Michael Jordan and Dean Smith

I am finally caught up on captioning and have posted galleries from UNC’s win over Wake Forest and the upset loss to Virginia Tech. The Wake Forest game was special because players from the 1957 and 1982 teams were there to celebrate their 50th and 25th anniversary of their respective NCAA title. The 1957 team was “McGuire’s Miracle” where the team went 32-0, beating Wilt Chamerline’s team in the NCAA championship. The ‘82 was headlined by head coach Dean Smith, Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan.

The VA Tech game wasn’t as special for Tar Heel fans as the Hokies upset the Heels in overtime. I have to say though that game was fun to photograph. There were so many photo opportunities that it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Here is the gallery of Wake Forest v. North Carolina Basketball and here is the gallery of Virginia Tech v. North Carolina Basketball.

I don’t know how long this link will be active, but I had to link to this photo gallery of photos by Charlotte Observer photographer Jeff Siner. The photos are from North Carolina’s 79-73 victory over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The action stuff is great, but the feature (the non-action) work he did is what really impressed me. Check out this great work to see what the rivalry between UNC and Duke is like. Also good toning to get rid of the terrible color cast typically of photos taken in Cameron Indoor. (sorry, only a photographer like me would note this)

**Update 3/15/08**

Well sadly, the gallery has been archived and is no longer up.

Heard this while I was photographing the UNC - Wake Forest game. Actually, all the photographers in my corner and the first 5 rows of fans heard this. I know this because I heard a throng of laughs behind me afterwards.

“I mean come on, Tyler’s riding him like he’s Secretariat!”

Skip Prosser to an official on Tyler Hansbrough’s defense on Kyle Visser.

Dick Vitale

I don’t care what people want to think or say about Dickie V; he is a cool guy. Working sporting events, I have interactions with him “backstage” when he is working the games for ESPN. People think that the friendly disposition he has on camera doesn’t carry over to “real life”. Well I can tell you it does. He is one of the most genuinely nice TV personalities that I know. There are some (insert sound of my clearing my throat) who aren’t. Yesterday at the Duke/UNC game he mingled with fans and had fun with them. He volunteered to have his picture taken with them. (see the picture that I took of him last night with fans) Whenever I pass him backstage he gives his always enthusiastic “Hey how you doin’?”.So Dick, you are one cool dude in my book.Anyway, here are some pictures from the UNC Duke Basketball Game.photo by Peyton Williams/US Presswire

Tonight is phase 1 of one of America’s biggest and most watched rivalries in college basketball as Duke will host UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 9pm tonight. Phase 2 is of course with UNC will host Dook in March at the Dean Smith Center.

UNC has history on their side. When both teams enter the game having lost their prior game, UNC has a 9-4 record over Duke. Of course, UNC owns the overall record at 125-96 so I’m not sure how much that record is really meaningful.

Last Saturday I was at the UNC - NC State game at RBC Center in one of the loudest environments I have ever heard there. Tonight I will enter what will probably be an even louder environment at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Look for me on TV! I sit on the court by the Duke bench. I’m easy to recognize because Coach K will often come by to talk with me during timeouts to talk basketball strategy with my just insane amount of knowledge and all. OK, maybe not. But you can recognize when {insert name of Duke player but usually Josh McRoberts} plows me over going for a loose ball. That seems to happen too often these days.

“People might not think this, but I was cheering like crazy for Roy.”

I was born and bred a Tar Heel. But I have always also supported the ACC and have strongly believed that the ACC should support its own. Even if that means pulling for Dook Duke when they play an out of conference team. Not because I like Dook Duke, but because what is good for one ACC team is good for all the ACC teams. I certainly don’t worship the Altar of K, but I do respect him just as I respect the Dook Duke program.
So, imagine my delight to hear my views on the ACC were affirmed by Coach K himself last night:

“Our league is a league right now in the way people are playing in close games, you could get seven teams in [NCAA tournament]. Our league is the best league. You cheer for the other teams when you’re playing someone else. [North Carolina’s] win over Arizona was huge for our league and we need to talk about that as a league. I’m not saying the other leagues aren’t really good. There’s not an easy out in our league. We should talk about the league. Our league is terrific and it always has been.”

A tip of the hat to you Coach Krzyzewski. I liked that comment so much that I am making my 2007 resolution to finally commit the spelling of your name to memory.

Annabelle Vaughn, assistant athletics director for athletic communications (and my boss!) wrote a wonderful piece about Gregory Parrish. Gregory’s now 12 years old and was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 2. Coach Herb Sendek invited Greg and his dad to every home games. Since then, the players have been supportive of Greg and calling him to wish him the best. Annabelle’s article alludes to Gregory being in the hospital today in ICU, laying unconscious. So please send him your prayers.

The ACC and conference schools released their 2006-07 schedule for men’s basketball. UNC’s final at home game this year will be against Duke.

Of note, UNC will be playing Florida Atlantic, formerly coached by former UNC coach Matt Doherty. But it doesn’t stop there. The current head coach of Florida Atlantic, Rex Walters, played for Roy Williams while he was at Kansas. Walters had met Matt Doherty while he was a senior at Kansas. Coach Doherty later hired Walters as an assistant coach in 2005.

What can I say folks — in basketball, the Carolina connections are everywhere.

More on the ACC’s official website.

Photo by Peyton Williams for UNC Athletics

NCAA president Myles Brand has been cracking down on “diploma mills”, that is high schools or other schools who give students a high school degree that’s worth less than the paper it’s printed on. There were some obvious target, like “virtual” high schools, but the NCAA delivered a zinger today when it put Oak Hill Academy (yes THE Oak Hill Academy) on its list of high schools where it will no longer, after Fall 2006, recognize their students as being NCAA eligible.

This is the Oak Hill Academy that is in the top of the nation of producing basketball stars. Jerry Stackhouse, Carmelo Anthony, Jeff McInnis, Steve Blake and UNC’s new star Tywon Lawson.

“Its embarrassing to be on the list with some of those schools…Twenty-two schools in the whole country, and we’re one of them. To me, it makes the NCAA look like it’s not credible.” — Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith

I have every reason to believe Oak Hill will clear this up, but if they don’t, it will virtually end their prominence as a basketball powerhouse. Afterall, who would want to go to Oak Hill if they had no hope of going to a NCAA powerhouse like UNC or Duke?
You can read more at the NY Times.

I was photographing the 2006 Men’s ACC tournament this year and as usual, it was a circus. Someone sent me the below photo after seeing me in the background. Even in the carnage, I was able to snap this photo of JJ Redick and Coach K.

Here are also some photos from the ACC Championship.

But without further delay, my moment of fame: