. I think I dove for it just to knock it in to tie it up. The goal wasn’t that special, but the game itself was very special because Karen Shelton Stadium was brand new and I was brand new.”

With one year of competition remaining, Matson has gone on to become the ACC’s all-time goals leader. She has won virtually every on- and off-field award in addition to three national championships.

Dorrance

Dorrance remembers: “I was coaching men and women at the time. My wife, M’Liss, was pregnant with Michelle, my oldest daughter. Just before I was to leave with my team to go to Wilmington to play a doubleheader against the UNC Wilmington men’s and women’s teams, M’Liss went into labor. My assistant, Geoff Griffin, went in my place. So I was not actually at the game for my first win as the Carolina women’s soccer head coach.”

Dorrance has since won over 900 games—and 21 NCAA championships—in his career as one of the most decorated head coaches in any sport.

First forward pass

As is well documented in Lee Pace’s book, “The First Pass,” Carolina threw the first forward pass in college football history. It happened on Oct. 26, 1895, when Joel Whitaker was punting from the Tar Heel end zone against Georgia. To avoid the rush, he tossed the ball forward, where George Stephens caught it and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown.

One slight problem: the play was technically illegal. But in a precursor to future ACC officiating, the referee didn’t see the pass, and the play stood. An intrigued observer was legendary coach John Heisman, who was in the crowd and began a decade-long lobbying effort to persuade the NCAA to allow the forward pass. The organization eventually legalized the play in 1906.

MEMORABLE

First bowl game

The first bowl game for Carolina football was a big one: the Tar Heels appeared in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1947. Third-ranked Georgia beat ninth-ranked Carolina, 20-10. The game was one of three major bowls during the Charlie Justice era, as the do-everything back also guided the Heels to one more Sugar Bowl and a Cotton Bowl during his decorated career.

First triple-double

One of the most unusual pieces of Tar Heel basketball trivia is the fact that in the decorated history of Carolina hoops, there have only been two triple-doubles—and they happened within two weeks of each other.

Brendan Haywood did it first, scoring 18 points to go with 14 rebounds and 10 blocks against Miami on Dec. 4, 2000. Two games later, Jason Capel had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Buffalo on Dec. 17. The history of Carolina basketball has seen exactly zero tripledoubles other than the slightly weird month of December 2000. The women’s program is still in search of its first triple-double. The closest recent performance came from Kennedy Todd-Williams, who was just one assist away in her fourth game ever as a Tar Heel. Todd-Williams had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists against South Carolina State in December of 2020.

Camey Timberlake

First female scholarship student-athlete

Charles Scott

First African-American scholarship student-athlete

Scott is one of only six Tar Heels in history to score at least 2,000 career points, and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. He helped the Tar Heels to back-to-back Final Fours in 1968 and 1969 and also won an Olympic gold medal in 1968.

First NCAA Championships

A Lexington, NC, native, Timberlake was also the first female scholarship athlete in the ACC. A decorated tennis player and eventual member of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, she arrived in Chapel Hill having won five state amateur titles in the span of just a few weeks.

Timberlake set the stage for the initial seven women’s sports that joined the Carolina athletic department and eventually made the Tar Heels the dominant force in intercollegiate women’s sports: field hockey, tennis, swimming and diving, fencing, basketball, gymnastics and volleyball.

Carolina has amassed 46 NCAA team championships. The first men’s title came in 1957, when McGuire’s undefeated Tar Heels bested Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain in triple overtime in Kansas City. The first women’s championship — not surprisingly — was won by the women’s soccer program, which won the inaugural NCAA women’s championship in 1982, and has then proceeded to win a staggering 20 more.

First game as head coach

Carolina Basketball was built by a series of head coaches who took the Tar Heels to the pinnacle of the sport. Their first wins at Carolina are as follows:

Frank McGuire: The New York native coached his Tar Heels to a 70-50 win over The Citadel on December 1, 1952. Carolina went 17-10 in McGuire’s first season as he began to import the New York-based talent that would eventually lead to the 1957 national championship.

Dean Smith: Carolina toppled Virginia, 80-46, on December 2, 1961. Smith’s first Carolina team went 8-9 and ended the season with an ACC Tournament loss to South Carolina.

Bill Guthridge: Like his predecessors, Guthridge opened with a home win, this one an 84-56 thrashing of Middle Tennessee State on November 14, 1997. In his first season, which included National Coach of the Year honors, Guthridge directed Carolina to an ACC Tournament championship and a Final Four berth.

