CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A basketball game was played Sunday at the Dean Dome, but it might as well have been a reunion of North Carolina's national champions.
A coach or player from each of UNC's five NCAA Tournament championship teams was in attendance for the Tar Heels' 102-65 demolition of Monmouth. But far more intriguing than any of John Henson's dunks, Harrison Barnes' jump shots or Kendall Marshall's nifty assists was this unique collection of winners and how this Carolina family connects all previous eras.
The links that define what some believe is historically the greatest program in college basketball were awe-inspiring and symbolized on the court.
Monmouth coach King Rice, who played at UNC from 1987-91 and was the starting point guard on Carolina's 1991 Final Four team, had 5-foot-8 Jesse Steele jump center in an effort to pay respect to the quirky decision UNC coach Frank McGuire did prior to the 1957 national championship game.
Carolina faced 7-foot-1 Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas that night, and McGuire opted to have 5-11 Tommy Kearns jump center against Chamberlain. The psychological impact likely helped Carolina win the national title.
As for Sunday, Roy Williams led UNC to the national title in 2005 and 2009, but on his staff are Jackie Manuel, who started on the '05 team, and Bobby Frasor, an important contributor in '09. Rice's staff includes assistant coaches Brian Reese and Derrick Phelps, starters on UNC's 1993 national championship team and teammates with Rice in ‘91 Thus, former players from Carolina's last three national championship teams were paid coaches at Sunday's game.
"This program is the best basketball family that there is in college basketball," said Williams, who coaches '09 champs Tyler Zeller and Justin Watts. "It has been for years and year. I'm proud to be involved in it . . . This is a special place."
Taking it a step further, Eric Montross, the starting center on the 1993 club, is UNC's color analyst for its radio broadcasts, and in the stands was Lennie Rosenbluth, the 1958 national player of the year who led UNC to a 32-0 record and national title in 1957. Seeing Rosenbluth is what motivated Rice's decision regarding the opening jump.
Jawad Williams, a starter on the '05 team and four-year NBA veteran, sat behind Carolina's bench holding his baby girl, and Bill Guthridge, a former longtime assistant coach and the head coach for three years, including Final Four teams in 1998 and 2000, spoke to the Monmouth Heels before the game.
Most of these men played for or worked for Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith, who when he retired in 1997 was the winningest coach of all-time, and you could see some classic Carolina in Monmouth's approach. They scrambled on defense several times and ran a few effective back doors.
Monmouth, however, was simply overmatched by the talented Tar Heels. But this game and event, if you will, was about history more than the game. It was about family.
"Just being a part of the Carolina family, that helps us every day of our lives. . .," said Rice, who received a standing ovation before the game. "When you go out on the road, when you go anywhere, people know about Carolina and they remember when we played. When we go recruiting kids know because their parents tell them. So I don't think that there's any other place that the former guys get treated the way we do."
Rice, who was hired last spring to revive Monmouth's program, finished his career third all-time (at the time) in assists at UNC with 629, including a career-high 13 versus Kentucky in 1990. He played in 140 games, started for two seasons.
An assistant at Vanderbilt for the last decade, Rice, 42, hired Reese away from High Point, where he worked under another member of the 1993 UNC team, Scott Cherry.
Reese played in 134 games at UNC and was the 40th player in program history to score 1,000 points. Athletic and known for his defensive ability, the starting small forward on the 1993 squad finished with 1,113 points.
"First thing I did when I crossed the line to get on the court was get a basketball and get some shots up," he said, smiling.
Phelps was the starting point guard here for three seasons, including in 1993, and finished with the most steals in school history. Phelps played 132 games as a Tar Heel before spending 13 years playing professionally overseas plus a stint in the NBA.
"Once I walked on the floor, I felt like I wanted to suit up and get ready to play again, that's what it felt like to me," Phelps said. "The whole crowd, the atmosphere, you get the jitters again and you want to get out there and pull for your team. I wish my teammates were around once again."
All told, the three Monmouth coaches combined to play 406 games for the Tar Heels, winning 334, including a 36-10 record in NCAA Tournament play. And while things didn't go quite well for their team on this day, it was still a fun experience for everyone, especially those three coaches.
They don't forget their players in Chapel Hill, something Rice, Reese and Phelps discovered Sunday.
