CHAPEL HILL – Sometimes, words aren’t necessary.

A look in one’s eyes, a facial expression, or an outpouring of emotion can more than adequately communicate love and respect at just the right time.

For Garrison Brooks and Roy Williams, that moment was Saturday night. And no words were needed.

Not long after North Carolina dispatched Duke, 91-73, on Senior Night at the Smith Center, the video board showed interviews with the four Tar Heels who had just played their final home game. These nights are always emotional for the players and their Hall of Fame coach, who has never shied away from expressing his feelings about kids who give him four years of their lives.

Brooks, who came to UNC from Lafayette, AL – pronounced Luh-FET – has started 105 times for Williams and grown from a quiet freshman to team spokesman and a leader who endured a winter of criticism but battled through it playing some of his best basketball of late.

The relationship, however, is about much more than what Brooks has done on the court, it is more about what goes on off the court. So, when Brooks and Williams met near bench as Brooks exited for the final time, it was more about tears, hugs, and the continued bonding of their connection.

“Just embracing each other,” Brooks said, some 25 minutes later and after his tears had dried and the red in his eyes returned to normal. “We’re both so happy we came out and played the way we did and we ended up with a victory. We didn’t need to speak, it’s just a terrific feeling for us.”

The mushy stuff actually started before the game got underway.

The seniors were introduced and awarded framed jerseys adorning their names and numbers, and as each player was introduced, they went through a receiving line of teammates, student managers, and the coaching staff. Williams was the last one to greet them.

He didn’t say anything to Brooks, later admitting he simply couldn't. And that was before the game. Afterward, both were tear-soaked messes.

“He said before the game he knew he was gonna cry and be emotional,” sophomore forward Armando Bacot said about Brooks, always looking for an opportunity to crack a joke. “So, it was definitely just funny to see Garrison, who usually tries to be like a tougher kind of guy, just seeing him emotional and crying was definitely funny and is just something we can always joke with him about.”

Brooks’ tears weren’t relegated to when he hugged his coach. It included when Sterling Manley got into the game for the first time since the Tar Heels were eliminated in the Sweet 16 in 2019. Manley has battled multiple injuries yet remained positive, has worked hard to get back into game shape, and has earned tremendous respect and admiration from his teammates. Brooks, especially.

They arrived in Chapel Hill at the same time, but after Manley’s injury in mid-December in 2018, they set course on different paths. On the court, anyway.

So, when Manley entered the game with 40 seconds left, it was his first live action in 707 days. Twenty-six seconds later, with the Heels in transition, fellow senior Andrew Platek lobbed the ball to Manley who caught it and flushed it home for his first bucket in two years.

Carolina’s bench exploded. Brooks, in particular. And when the game ended, which followed a block by Manley with 3.9 seconds left, Brooks ran to him and gave him multiple hugs. He was also crying then, too.

“It means a lot to me," Brooks said. "You saw the tears coming down my eyes when I saw him score again. A guy like that, he’s been through a lot. It’s indescribable, he’s so persistent and he never quits, he’ll never quit a day in his life. I appreciate him, just coming in everyday and working hard every day to get right to come out there and play. Just be ready when his name is called.

"And I mean, I can't be more grateful to be around him every day. I think it helps everyone a little bit more every day because he works so hard. He drives, keeps our team going in practice and, if you know his story, it means a lot to me personally. But I think, as a team, you understand how hard he's worked.”

Of course, some of the emotion was percolating within Brooks all night. And it just couldn’t be contained.

Hugging Williams, celebrating Manley, and simply watching the final seconds tick off the clock. Brooks’ emotion was a story unto itself.

“You just think back all four years,” Brooks said. “Think back to me coming in here at 17, it’s something I can't really put into words, that’s most of the time why you smile and cry. It looks weird, but it’s just something you cherish. I can't be more grateful for these moments.”

That, Brooks made obvious all night long.