Matt Doherty: The fiery Doherty earned his first technical foul and his first victory as head coach in a 66-61 home victory over Winthrop. His inaugural Tar Heel team was ranked as high as No. 1 in the country and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a season in which Doherty earned National Coach of the Year honors.

Roy Williams: The Roy Williams era began with a 90-64 win over Old Dominion on November 22, 2003. In what those close to him called his best coaching job ever, Williams led his first Carolina team to a 19-11 record and a round of 32 NCAA Tournament appearance.

Hubert Davis: In a game he repeatedly said was not about him, the Tar Heels earned Davis’ first win as a head coach with an 83-67 win over Loyola (Md.).

A

Tribute to Great Lessons in Character

Donna Gutterman Honors Dr. Beth Miller & Celebrates Carolina Volleyball

PHOTOS BY JEYHOUN ALLEBAUGH

Donna Lee Gutterman, Carolina’s first scholarship volleyball player, recently made a generous and significant gift to the Carolina Volleyball Operating Endowment Fund – and did so to honor a pioneer of women’s athletics at Carolina, Dr. Beth Miller. Gutterman also wanted to celebrate the Carolina Volleyball program, Coach Joe Sagula, and her former teammates and other alumnae.

“The years I spent playing volleyball at UNC were the most influential of my life, and I am honored to be in the position to help perpetuate it for future generations,” said Gutterman. “My parents taught me how important it is to contribute to causes that are important to me.”

Gutterman’s gift kicked off the FORevHER 50 Years campaign as part of the 50 Years of Carolina Women’s Athletics effort to highlight the champions, legends and leaders who have propelled Carolina’s rich history of success in women’s athletics since the passage of Title IX legislation. The campaign will help raise funds to ensure continued excellence throughout Carolina’s 15 varsity women’s programs — on the playing field, in the classroom and through lifelong lessons.

It adds to an impressive level of support for the FORevHER Tar Heels

initiative led by The Rams Club and Carolina Athletics to champion the women of Carolina Athletics’ past, present and future by supporting scholarships, facilities and mentorship and leadership development opportunities for future generations of women student-athletes. The campaign demonstrates Carolina’s belief in the power of sport to lift women, influence communities and connect people.

“Donna’s generous gift is a testament to the impact women’s athletics has had at Carolina,” said Bubba Cunningham, Carolina’s director of athletics. “Carolina established seven women’s varsity programs in 197172, before the passage of Title IX, and continues to build on its legacy of providing opportunities for champions, legends and leaders to thrive and grow. We appreciate Donna’s commitment to the power of sports for young women and for the chance to honor a pioneer like Beth Miller and our volleyball program.”

Gutterma is honoring Dr. Beth Miller, who retired in 2015 as senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator after a 40year career with Carolina Athletics. Miller was assistant coach of women’s volleyball during Gutterman’s freshman year. When Gutterman was a sophomore, Miller took over as head coach. Miller continued to take on many roles at UNC, serving as softball coach and business manager.

“[Miller] modeled for us what character looks like and guided us to establish our individual character,” Gutterman said. “She taught us to be prepared, to understand the rules of not only the game, but whatever we chose to do in life, and she taught us teamwork. These have been

CAROLINA FIRSTS

the greatest lessons of my life.”

Gutterman also praised Miller for taking a group of strangers from all over the country and forming them into a team. Those teammates formed lifelong friendships with Gutterman, now retired from a 40-year career as a pharmaceutical executive. “I am grateful to count Mary Alice (Abdalla) Steinhardt and Jane (Foley) Bell as close friends, despite the many miles and years that separate us,” Gutterman said. “When we do meet, it is easy to transform right back to being teammates.”

“I am extremely touched by Donna’s generosity,” said Miller. “I am especially appreciative that she has chosen to support the volleyball program that we both love, as well as all of the women student-athletes at Carolina. Donna is an incredible person and a dear friend of mine. She is a wonderful example of the strong women we want our studentathletes to aspire to be.”

Gutterman has been a fan of Carolina Volleyball since the moment she graduated. She has high praise for Head Coach Joe Sagula. “He’s not just about the athlete,” Gutterman said. “I see Coach Sagula and his staff and the things they’re doing in support of women’s volleyball, and I see that same sort of fundamental teaching of young women how to be better adults. I can’t help but want to perpetuate that.”

