Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: A Day To Celebrate
January 22, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
They gathered outside Carmichael Arena, the site of yet another celebration.
Thirty minutes remained before Sunday's game between the North Carolina women's basketball team and No. 15 Duke, but a line of fans stretched from the arena's doors to South Road. Several came for the rivalry's latest installment. The majority, however, arrived early to honor their coach and friend, Sylvia Hatchell, the winner of over 1,000 career games.
A month had passed since Hatchell became the fourth college basketball coach to reach 1,000 wins on Dec. 19 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. But Sunday marked the most opportune time for the UNC athletic department to recognize the achievement.
Video montages and gift presentations highlighted the pregame ceremony. Yet the crowning moment for Hatchell, responsible for many of the banners inside Carmichael, was the unveiling of one commemorating her milestone.
"It's hard to find a place that's got more history and greatness than Carmichael," she said. "And to have a banner hanging in here, it's just off the chain. A coach could have never dreamed or imagined that."
But Hatchell always envisioned being in Chapel Hill. Her resiliency and relentless carried her here. And her most successful teams, both at Francis Marion and UNC, adopted those traits.
This year's squad has lacked such qualities at times this season. But Sunday, the Tar Heels demonstrated fortitude in overcoming a 19-point deficit and securing a thrilling 92-86 victory over Duke in overtime.
"I kept telling them, 'Look, we're good, here's what we're doing,'" Hatchell said. "'Are y'all having fun? We're going to win this.' They were really good. The huddle was really, really good over there, with a lot of positive energy. I think all along they had a lot of confidence."
Yet that easily couldn't have been the case.
Coming off a 66-53 loss against N.C. State on Thursday, UNC (14-6, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) opened Sunday's contest 7-for-26 from the field. The Blue Devils went 15-for-23, stretching their lead to 37-18 with 4:19 left in the second quarter.
The Tar Heels had faltered when facing similar adversity this season. But a 3-pointer by Leah Church moments later sparked a 13-2 run that cut Duke's lead to 41-33 at halftime.
UNC extended its run to 20-2 early in the third quarter, which it ended trailing by one. Church – a lifelong Tar Heel fan who entered Sunday averaging 3.1 points off the bench – was crucial in the second and third periods, totaling 13 points.
"To be in this position, it's a dream come true for me to have the opportunity," said Church, who finished with 19 points, 11 more than her previous career high. "I come in the game whenever I am called on, with confidence in my shot and my ability. My teammates found me and looked for me. And thankfully, some of them went in."
Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, UNC, backed by a majority of the 4,634 fans inside Carmichael, seized its first lead. But a 10-0 run by the Blue Devils followed. A momentous win seemed to be slipping away.
Paris Kea, embodying Hatchell's characteristics, prevented that.
Down by eight with 1:26 left in regulation, Kea initiated the Tar Heels' second comeback with an old-fashioned 3-point play. Jamie Cherry made two free throws to pull within four a minute later. A steal and mid-range jumper by Kea then trimmed Duke's lead to two.
Rebecca Greenwell missed the second of her two free throws on the Blue Devils' following possession. And Kea capitalized, making a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to force overtime.
"The past two games, my shot wasn't the best," said Kea, who scored 16 of her career-high 36 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. "I was like 1-for-7 from three (against N.C. State), so I was in the gym shooting. I got my energy back, my strength back, my confidence back, and I knew in this game I had to help my teammates out a little more. And thank God it went in."
Kea's 3-pointer provided UNC all the confidence it needed in overtime. The team shot 5-for-6 from the field, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc, during the extra session.
In overtime, Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham, Chancellor Carol Folt and Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Nicki Moore, among others, stood adjacent to the Tar Heel bench. All three participated in Hatchell's pregame ceremony and were also joined by ACC commissioner John Swofford.
Swofford, then UNC's director of athletics, hired Hatchell in 1986. At that time, the women's basketball program had only claimed one ACC Tournament title. Hatchell has won eight.
"In my entire time as the athletic director here, I was fortunate enough to hire some coaches who really had great success," Swofford said. "I never saw anybody who wanted the women's basketball job at the University of North Carolina or wanted to be a head coach at North Carolina worse than Sylvia. And that came across loud and clear.
"There were a lot of plusses there, and she's even exceeded expectations."
Yet as of now, that matters little to her.
The past four years have been the most trying of Hatchell's coaching career. She missed the entire 2013-14 season fighting leukemia. And after leading the Tar Heels to the Sweet 16 in 2015, she experienced back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1989-91.
Hatchell turns 66 on Feb. 28. She could have retired at any point over the last few years. Instead, she remains adamant about helping the program return to the top 10 in the national rankings.
Sunday's win, UNC's first over Duke since March 2, 2014, won't accomplish that. Yet it had the feeling of a victory that could prove pivotal in the growth of a talented team featuring only one senior in Cherry.
"Our program, we've been through a lot the last three years …" Hatchell said. "But we've persevered, we're on the other side and we've got greatness in front of us. Today was greatness, and we're just getting started with that."
When the final buzzer sounded Sunday, the Tar Heels mobbed one another near midcourt. Kea and Cherry embraced off to the side. A triumphant rendition of "Hark the Sound" followed.
Hatchell then grabbed a headset and addressed the crowd.
"That," she said, "is what you call heart."
