AJ: Scenes From a Despondent Locker Room

LOS ANGELES – Imagine the setting inside North Carolina’s locker room moments after its season came to a surprising and abrupt end Thursday night.

The Tar Heels sitting in front of their lockers, still in uniform, overcome with emotion, personal thoughts, and the sound of sniffles occasionally emanating from one of them.

It was the sound and feel of March, as much as buzzer beaters, Cinderella, and players placing their school’s name on the next round’s bracket.

This is the side of the big dance that becomes the slow crawl for the loser. A slow crawl through the thick brush of sadness, shock, and what could have been. That was UNC’s reality here following an 89-87 loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the West Region.

These Heels shared a big vision, one that lasted well into April. They wanted a rematch with UConn, they wanted redemption from the blown lead in the national title game two years ago and the debacle that was last season.

Armando Bacot was supposed to cut down the nets while winning the MOP of the Final Four, securing his place in Carolina lore without debate. RJ Davis was surely going to continue his blazing trail.

None of that happened, though. The cruel suddenness of a season ending in the NCAA Tournament has no peer in American sports. It’s part of what makes the tournament so wonderful and real. It’s also what makes it so awful.

“Tough,” Bacot said. “I mean, (we’re) just all sick that we lost”

“Heart break. Yeah, heart break,” sophomore Seth Trimble said after wiping his eyes and still fighting back more tears. “It’s the last time for this group playing the game together.”

Paxson Wojcik’s eyes were beet red. Jalen Washington couldn’t pull his hands from his face, slouched over perhaps hoping none of the media would see or speak with him.

Jae’Lyn Withers was nearly at a loss for words. It appeared clear he didn’t want to speak with the media, but did. He sat there taking in each question while offering whatever he could muster.

For example, when the team was sitting around the locker room, as noted at the outset of this piece, it was just them. Their time. No coaches. And essentially no sound. What was that like?

“Hm,” Withers said before pausing for six seconds and moving his right index finger back and forth over his lips.

Trimble laid that out.

“No words,” he said. “No words were really spoken until HD got here.”

Deafening silence.

Withers eventually noted Hubert Davis’ (HD) message, one that was complimentary to the team for getting UNC basketball back to its perch atop the ACC and among the best clubs in the nation.

To many players’ credit, the comforting words from their coach were something they willingly discussed. Tears, cracked voices, and multiple slow pauses, yet they had something to place in their emotional bag before leaving Crypto.com Arena.

But, to understand who they truly are was to stand in that locker room watching their hugs; longer embraces than usual, maybe even some goodbyes, most still wearing the uniforms a, and some striking visuals:

RJ Davis slouched down, seemingly as desponded as he was after losing the national championship game two years ago. And Bacot, sitting with his legs out, leaning back, and answering question after question. For the last time.

That was Carolina’s locker room late Thursday night. It was a scene tailor-made for March.

And this time it was North Carolina’s turn.