Gutterman said she has full confidence in Sagula and his staff and

wanted to give them the freedom to decide how to allocate money from her gift, which is why the funds are unrestricted. Sport operating endowments allow a coach to use the yield from the endowment to meet the most current needs of his or her program. “I have great respect for Coach Sagula as a leader,” she said. “I think the best thing I can do is put the money in his hands, to spend the money as he sees fit, to grow his program,” she said.

Gutterman also serves as a mentor to two student-athletes, passing on the lessons Dr. Miller taught to Natalie Chandler ’21 (women’s soccer) and Katherine Ward ’24 (swimming and diving). To date, two students have been awarded Gutterman Scholarships: Nia Parker-Robinson (2021-22) and Mayle Mitrovich (2020-21).

Gutterman’s generosity to her alma mater through the years reflects her appreciation for the academic and athletic opportunities afforded to her at Carolina. “I’m the one that got the greatest gift in all of this,” she said.

Gutterman said she feels fortunate to be able to give back in this way, but also knows other donors who give smaller amounts consistently over several years to equal effect for the recipient and satisfaction for the donors. “Over time, these gifts add up,” she said. “The gifts along the way matter just as much. You can make a difference either way.”

LAUNCHED IN 2019, THE FOREVHER TAR HEELS INITIATIVE SECURES THE FUTURE OF CAROLINA WOMEN’S ATHLETICS THROUGH PHILANTHROPY FOR HER . FOREVHER TAR HEELS IS BUILDING A COMMUNITY TO CHAMPION CAROLINA’S WOMEN STUDENT-ATHLETES THROUGH FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF 15 TEAMS, INCLUDING SCHOLARSHIPS, FACILITIES AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS.

THE

BUSINESS OF EXCELLENCE

Sebastian Cheeks’ talents on and off the football field made him the first to receive a prestigious academic honor

BY LEE PACE PHOTOS BY UNC ATHLETICS/HEATH KLEINDIENST

THE BUSINESS OF EXCELLENCE

Sebastian Cheeks’ transcript and curriculum vitae were impressive as they began making their rounds through various admissions offices at Carolina in the spring of 2021: Straight-As in advanced prep classes at a well-respected Chicago high school; community service endeavors ranging from volunteering at shelters for the abused to serving holiday meals to military veterans; High Honor Roll and Academic All-American laurels at Evanston Township High.

Not only that, Cheeks stands 6-foot-3, weighs 230 pounds, sprints 40 yards in 4.5 seconds and loves to play football.

So when he signed on the dotted line to play football for the Tar Heels in December 2021, Coach Mack Brown and linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen rejoiced.

“He’s big, long, athletic and fast,” Thigpen says. “He’s the entire package. He’s what the NFL is looking for. He’s highly intelligent and his care factor is through the roof.”

“We’ve been a little undersized at linebacker, and Sebastian helps solve that,” Brown adds. “He’s powerful, he’s quick. He was also a track star. He could have gone anywhere in the country, but he fell in love with Chapel Hill.”

And officials at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School were delighted to welcome Cheeks into the fold.

“I have never been more impressed with a 17-year-old in my life,” says Jackie Fritsch, Associate Director of Admissions and Recruitment for KenanFlagler Business School. “He looks you in the eye. He’s very charismatic. He’s a very strong student, and academics were going to be a big driver of wherever he decided to go to school.”

Of the 58,000 high school students who applied to Carolina for the incoming class of 2022, Cheeks was one of around 100 students selected for “assured admission” to Kenan-Flagler. Students granted assured admission will fulfill two, first-year seminar type business courses and have access to unique study abroad opportunities through Kenan-Flagler. Students must still complete the business prerequisites, maintain a 3.25 GPA and submit a condensed version of the application after their first year in order to begin the business curriculum starting spring of sophomore year.

“He is going to make this amazing place that much better,” Fritsch says.

Cheeks chose the Tar Heels over more than two dozen Power Five schools that included nearly all the Big Ten schools as well as Notre Dame, Stanford and California. Insiders at Texas at one point thought the Longhorns had the edge.

He entered Carolina in January 2022, played spring football and completed his first semester of college. His opting for the Tar Heels helped give Brown a juggernaut haul on the defensive side of the ball as he joins other highly sought-after players like five-star tackle Travis Shaw and fourstar prospects Malaki Hamrick, Beau Atkinson and Tayon Holloway.

