April 11, 2006

By Adam Lucas

This year's Carolina basketball banquet was different.

Not because there was no food--a very positive change made by Roy Williams last year that trims about an hour off the evening--making it one of the rare banquets you'll ever find without a piece of baked chicken.

But because there was no tension.

Officially, the banquet marks the end of another basketball season. Unofficially, the team banquet usually marks the start of NBA speculation season. Who is going? Who is leaving? When will they announce? Did you hear he was talking to an agent? I heard that guy has a new car.

Last year the team held the banquet on April 13...the same day Rashad McCants officially announced he was leaving for the pros. Nine days later, three of his teammates followed him out the door. Kind of takes the shine off an ostensibly happy day, you know?

There will be none of that this year. Tyler Hansbrough made sure of it when he announced two weeks ago that he'd be back for his sophomore season. "I don't want Carolina fans to even think I thought about leaving," Hansbrough told Williams when given the option of delaying his announcement to return.

A banquet without NBA worries? It sounds like--well, it sounds like a lot of fun.

And it was. Gauging the mood about 6:59 p.m., one minute before the 2005-06 Tar Heels took the stage at the Smith Center, there was still some lingering disappointment about a premature second-round exit at the hands of George Mason (George Mason!) in the NCAA Tournament.

But as Woody Durham said when he opened the program, "We are gathered not to wallow in disappointment of a season ended short of expectations."

He was right. There wasn't any wallowing. Instead, there was two hours of remembering how much fun this team was to watch. They were all wearing suits instead of Julian argyles and Jordan Brand basketball shoes, but they still had the same chemistry. The first time Roy Williams was introduced, everyone in the crowd rose to give him a standing ovation.

His team stayed seated.

And when the coach took the microphone, he said, "You know, last year when I was introduced I got a nice ovation...and my players stood up."

He smiled. "Some of you guys, you seniors, I understand why you don't have to stand up. But the rest of you guys...you're in big trouble."

That was the kind of wry humor that ruled the night. It was why when Jerod Haase introduced the Martha Jordan Award by saying, "This goes to the team's best free throw shooter," David Noel could nudge Byron Sanders as if he expected Sanders's name to be called.

That's Byron Sanders, he of the 36.4% free throw accuracy mark. Both players snickered. Still teammates, even almost a month after they played their last game together.

They'll still be teammates in a way, of course. During his senior speech, Noel made a point of thanking, "The tradition of Carolina basketball." He and Sanders, along with fellow seniors Thomas Wilkins and Will Robinson, are part of that now. They're officially alums, officially the "old guys." In fact, Noel spent the afternoon bridging the gap, working out with fellow "old guy" Jackie Manuel and rising senior Wes Miller. Next year, it will be Miller at the podium trying to remember everyone he has to thank. This year, that night seems a long way away for him. It will come sooner than he thinks, and one year from now in this same space you'll read how it doesn't seem possible that Miller and Reyshawn Terry can really be seniors.

The night also included a 25-minute video that included, as its grand finale, a music video set to "Hundred Years" by Five for Fighting. The video, pieced together over the course of the entire season by Ken Cleary and Jones Angell, received a standing ovation from the crowd. You really got the feeling when the highlights of the Duke game in Cameron Indoor Stadium began with the notation, "Carolina vs. Duke; March 4, 2006; Durham, NC," that the crowd would've watched every play of every second of that game if only the video would show it. Big shots drew cheers; tough moments earned sighs.

When it was over, David Noel and Tyler Hansbrough fielded questions outside the media room. Usually, players answering questions after the banquet turns into an NBA quiz session. This time, there was no hurry to hear what they had to say. There were friends to be greeted, hands to shake, other players to congratulate.

The night had turned into exactly what it was supposed to be--a celebration of a team.

With no worries needed.

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.