Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Duke beat another Spartans team and with the win Coach K got his 880th win, placing him 2nd all time among D1 men’s basketball coaches. Here are my photos from the game: Duke vs. UNC-Greensboro basketball
Well, at least if you include an exhibition game. Photos
Dexter Strickland vs. Georgia Tech
I’ve been cover the UNC men’s basketball team this year. I have to admit that my photo game was pretty rusty to start, but thankfully I’ve been able to improve. Here are some recent games:
UNC Men’s Basketball vs. Presbyterian photo galler
UNC Men’s Basketball vs. Marshall photo gallery
UNC Men’s Basketball vs. Rutgers photo galler
I am really excited about a new photo project that I have been working on in collaboration with Cherry Crayton and Molly Renda of the NC State Alumni Association. They approached me before the season to see if I was interested in being the photographer on a story that would cover new head coach Kellie Harper, who was named to succeed coach Kay Yow, former head women’s basketball coach at NC State. The opportunity was irresistible of course. I had done previous projects with former NC State pitcher Andrew Brackman in 2007, and the UNC Men’s lacrosse team in 2007-2008. These projects followed the moments off the field to document the lives of the athletes and coaches.
This new project will have Coach Harper as its focus. Indeed, we have already spent a fair amount of time with Coach Harper, both at her house and at Reynolds Coliseum. She has been so far, well, awesome. Very friendly and humble; she has been a dream to work with. In the short time I’ve worked with her, it is clear her players adore her.
Most of the photos are embargoed right now; more will be released after it runs in print in the Alumni magazine this summer. But I will share one with you. In black and white, of course.
Coach Kellie Harper, before playing (and beating) the university of Maryland
Tyler Zeller photo that was ref assed.
Here is another in our series on ref ass, and their ability to block great photos. If you have a fetish for ref ass, basketball is where you will find bliss. 3 refs contained on a small court is just a recipe for blocked photos. Usually I delete them, but every now and then sharing my pain is therapeutic. Indeed, many ungentlemanly words have left my lips from my spot on court side when a good photo is ref assed. (I think I just created a new term).
Tyler Hansbrough waves to the crowd during the final game of his career at the Smith Center
Has it already been four years? That time flew by. It seems like only yesterday that this kid Tyler Hansbrough arrived on UNC’s campus. Then on Sunday I saw him give his farewell speech to the Carolina faithful during his final game at the Dean Dome. It finally hit me. Tyler Hansbrough has finished his career at the Dean Dome. Not that we are going to forget him any time soon: His jersey will soon be hung from the rafters to honor his accomplishments.
The game was bitter sweet. It’s always fun to do a Duke vs UNC basketball game, but knowing the regular season was ending was a total buzz kill. A highlight though of the day was getting to see Sports Illustrated photographer Bob Rosato. Had a chance to have dinner with him and a couple other photographers after the game.
Here are some of my favorite photos from UNC vs. Duke Basketball that I took Sunday.
Tyler Hansbrough
So the above picture took me by surprise last night. Normally I would have deleted it because while it’s a nice slam dunk, I can’t see Tyler’s eyes. My mentor always told me that in every photo I should be able to see “the white’s of their eyes”. Otherwise, its a deleter.
But before I hit the delete button I did a double-take on this picture. A split second before the photo was taken, the player on the left had a hold of the waistband of Hansbrough’s shorts. He released them but no doubt I took the photo right between the time when he let go and before the shorts had time to snap back. The odds are 1 in a million.
And no, it is NOT Photoshopped.
We knew she was sick, but it is still hard to believe. She was strong. Whenever the cancer struck her, she struck back harder. Always a survivor. When it tried to break her spirt, she came out stronger. The photo below I took in March 2007 when NCSU lost in the NCAA tournament. We all thought it would be her last game as a coach. A year later, she proved us and the cancer who was in charge as she was still out on the court directing her team to victories even a year later. But in the end, NC State head basketball coach Kay Yow lost her battle to breast cancer. It took decades to finally take the strong-willed woman home; but last night it finally won.
As a team photographer, I have photographed many coaches, in many sports and at many schools. Coach Yow I always liked. While doing a photo shoot for NCSU’s athletic department for the W BBall media guide, I had the opportunity to work with her. She was a delight. Patient, friendly and kind spirited. I left that photo shoot thinking what a wonderful person she was. I have not always left with that feeling with other coaches.
Coach, we will miss you. But no one is going to ever forget you. Say hello to Coach V for us.
NCSU head coach Kay Yow in March 2007. (Photo: Peyton Williams/NCSU Athletics)
Just wanted to share this old photo that I took of former UNC head basketball coach Dean Smith. I took it back in August 2004 during the Carolina Basketball Alumni Event. Jerry Stackhouse introduced coach to the crown and I snapped this pic while he waved to his adoring fans. I only had a 300 2.8 with me, but I like how the shot came out.
Former UNC head coach Dean Smith
Tyler Hansbrough wills the ball back to him.
Oh basketball….how much have I missed thou?
Basketball is back in gear here in ACC land. I have been to two games so far at UNC. A couple I had to miss due to travel committments, or being previously booked for work. I am also missing their game on Thursday. The Thursday game has special significance because Tyler Hansbrough could break the UNC all-time points record. So imagine how bummed I am to miss that game. But such is my luck.
Here though find some pictures from the two most recent games that I have photographed:
UNC Asheville vs. North Carolina Basketball photos (11/30/08)
Oral Roberts vs. North Carolina Basketball photos (12/13/08)
My posts on Inside Lacrosse