And so impressive were his non-athletic achievements that he’s the only incoming football player to have ever been offered “assured admit” to Kenan-Flagler.

“Football is just the gravy, it’s a platform that will serve him and Carolina very well for many years,” Fritsch says. “But remove football from the equation, and Sebastian is still the type of student we want at the Business

CAROLINA FIRSTS

School. He’s in a very select group.”

The Tar Heels were thick into the pursuit of Salisbury linebacker Jalon Walker in the spring of 2021 when he announced his decision to attend the University of Georgia. Thigpen immediately scoured the country for the top linebackers and found that Cheeks was one of the best not already committed. Thigpen reached out on Twitter and the dominoes fell from there.

“I had a fair amount of choices, highly academic choices like Stanford, like Berkeley,” Cheeks says. “What stood out for Carolina was balance of the academics and football and the relationships I built on campus. The pre-admit to the Business School was important. Hearing of the avenues taken by people who are B-school alums and their success make an impact.”

Sebastian’s father Darryl was an important part of Carolina’s courting of the Cheek family, which includes wife Rebecca and Sebastian’s two older brothers and younger sister.

Darryl wrestled at the University of Illinois and received his business degree there in 1990. Over three decades, he carved a multi-faceted career, working as a CPA with Arthur Anderson, a finance executive with Abbott Labs and branching off into entrepreneurial pursuits that included being a partner in a Chicago barbecue restaurant. In 2006, he opened Black Rhino Financial Group, a consulting firm that worked primarily with small businesses and handled backroom work such as accounting, taxation and finance. Cheeks also was an ordained minister and founded Dayenu Ministries, a service group that

addressed the needs of hospitalized children, domestically abused women and children, the homeless, veterans and other groups.

The die was cast that Sebastian would develop an interest in business.

“My dad was a very driven man,” he says. “He was a CPA, owned multiple businesses and was a minister. He always had an entrepreneurial mindset that he could go out and change things. The groundwork he laid through his faith was inspiring to watch.”

“His father ‘got it’ that Kenan-Flagler Business School is the real deal,” Thigpen says. “He’s a high-character and super talented kid. His father was on board, and Sebastian loves and respects his father. It all fits.”

Darryl was diagnosed about eight years ago with a rare autoimmune condition. Just as Sebastian was being recruited and then signed with the Tar Heels in December 2021, Darryl’s condition worsened. Sebastian was in San Antonio in early January for the All-American Bowl and had to leave late in the week to return to Chicago to be with his family. Just as Darryl was spiraling toward his death on Jan. 8, Sebastian was being heralded on NBC Sports for winning the all-star game’s Man of the Year Award, predicated on excellence in community service and athletic distinction.

“Now I have to live the rest of my life through my dad,” Sebastian says. “I’m just a reflection of Darryl Cheeks. Everything I know, I know because of him. He’s put me in position to be my own man. Now it’s up to me to live up to his standards of faith and hard work.”

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“EVERYTHING I KNOW, I KNOW BECAUSE OF (MY DAD). HE’S PUT ME IN POSITION TO BE MY OWN MAN. NOW IT’S UP TO ME TO LIVE UP TO HIS STANDARDS OF FAITH AND HARD WORK.”

2022-23 SEASON TICKETS

Carolina

THE SEASON TICKET RENEWAL DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7.

2021-22 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS:

NOT A SEASON TICKET HOLDER BUT WANT TO BE PART OF THE ACTION?

Rams Club members like to wear their Carolina Blue, and they’ll wear it all over the US and the world. If you have a photo of you in your Carolina gear in front of notable landmarks in the US and abroad, send them our way to be a part of Carolina EveryWear!

To have your photo included: -Send your photo digitally to bornandbred@ramsclub.com.

-Identify everyone in your photo and the location of the photo.

Here are the “Rules”: -At least one person in the photo has to be a Rams Club member -You must be wearing Carolina gear You must be in front of a notable landmark (sorry, as cool as Kenan Stadium and the Smith Center are, they don’t qualify).

SHOW US YOUR COLORS!