And few understand the importance of that more than her.
They gathered outside Carmichael Arena, the site of yet another celebration.
Thirty minutes remained before Sunday's game between the North Carolina women's basketball team and No. 15 Duke, but a line of fans stretched from the arena's doors to South Road. Several came for the rivalry's latest installment. The majority, however, arrived early to honor their coach and friend, Sylvia Hatchell, the winner of over 1,000 career games.
A month had passed since Hatchell became the fourth college basketball coach to reach 1,000 wins on Dec. 19 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. But Sunday marked the most opportune time for the UNC athletic department to recognize the achievement.
Video montages and gift presentations highlighted the pregame ceremony. Yet the crowning moment for Hatchell, responsible for many of the banners inside Carmichael, was the unveiling of one commemorating her milestone.
"It's hard to find a place that's got more history and greatness than Carmichael," she said. "And to have a banner hanging in here, it's just off the chain. A coach could have never dreamed or imagined that."
But Hatchell always envisioned being in Chapel Hill. Her resiliency and relentless carried her here. And her most successful teams, both at Francis Marion and UNC, adopted those traits.
This year's squad has lacked such qualities at times this season. But Sunday, the Tar Heels demonstrated fortitude in overcoming a 19-point deficit and securing a thrilling 92-86 victory over Duke in overtime.
"I kept telling them, 'Look, we're good, here's what we're doing,'" Hatchell said. "'Are y'all having fun? We're going to win this.' They were really good. The huddle was really, really good over there, with a lot of positive energy. I think all along they had a lot of confidence."
Yet that easily couldn't have been the case.
Coming off a 66-53 loss against N.C. State on Thursday, UNC (14-6, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) opened Sunday's contest 7-for-26 from the field. The Blue Devils went 15-for-23, stretching their lead to 37-18 with 4:19 left in the second quarter.
The Tar Heels had faltered when facing similar adversity this season. But a 3-pointer by Leah Church moments later sparked a 13-2 run that cut Duke's lead to 41-33 at halftime.
UNC extended its run to 20-2 early in the third quarter, which it ended trailing by one. Church – a lifelong Tar Heel fan who entered Sunday averaging 3.1 points off the bench – was crucial in the second and third periods, totaling 13 points.
"To be in this position, it's a dream come true for me to have the opportunity," said Church, who finished with 19 points, 11 more than her previous career high. "I come in the game whenever I am called on, with confidence in my shot and my ability. My teammates found me and looked for me. And thankfully, some of them went in."
Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, UNC, backed by a majority of the 4,634 fans inside Carmichael, seized its first lead. But a 10-0 run by the Blue Devils followed. A momentous win seemed to be slipping away.
Paris Kea, embodying Hatchell's characteristics, prevented that.
Down by eight with 1:26 left in regulation, Kea initiated the Tar Heels' second comeback with an old-fashioned 3-point play. Jamie Cherry made two free throws to pull within four a minute later. A steal and mid-range jumper by Kea then trimmed Duke's lead to two.
Rebecca Greenwell missed the second of her two free throws on the Blue Devils' following possession. And Kea capitalized, making a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to force overtime.
"The past two games, my shot wasn't the best," said Kea, who scored 16 of her career-high 36 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. "I was like 1-for-7 from three (against N.C. State), so I was in the gym shooting. I got my energy back, my strength back, my confidence back, and I knew in this game I had to help my teammates out a little more. And thank God it went in."
Kea's 3-pointer provided UNC all the confidence it needed in overtime. The team shot 5-for-6 from the field, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc, during the extra session.
In overtime, Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham, Chancellor Carol Folt and Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Nicki Moore, among others, stood adjacent to the Tar Heel bench. All three participated in Hatchell's pregame ceremony and were also joined by ACC commissioner John Swofford.
Swofford, then UNC's director of athletics, hired Hatchell in 1986. At that time, the women's basketball program had only claimed one ACC Tournament title. Hatchell has won eight.
"In my entire time as the athletic director here, I was fortunate enough to hire some coaches who really had great success," Swofford said. "I never saw anybody who wanted the women's basketball job at the University of North Carolina or wanted to be a head coach at North Carolina worse than Sylvia. And that came across loud and clear.
"There were a lot of plusses there, and she's even exceeded expectations."
Yet as of now, that matters little to her.
The past four years have been the most trying of Hatchell's coaching career. She missed the entire 2013-14 season fighting leukemia. And after leading the Tar Heels to the Sweet 16 in 2015, she experienced back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1989-91.
Hatchell turns 66 on Feb. 28. She could have retired at any point over the last few years. Instead, she remains adamant about helping the program return to the top 10 in the national rankings.
Sunday's win, UNC's first over Duke since March 2, 2014, won't accomplish that. Yet it had the feeling of a victory that could prove pivotal in the growth of a talented team featuring only one senior in Cherry.
"Our program, we've been through a lot the last three years …" Hatchell said. "But we've persevered, we're on the other side and we've got greatness in front of us. Today was greatness, and we're just getting started with that."
When the final buzzer sounded Sunday, the Tar Heels mobbed one another near midcourt. Kea and Cherry embraced off to the side. A triumphant rendition of "Hark the Sound" followed.
Hatchell then grabbed a headset and addressed the crowd.
"That," she said, "is what you call heart."
And few understand the importance of that more than her.