Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
Exclusive Excerpt: Redemption
September 28, 2017 | Men's Basketball
The behind the scenes book on Carolina's 2017 national title is available now.
Redemption, the new book on Carolina's 2017 national title by Adam Lucas, Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers, is available now. With dozens of never before seen behind the scenes photos and exclusive access throughout the year, it's the best way to celebrate the Tar Heels' national title. See ordering details below.
The following excerpt covers Carolina's trip to Fort Bragg for a preseason practice, and the impact the 2017 team still felt from the Marcus Paige/Brice Johnson/Joel James class.
The unofficial first road trip of the season took place in October on a quiet trip to Fort Bragg to practice in front of the base's soldiers. By March, road trips would all seem routine. But in October, especially for the newcomers, it was a new experience. Subconsciously, the players left open the seats usually occupied by Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige.
"Wait a minute," Joel Berry said as the team sorted through the seating arrangement. "Marcus and Brice aren't here."
The comment echoed a stern point made by Roy Williams at a practice earlier that week. When the Tar Heels lackadaisically pursued a rebound, Williams blew his whistle and stopped practice. "Do you see Brice out here?" he asked of the 2016 All-America who grabbed over ten rebounds per game. "He's not here! He's not coming back!"
In one very important way, however, the presence of Johnson and Paige did linger. When that duo had arrived in the summer of 2012, along with classmates Joel James and J. P. Tokoto, the Tar Heel chemistry was different. It wasn't a bad environment, but on a 16-player roster, there were several different groups that rarely mixed. They were close-knit in the locker room, but you would rarely find upperclassmen like Reggie Bullock or Leslie McDonald mixing with rookies like Paige or James.
Paige, who was well-respected from his first day in the program, was treated as a veteran leader by the time he was a junior. Once he was a senior, the tenor of the locker room changed. "We never really made a conscious effort to make sure everyone was hanging out together, but that's what happened," Paige said. "We did everything in big groups. When a couple guys were going to do something, they'd always see if everyone else wanted to go. I don't know if any other team has as much fun as we did. Everyone enjoys college. But the 2016 and 2017 teams, I don't know if there are any other teams since Coach has been back that have had as much fun as we did."
If a player went and saw a new movie with a date on the day it was released, it wasn't unusual for that player to go back with the entire team days later to see the same movie, just to be part of the group.
The realities of college basketball travel, especially at a program like Carolina, mean the team often arrives back in Chapel Hill via charter airplane in the middle of the night after a road game. After the bus ride back to the Smith Center, numerous players often would travel in a pack to a local grill that stayed open until the wee hours of the morning. The team also discovered a Chapel Hill pizza joint that featured $2 pan pizzas after 10:00 p.m.; it became a regular haunt after late-night workout sessions.
"Even when we get a break from each other, we still end up doing stuff together," said Nate Britt.
Friendships never put points on a scoreboard, of course. But the players are convinced the chemistry of the past two years made a difference. It's not typical to be able to throw together strangers from Apopka, Florida; Oxford, North Carolina; and Tomball, Texas, and have everyone get along. Chemistry is not guaranteed and can sometimes be elusive. This group had it.
"You've got guys from so many different backgrounds," Paige said. "But we always went out as a group or went to the gym as a group. Every day in practice was fun, but we were also pushing each other. And then you'd find that after practice guys were sitting in the locker room for hours talking about who got the best of whom and how it won't happen tomorrow. That all goes back to Coach Williams and the type of people he wants to bring into the program. It sounds like a humble brag, but it made a difference with our teams that even though everyone had different life experiences, there was a common background that you knew you were dealing with quality guys."
"It was kind of like Marcus and Brice's class looked out for us," Britt said. "And now it's our time to look out for the next class."
Redemption is on shelves at Chapel Hill Sportswear, or order online at the UNC Press website (use promo code 01CHAMPS to receive a $5 discount and free shipping). To get a Lucas-signed copy, click here.
The following excerpt covers Carolina's trip to Fort Bragg for a preseason practice, and the impact the 2017 team still felt from the Marcus Paige/Brice Johnson/Joel James class.
The unofficial first road trip of the season took place in October on a quiet trip to Fort Bragg to practice in front of the base's soldiers. By March, road trips would all seem routine. But in October, especially for the newcomers, it was a new experience. Subconsciously, the players left open the seats usually occupied by Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige.
"Wait a minute," Joel Berry said as the team sorted through the seating arrangement. "Marcus and Brice aren't here."
The comment echoed a stern point made by Roy Williams at a practice earlier that week. When the Tar Heels lackadaisically pursued a rebound, Williams blew his whistle and stopped practice. "Do you see Brice out here?" he asked of the 2016 All-America who grabbed over ten rebounds per game. "He's not here! He's not coming back!"
In one very important way, however, the presence of Johnson and Paige did linger. When that duo had arrived in the summer of 2012, along with classmates Joel James and J. P. Tokoto, the Tar Heel chemistry was different. It wasn't a bad environment, but on a 16-player roster, there were several different groups that rarely mixed. They were close-knit in the locker room, but you would rarely find upperclassmen like Reggie Bullock or Leslie McDonald mixing with rookies like Paige or James.
Paige, who was well-respected from his first day in the program, was treated as a veteran leader by the time he was a junior. Once he was a senior, the tenor of the locker room changed. "We never really made a conscious effort to make sure everyone was hanging out together, but that's what happened," Paige said. "We did everything in big groups. When a couple guys were going to do something, they'd always see if everyone else wanted to go. I don't know if any other team has as much fun as we did. Everyone enjoys college. But the 2016 and 2017 teams, I don't know if there are any other teams since Coach has been back that have had as much fun as we did."
If a player went and saw a new movie with a date on the day it was released, it wasn't unusual for that player to go back with the entire team days later to see the same movie, just to be part of the group.
The realities of college basketball travel, especially at a program like Carolina, mean the team often arrives back in Chapel Hill via charter airplane in the middle of the night after a road game. After the bus ride back to the Smith Center, numerous players often would travel in a pack to a local grill that stayed open until the wee hours of the morning. The team also discovered a Chapel Hill pizza joint that featured $2 pan pizzas after 10:00 p.m.; it became a regular haunt after late-night workout sessions.
"Even when we get a break from each other, we still end up doing stuff together," said Nate Britt.
Friendships never put points on a scoreboard, of course. But the players are convinced the chemistry of the past two years made a difference. It's not typical to be able to throw together strangers from Apopka, Florida; Oxford, North Carolina; and Tomball, Texas, and have everyone get along. Chemistry is not guaranteed and can sometimes be elusive. This group had it.
"You've got guys from so many different backgrounds," Paige said. "But we always went out as a group or went to the gym as a group. Every day in practice was fun, but we were also pushing each other. And then you'd find that after practice guys were sitting in the locker room for hours talking about who got the best of whom and how it won't happen tomorrow. That all goes back to Coach Williams and the type of people he wants to bring into the program. It sounds like a humble brag, but it made a difference with our teams that even though everyone had different life experiences, there was a common background that you knew you were dealing with quality guys."
"It was kind of like Marcus and Brice's class looked out for us," Britt said. "And now it's our time to look out for the next class."
Redemption is on shelves at Chapel Hill Sportswear, or order online at the UNC Press website (use promo code 01CHAMPS to receive a $5 discount and free shipping). To get a Lucas-signed copy, click here.