Sept. 3, 2009

Check back tonight for a photo gallery from Thursday's games, and check back Friday around lunch for a pregame story with even more quotes.

By Adam Lucas

Everybody already knows about the star power at Smith Center pickup games. Thursday night might have been the first time the star power on the sidelines was equally as impressive.

On the court, Antawn Jamison was posting up David Wear and Shammond Williams was defending Ty Lawson. But on the sidelines, Larry Brown was chatting up Vince Carter in one corner while Phil Ford greeted Jackie Manuel.

Basically, it was the perfect storm of Carolina Basketball. Thursday was the annual coaching summit attended by virtually every member of the Tar Heel coaching tree. The coaches stayed in the old memorabilia room from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., breaking only briefly for lunch, as they went over a variety of concepts and ideas for the upcoming season.

Imagine this: Roy Williams kicks off another segment of discussion, this time about defending screens on the ball. He briefly describes the Tar Heel philosophy, then opens the floor for input from the rest of the crowd. It's not a lecture-type format; instead, it's an open forum. The event drew over 20 attendees, including those new to the coaching tree--Scott Cherry, the new head coach at High Point--and those with a bit more experience--Brown, who is with the Charlotte Bobcats. Matt Doherty flew in from Dallas, new Detroit Pistons coach John Kuester was on hand before his gig coaching in tomorrow night's alumni game, and Jeff Lebo added some SEC input.

When the coaches adjourned, they headed downstairs for pickup games--all except the current Tar Heel staff, which is forbidden by NCAA rules from watching pickup games involving current players. Somehow, though, "pickup games" doesn't seem to do it justice. "Pickup games" sounds like what happens at the YMCA.

This was a little different.

Over a dozen former players were on the court--not counting the coaches who might have also once fallen into the player category--for pickup action that spanned two different courts. It wasn't unusual to watch Jawad Williams drop in a finger roll on one court, then shift your eyes to the other court and watch Brandan Wright grab a rebound over Marvin Williams.

For the former players, it was a reunion, with every new arrival greeted with shouts and hugs. They picked up exactly where they'd left off the last time they were on the Smith Center court, except now the trash talk is a little different. Carter and Jamison exchanged barbs about their relative age. "Man, you look old," Carter said after Jamison didn't rip down the rim on a dunk attempt. "How many kids have you got again?"

For the current players, it was a little surreal.

"Playing against those guys is like playing in the NBA," said Larry Drew II. "It shows you playing in the pros is a whole different level from playing in college. They really go hard."

Yes, they do. Jamison assembled a formidable squad that proceeded to thump all challengers on the middle court, with the Tar Heel legend providing increasingly vocal commentary about the relative merits of the opposition. Felton made the mistake of talking a little trash, which got him a boisterous "Sit down!" from Jamison after Jamison's team got another victory on their way to seven straight wins. Official statistics aren't kept, but every player stays hyper-aware of their personal win-loss record.

Much like the expectations for Friday night's game, the atmosphere was collegial at first but quickly turned competitive. Marvin Williams spiked a ball in frustration after his squad fell to Jamison's juggernaut.

The games finally came to a close around 7:15 p.m., with most of the players making plans to meet for dinner later.

"It's fun just to hear those guys talk back and forth," said Deon Thompson. "Just to get to be out there and have fun with them is great. We try to go at them when we get the chance, and when you're guarding them you just want to try and get one stop."

On Friday, though, Thompson will be a spectator for the first time in the Smith Center.

"I can't wait," he said. "I've never been able to sit back and watch a game. And this is going to be a great game, with a whole bunch of NBA superstars. And we're all from the same family."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of five books on Carolina basketball, including the upcoming book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.