July 16, 2008

By Adam Lucas

Wayne Ellington was going about the business of reintroducing himself to the local media on Monday. It was not a particularly pleasant task, although Ellington is always congenial. He always says the right thing, always knows exactly what will sound good, and presents himself very well. In other words, he's got a future in television when he decides to stop nailing three-pointers--which could be decades from now, if indeed television still exists by then.

It was a fairly programmed media session until one particular question caused him to break into a megawatt smile. When doing commercials, Shaquille O'Neal used to explain that he had different varieties of his smile depending on how much his endorser was paying him for that particular appearance. On this grin, Ellington could have launched a Nike contract.

The question: What did the NBA Draft process teach you anything about the perception of Carolina Basketball?

Ellington's answer: "Everywhere you go people say, `Here comes a Carolina guy.' They would always tell us how Carolina is taking over the NBA. It's really cool to be part of that Carolina family when you go into the pro world, because everybody knows you as a Carolina guy."

The first exposure for current players to the Carolina family usually comes in the summer, when numerous former players return to Chapel Hill. Already this summer, five different Tar Heels with nearly a half-century of combined NBA experience--Hubert Davis, Kenny Smith, Sam Perkins, Eric Montross, and Donald Williams--have held basketball camps in the local area.

Even if their camp isn't held at the Smith Center, the alums always find time to stop by the basketball office. They've also been known to join in the pickup games that include the current roster and any talented hoopster who might be in town. Everyone in the Triangle knows where the best games can be found. How else to explain the fact that earlier this summer, Duke alum Chris Duhon--who is well aware of the UNC-Duke rivalry--participated in pickup games in the Smith Center?

This summer's games have included a bevy of pros, including frequent participants Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, and Jerry Stackhouse. On most occasions, those games take place out of the public view. Twice per summer, however, the current Tar Heels take on the former Tar Heels for the enjoyment of Carolina Basketball Camp participants. With an enthusiastic audience and plenty of trash-talking, those games tend to be among the most competitive of the summer. NCAA rules don't permit Roy Williams to watch those games, but highlights of the game tend to spread quickly through the Smith Center.

"In the camp game in the summer of 2004, Antawn Jamison knocked a ball loose on game point and went and dove after it," Williams said. "The old guys won the game, and I got on the current guys about it. That taught our guys a lesson about winning. I'm big on being competitive regardless of what game you're playing. If you're going to play and keep score, someone is going to win, and I want that to be me.

"Our kids have gotten much more competitive since that first summer. A couple of people at the games in June told me the competition was almost vicious. I like hearing that."

Vicious competition in what's supposed to be a laid-back summer scrimmage? That's all part of the UNC pedigree.

And, of course, it's part of the UNC family.

"I didn't realize how big the Carolina family was until I went through everything this summer," Danny Green said. "It seemed like everyone I talked to was either from Carolina, graduated from Carolina, or knew somebody from Carolina. Everyone knows who you are when you're from Carolina. It let me know how deep the family goes and how widespread it is throughout the nation."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.