1) Tommy, Ellen and Emily Pittman of Cary, NC, in Sedona, AZ; 2) Fred Womble, Martha Ann Moser McDonald & Mark Sink of Elizabeth City, NC, at the Caves at Qumran in the West Bank, Israel; 3) Patricia & Rick Adams of Rocky Mount, NC, sailing in the Sea of Galilee; 4) Laura Doerre of Spring, TX, after her half marathon in Antarctica 5) Caroline & Addison Pulliam of King, NC, (signaling the UNC logo) in San Francisco; 6) Chancy & Keith Kapp of Raleigh at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor, Egypt; 7) Zach & Allyson Pierce Lawless with Maya & Devin of Pittsboro, NC, at Arches National Park in Utah.; 8) Paul & Verna Zwilling and Georjeanne & Dave Kelly of Durham overlooking the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary; 9) Phil Wells of Wilmington, NC, in Las Vegas with Caleb Love; 10) Matt, Bunny, Hayden, Adair, James, Morgan & Jim Wells of Richmond, VA, at Atlantis, Bahamas; 11) Sharon & Michael Leinwand with Adam & Ethan of Leland, NC, at Diamond Beach on the South Coast of Iceland; 12) Charlie & Kimberly Hayes of Hickory, NC, at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado; 13) Rose Ann Mclelland of Raleigh at Mont St. Michele on the coast of France; 14) Christy & Chris Holland of Clayton, NC, at the Disney Marathon in Florida; 15) Keith, Julia, Adam, Eric, Kelli, Hailey, Adam, Traci, Morgan & Micah McCombs of Fuquay-Varina, NC, at Rulantica Water Park in Rust, Germany; 16) Maureen & Michael Boner of Durham, NC, at Volcano National Park on the island of Hawaii

AN EXPERIENCE

UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Austin Greaser played his first Masters this year, and wants to make sure it’s not a singular occurrence

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES, LOGAN WHITTON AND AUGUSTA NATIONAL

AN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Austin Greaser made sure that his first experience at the Masters followed his typical routine — until he joined up with his playing threesome.

With early tee times on Wednesday and Thursday for the world’s most prestigious golf tournament, Greaser set his alarm clock for 4:50 a.m., just as he had done hundreds of times before for an early round. He went through the same warmup routine on the practice range, just as he had done hundreds of times before.

And then he walked to the first tee, where he was joined by his playing partners—2003 Masters champion Mike Weir and three-time major champion Padraig Harrington. It was a decidedly different group than a laid back Saturday morning at UNC Finley.

“The early start was great because I didn’t have to sit around all day and think about the first tee shot or the atmosphere,” Greaser said. “I was able to go through my routine, because I wanted to stick to what I knew. And Padraig Harrington and Mike Weir were great, because they talked to me and took me under their wing.”

Both of the veterans were well aware that Greaser was playing his first Masters, an invitation he earned because of his runnerup finish at the 2021 U.S. Amateur. That put him in the field for every golfer’s dream tournament.

But he wasn’t just a spectator. The Ohio native didn’t want to just sample the pimento cheese sandwiches and listen to the (perhaps slightly enhanced) sound of the birds chirping. He went to Augusta National intent on competing for a title.

He had excellent timing. Monday’s practice round happened to be the same day that the Carolina basketball team was just

36 hours removed from the epic win over Duke; the Tar Heels would play for the national championship later that day.

That made Greaser a very popular follow around the course.

“It was such a special way to represent the University of North Carolina,” he said. “There had to have been a couple thousand people who screamed, ‘Go Heels!’ at us. At the practice round, after the second or third hole I looked at Coach DiBitetto and told him he was going to have to take those, because already at that point I had probably said it 150 times.”

Greaser heard plenty of cheering around holes eight and nine, where he collected four of his five combined birdies over his two rounds of play. The rest of the rounds were largely a learning experience; at +7 for the two days, Greaser narrowly missed the cut while finishing ahead of bigger names like Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose.

Although it was his first Masters, Greaser still experienced a bit of golf déjà vu.

“It’s almost like a video game,” he said. “You watch the Masters so often, you know the course before you ever set foot in it. Once you get there, you see the slope and the pin locations. It’s hard to believe you’re walking where all the greats of golf have walked.”

That walking was a reminder that Augusta National is slightly different in person than it looks on television. TV viewers see the course one shot from one hole at a time. In person, though, Greaser found one unexpected difference.

“The tallest point on the golf course to the lowest point is about 200 feet,” he said. “That’s about a 20-story building, and you’re not just walking up it once. It’s definitely a tough course to

“

“IT WAS SUCH A SPECIAL WAY TO REPRESENT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA. THERE HAD TO HAVE BEEN A COUPLE THOUSAND PEOPLE WHO SCREAMED, ‘GO HEELS!’ AT US.”

