TALLAHASSEE, FL – It looks like the lemon Oreo cookie storyline with North Carolina’s basketball team is here to stay for a while.
Born out of a fun debate between forward Pete Nance and head coach Hubert Davis last week, Davis gave Nance a package of the Northwestern transfer’s favorite cookie before the Tar Heels’ game Saturday versus Virginia.
Nance scored 22 points hitting all four of his 3-pointers. Davis and Nance fueled the narrative after the game, telling how it came about. Clearly, the levity was needed for a team that had been carrying a heavy weight all season.
So naturally, the question begged following Carolina’s 77-66 victory over Florida State on Monday night at Tucker Center: Did the lemon Oroes make the trip?
Of course, they did.
"You won't believe this, you won't believe this one,” Davis said Monday night, wearing as big a smile as he has this season. “I went to Harris Teeter yesterday to go get them some more. So, I left them in the office because he hadn't finished the ones that I gave him.
“We get on a flight, we get here to Tallahassee, we check into our hotel, we get into the lobby. At the front desk, there were 20 to 25 boxes of Lemon Oreo cookies. I still right now have no idea who sent them.”
They were a welcome sight to Nance, but also his teammates, when they checked into Hotel Indigo on Sunday. This whole lemon Oreo thing is starting to take on a life of its own.
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“Yeah,” junior guard Caleb Love said when asked if he was surprised to see the cookies. “I just completely tried to find Pete, and I’m like, ‘This all for you?’”
Nance only took one box, he didn’t want to hog them. But he also wanted his teammates to try the cookie none knew existed until recently. Nance, however, didn’t push anyone into giving them a taste.
“I didn’t even say anything to them, I just let them take them,” he said, smiling. “I didn’t try to persuade anyone to try them. They’re delicious.”
Some of the Heels (19-11, 11-8 ACC) said when leaving the locker room they hadn’t tried them yet. Davis hasn’t either, but promises to, perhaps even Tuesday.
“We don't play again till Saturday, so if I get sick, I'll still be at the game on Saturday,” he said, laughing. “So, it would be great.”
Love tried them, and gave the treats a thumbs up.
“They’re pretty good,” he said.
Love and the Heels will get more chances to either try or acquire a taste for what is rated the No. 29 Oreo cookie flavor after a taste-test survey last year by delish.com, as there’s no doubt Davis will keep going to the store to buy them, and more cases may be sent their way, especially if they keep winning.
And the Heels are fine with that.
“Whatever we’ve got to do to get a win,” he said.
So far so good, as the Heels are 2-0 in the lemon Oreo era.
