The Last Dance

I still think about that season.

Two instances always come to mind when I try to sum up what happened that fateful year.

Anthony Davis’ block on John Henson at Rupp Arena, and Kendall Marshall’s injury that pretty much sealed the fate of the Tar Heels in the tourney.

Like slo-mo vision installed in my memory, I can never shake the image of John Henson trying to hit a last minute shot over the gargantuan length of Anthony Davis. It always ends the same, no matter how many times I recall the sequence. Davis blocks the shot, Kentucky players erupt in joy. We could have won that game, but alas, no matter how hard I wish the outcome were different, the past remains the same.

I fumed for weeks over the loss and patiently waited for the eventual rematch in the tourney.

Marshall’s injury against Creighton derailed any chances of UNC facing Kentucky, the team that would eventually win the title that year. Pundits and fans who followed the sport, still acknowledge today, that the best two teams in the country that year, happened to be Kentucky and North Carolina. The rematch that we all pined for never happened, and I still curse at the basketball gods for the injury that destroyed our season. It was and will remain the season that wasn’t.

Being a North Carolina fan these past few years has been tough to say the least. Not just because of those two incidents, but a culmination of several events that feels like whatever luck the program tapped into for all its success in the ‘Roy Williams’ era was used up.

First came the allegations of cheating. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the decades long cheating scandal the University of North Carolina has been involved in, ironically brought to the forefront by former North Carolina player, ‘Rashard Mccants.’

The crux of the matter boils down to the university setting up ‘faux’ classes for athletes giving them grades that allowed them to stay eligible to play. Think about that for a second. An academic institution, whose number one goal is to ensure that students are educated, was involved in a scheme whereby a certain batch of ‘students’ got propped up grades just so they can keep competing in sports.

It reeks of corruption and makes me sick to my stomach at how much the sport and the process of education has been cheapened. As we all await the outcome of the NCAA’s investigations, and what some are calling the death knell that might put the university out of contention for a long time to come. I cannot help but think that, this was all avoidable, and the university should have known better than to involve itself in such unscrupulous activities.

But I digress …

From the allegations of cheating to PJ Hairston never getting cleared by the NCAA before leaving for the NBA. A program that is often considered as one of the gems of the college basketball scene, has cast an ominous shadow on the game for the past few years.

Fast forward to present day (April 2016) and the Tar Heels are finally back in the finals. This current team is not as talented as the 2005 and 2009 versions that won the title. Neither is it as talented as the 2012 team that was derailed by Marshall’s injuries. Yet here they are, back in the spotlight, the heavy favorites to win the championship again. This squad unlike its predecessors is not loaded with future NBA players. It doesn’t have the Mcdonald’s all star talent either, yet one thing it has going for it, is the determination and the experience that only comes about with facing adversity and overcoming it.

They have walloped every opponent on their quest for the title and come Monday, will go in as favorites to win it all. They face a well-tested Villanova squad that have proven they have the mettle to be crowned champions. This current Tarheel side has all the makings of a Roy Williams championship squad, but this is a team that has dealt with more adversity than any of his teams. It is only befitting that they are in a position to end it on a right note, though their opponent will do its very best to make sure that doesn’t happen.

North Carolina cannot afford to slip up in a game of this magnitude. They will need to bring their A game, and maybe more, as the Wildcats from Villanova are hungry for a win.

I want to be excited about this year’s team, and truthfully I am. I love the players, and I love how they’ve battled all season. This is a group of athletes that have been through a lot including having to deal with the scandal and allegations that have gripped the school for the past few years. Two players in particular have grown in their four years at the school and I am not just talking about physically.

Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson have matured a lot both on and off the court. Their senior speeches can be found online, and I would suggest you check it out. When I hear all the nasty stuff levied against the team, listening to both those young players talk about the school, their team and their coach gives me hope.

I know that sentiment does not scale. It probably will be viewed with snark by those who have it in their mind that the program is full of unwavering cheats, though I feel it should be pointed out that, Paige, Johnson and everyone else on this current North Carolina squad, came on board in 2012, AFTER the allegations had been levied against the school.

It’s unfair that they pay for the sins they weren’t responsible for, yet it’s inevitable that pay they will. Regardless of what happens in the title game, if the North Carolina Tar Heels emerge as champions, the victory will only be fleeting.

I have told myself that I will try to play it cool, knowing, the inevitability of the sanctions coming from the NCAA will probably have them vacating this win amongst many others. Yet, as with every game this team plays, I am emotionally invested. It’s almost impossible to play it cool with this squad. I’ll be locked in, yelling and screaming, and when that final whistle goes, I’ll be proud of this team. Its been one heck of a season, and if we are lucky, probably one that ends in victory.