CAROLINA FIRSTS

walk, and the slopes are bigger in person. That made it that much more special and that much more real life.”

But the week in Georgia wasn’t just about being awestruck at the new surroundings and new competition. Spending a week surrounded by the best 100 golfers in the world was also a reminder that even the most highly paid professionals make bad shots. Even the best in the world hit it in the water.

It’s true that Greaser didn’t make the cut. But he also picked up some knowledge that he hopes will help him be a contender eventually; and that will also prove valuable as he prepares for his senior year at Carolina, where DiBitetto has guided the men’s golf program into the top ten nationally. After capturing the Yale Regional this spring, Greaser is already the first Tar Heel ever to win an NCAA regional. He’s working on improving some areas of the game that he observed in Augusta can make the difference in a good player and a great player.

“From a fundamental golf standpoint, their short games are very

good,” he said. “They know how to golf their ball around the greens. People might be surprised that they miss as much as the top collegiate players, but they know how to recover and get their ball where they want it to go, especially around the greens. I’m learning that and I’m trying to get sharper there, and that comes with reps.”

Those reps will come for the Tar Heels during the 2022-23 school year, as Carolina tries to take the next step as a program and win a national championship. Greaser wants the experience he gained in Augusta to have long-term benefits, and he isn’t content to have just been a participant at the Masters on one occasion.

“In my head, I was supposed to be playing over the weekend,” Greaser said. “That stings a little. But there’s so much positive and so many great things came from the week. I don’t feel like it will be my last time there. And when that happens, I can come back to my first week there and say these are the things I did well and these are the things I need to work on. That stuff will help me get to the next level.”

“

I DON’T FEEL LIKE IT WILL BE MY LAST TIME THERE. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, I CAN COME BACK TO MY FIRST WEEK THERE AND SAY THESE ARE THE THINGS I DID WELL AND THESE ARE THE THINGS I NEED TO WORK ON. THAT STUFF WILL HELP ME GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL.”

‘A season of firsts’

TThis past season saw plenty of firsts for me.

It was my first time playing basketball away from home. My first time ever stepping inside the Smith Center was the day I moved into my apartment in Chapel Hill. And, of course, it was my first time being a Tar Heel.

I came to Carolina wanting to find out what it was like to advance past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in my career. I did that — and much more, as we were able to go on my first trip to the Final Four and national championship game.

“The support I received during my first—and only—year at Carolina is something I will never forget. You adopted an Oklahoma boy and made him part of your family, and of the Carolina Family.”

I couldn’t have picked a better year to be a Tar Heel. The first time I noticed how different it was to play basketball at Carolina was this past fall at football games. I noticed immediately that people cheered for all the players when they were just walking around the stadium. Even me — and I hadn’t even done anything yet!

But that’s the kind of support you get at Carolina. The people here don’t realize what a big difference that makes, because it’s “normal” here. It’s not normal everywhere else. All season, the fans kept believing in us and kept showing up. Even when we were playing a December home game and had just lost two games, there were still almost 20,000 people at the game. That doesn’t happen anywhere else. When we needed our fans, you were there for us.

That kind of support definitely has a tangible impact on the way we play. We played some road games this year that didn’t have a great environment. Then we came home, and there was that buzz in the Smith Center, and it made us remember, “Oh, this game is fun.”

Fans don’t realize it, but when you show up and there’s that energy in the building, it changes the way we play. That energy is something we can feel on the court.

I took a chance coming here. I hadn’t experienced Carolina Basketball in person. I didn’t know what Chapel Hill would be like. When I committed, I had no clue we were going to have the experiences we had this season. I was just hoping that it might be an enjoyable year. I got so much more than that.

“The support I received during my first — and only — year at Carolina is something I will never forget. You adopted an Oklahoma boy and made him part of your family, and of the Carolina Family. When I look back on this year, I’m not going to remember the times we struggled or the practices when I couldn’t make a shot. I’m going to remember the way we kept winning games, and the fans who cheered for us and waited for us back at the Smith Center and packed the team hotel in New Orleans.

It was my first time experiencing anything like that kind of support, and the first time I truly understood what it means to be a Tar Heel.

But it won’t be the last.

Illustration by Jason McCorkle

Men’s Basketball

BRADY MANEK

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