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Our region merits share of UNC glory
Winning national college basketball championships is nothing new to teams from North Carolina.
The University of North Carolina (four), Duke (three) and N.C. State (two) have combined to capture nine NCAA titles over the years. Each of those has been special in its own way, but UNC’s victory over Illinois this past Monday is even more meaningful to those of us in Western North Carolina.
For the first time, one of our own is the coach of the national champions, and another WNC product is a star player.
Coach Roy Williams is a native of Spruce Pine who grew up in Asheville. After graduating from Roberson High School, Williams attended UNC at the urging of his high school coach, Buddy Baldwin.
Following graduation from Carolina, Williams returned to Buncombe County as coach at Owen High School. In the mid 1970s, Williams brought his Warhorses to Jackson County to play Sylva-Webster High’s Golden Eagles.
After 10 years as an assistant at UNC, Williams developed into one of the game’s great coaches during 15 years as the head man at Kansas. In just his second season at his alma mater, Williams has resurrected what was the game’s most consistently successful program and has the Tar Heels back on top of the college basketball world.
WNC’s influence on this UNC team was felt on the court as well as on the sideline. Rashad McCants is also from Asheville and played two years at Erwin High School before transferring to a prep school in New Hampshire. Just a few years ago, McCants’ Erwin team twice played here in the Smoky Mountain High gym. That’s the same building Williams coached in when the school was known as Sylva-Webster, prior to its 1988 consolidation with Cullowhee.
There’s yet another local connection of sorts to these Tar Heels. In July 2003, Marvin Williams, then a rising senior at a high school in the state of Washington, announced he would play basketball for Carolina. At the same time he was making his announcement across the country, members of Smoky Mountain’s women’s basketball team were on the court at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill attending UNC’s basketball camp. Marvin Williams is now a freshman star for the Tar Heels and scored what proved to be the winning basket Monday.
The next time you drive by Smoky Mountain High, take a look at the gym and remember Williams and McCants once showcased their talent there. The sky just might seem a little more Carolina Blue.
Congratulations Roy and Rashad, you’ve made all Western North Carolinians proud.
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