Aug. 8, 2003

By Adam Lucas

There are just a few Tar Heels in the recent Carolina basketball pantheon who can be identified with just one name. Rasheed, definitely. Antawn, no doubt.

And then there's Dante.

It only takes one name to identify Dante Calabria, the sweet-shooting guard who graduated in 1996 after being a part of two Final Fours and one national championship. Calabria was back in Chapel Hill earlier this summer, taking part in many of the nightly pickup games while still shod in his trademark low-top sneakers.

Those shoes, which always perplexed onlookers who expected him to roll an ankle at any moment, are a precaution against a tender ankle that still occasionally poses problems for him. His 2002 season with Pamesa Valencia in Spain was cut short that January when he returned to the United States for an ankle surgery.

This year's season, when he joined Italy's Benetton Treviso, was also cut short, but not due to injury. Calabria's wife, Megan, gave birth to their second daughter, Giovanna, this spring, and he returned home for the birth.

Because of her pregnancy, this was the first year that Megan and the couple's first daughter, Francesca, spent the season Stateside while Dante toiled abroad. It resulted in a lofty phone bill, but Calabria continues to enjoy playing basketball overseas, where his career has taken him to teams in Italy, Spain, France, and Greece.

"The adjustment you have to make over there your first year is pretty big," he said. "After that, if you can get over the hump and begin to learn the culture, you're in good shape."

That makes Calabria an especially good fit in Italy, where his surname alone endears him to the hometown fans. The Pennsylvania native obtained Italian citizenship in 2000, which enables him to circumvent the Italian rule that allows only two Americans on each squad. He played for the Italian national team in 2001, and was going to play for them again this summer until he decided that as he approaches 30 years of age--he'll hit the milestone on November 8--his body needs more rest.

He's not yet certain whether he will return to Italy, although he enjoyed his experience with Benetton Treviso, a team that also included former Duke standout Trajan Langdon.

"It's a wonderful atmosphere," Calabria said. "They beat their drums all game and scream and holler, so it's really fun. I speak the language pretty well, because living there you pick up a lot more. You're out there playing for the town, and the people really embrace the players. Especially in Italy, if you're a good guy and you try to speak the language, people really take to you."

It's not just Italians who took to Calabria. Folks in Chapel Hill latched on to him quickly, making him appreciate living in the south so much that he now lives in Wrightsville Beach when he's not playing overseas.

"My freshman year, I said I couldn't wait until the year was over so I could go home," he said. "Now, this is home."

Of course, any trip back to Chapel Hill isn't complete without some reminiscing about his finest Carolina moments. A reserve on the national championship team of 1993, he considers that team one of the finest in Tar Heel history. That's not the only memory he cherishes from his time as a Heel.

"Being able to go 7-1 against Duke in my career was great," he said. "Only losing five games in the Smith Center was big, and playing in the Final Four in 1995. It was fun beating Kentucky in the final eight that year. We came in there with a six- or seven-man rotation, and they had 12 guys and thought they were going to wear us down. We showed a lot of heart and wound up beating them pretty badly."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.