My 11-year run as publisher, editor, and lead writer and voice at Tar Heel Illustrated will soon come to an end, and as I look back to close out this chapter of my career, it seems fitting I offer my personal All-UNC basketball team from this period of time.
Since the scholarship limit has been 13 during these 11 years, I will limit this to a 13-man roster.
Keep in mind this was not easy. I have covered so many wonderful players and people. I developed really good journalist-player relationships with so many Tar Heels, some of whom won’t be on this team. I wish I could include them all but can’t.
So here it goes:
Note: The only criteria is whatever I put into it. This is for fun and conversation.
Also Note: I started this position August 1, 2014. I started my career Nov. 6, 1996. But this list only comprises players from my time at THI.
Final note: These are not in any specific order.
Justin Jackson: Jackson’s nickname early on was “Walking Buckets” for a reason. He had a great floater and over time developed much more. ACC POY in the 2017 title season.
Cam Johnson: Cam’s father told me after his first year at UNC he would play in the NBA and his senior season was about winning a national title and getting to the league. He wasn’t on many NBA radars at the time but was that guy his final season and the Heels were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Brice Johnson: I will never forget when Roy yanked Brice from the UCLA game in the CBS Sports Classic in Brooklyn his final season. That was when the Heels wore black uniforms for the first time. Brice cussed his way to the bench and Roy never looked at him but let him sit for a long time. Brice re-entered the game and tore up the Bruins. He spent the rest of that season demolishing everyone.
Joel Berry: Few Carolina players, or athletes for that matter, have come close to maxing out on their potential like Joel did. What a grinder. What a supremely tough dude. What a gamer. And what a winner.
Armando Bacot: Armando’s No. 5 jersey will eventually hang in the rafters at the Smith Center. The criteria will rightly be changed to include him as it should. It’s kind of funny how many way-too-emotional UNC fans couldn’t wait for him to leave during his final season and quickly wished he was back last season. There’s no shortage of nice things I can say about Armando.
RJ Davis: An ACC Player of the Year will get him on any such list, what he did during the run in 2022 only backs that up. RJ won’t ever be as appreciated as he should, like Armando, because they were on some so-so teams. But RJ would have been a very good Tar Heel in any generation and on pretty much any roster.
Luke Maye: Luke’s weekend in Memphis made him a cult hero in Carolina lore, then the next two seasons made him one of the best players in the ACC. He was self-made. Crafty, I guess, though it’s an overdone cliché. More than anything, Luke worked his rearend off and simply wanted to beat everyone in his path.
Kennedy Meeks: Some say Kennedy should have won the MOP at the 2017 Final Four. It would have gotten his jersey in the rafters. His performance in the semifinal win over Oregon was one for the ages and the stat line should be easily recitable by all UNC fans.
Coby White: Coby was the best freshman during this 11-year stretch. I’ll never forget talking with returning players in October of 2018 about Nasir Little. Everyone wanted to know about Nasir, but the Heels kept bringing up Coby White. They knew what he was before the rest of us saw. Stud!
Marcus Paige: “Tough little nut.” That’s what Roy Williams called Marcus perhaps more than any player he coached and for good reason. In a way, there was no reason to expect Marcus to have the kind of career he did. He didn’t have typical specs, but Roy kept saying he was better than people projected and the old coach was right. Battler, competitor, a non-crap-taker, and a shot maker.
Theo Pinson: Best smile of any Tar Heel I have covered and it’s not even close. Witty, smart, tough, confident, terrific team guy, winner, and ball player. Theo eventually proved he could score and was an NBA player. He was the kind of player every team needs. The Swiss Army knife was part of his deal, but levity when needed was, too.
Harrison Ingram: Another great smile. Harrison only played one year but had an outstanding impact. What the team missed the prior season he provided in helping the Heels outright win the ACC regular season and get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Brady Manek: After turning off my recorder following an interview with Manek standing outside UNC’s locker room in New Orleans not long after the Tar Heels ended Coach K’s career, Manek stopped and asked me if I thought they could get to where they were – headed to the national championship game. I said, “No, but I always thought you guys were better than you played.” He said, “I agree” and walked into the locker room. He went to UNC to win and play on the biggest stage and that’s exactly what he did.
