Great Seasons

My salute for this week goes out to both the UNC and NC State men's basketball teams for great seasons. First, the Pack. Yes, even though I'm a Carolina fan, I'm a State student so I do pull for them too! I honestly thought this year would be a transition year for them under first year head coach, Mark Gottfried. They surprised everyone (including me) by pulling things together at the end of the regular season and ACC Tournament to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. They made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to Kansas 60-57. Not too shabby considering where the team was last season!

Next the Heels. I've always been a Carolina fan first and that will never change, no matter what. With that, I'm so proud of the team for what they accomplished. At the beginning of the season, Carolina was the odds on favorite to win the title. Then injuries plagued them. It all started with Leslie McDonald and then Dexter Strickland soon after. Later in the season, John Henson couldn't play due to a wrist injury. He later came back to play but then, the worst thing imaginable: star point guard, Kendall Marshall, went down with his own wrist injury; requiring surgery that sidelined him for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games. The Heels lost to Kansas 80-67 in the Elite Eight although the game was much closer than that!

I'm so proud of Carolina for fighting through all that adversity. Even though they didn't reach the ultimate goal, they proved they could fight through it and do the very best they could given the circumstances. Freshman guard, Stilman White, was phenominal after taking Marshall's place. Taking over the starting point guard duties and having zero turnovers while doing so was huge and he'll only get better throughout his career. Not many teams can have so much adversity and still do great things like this team did! I can't wait to see what next season will bring. It should be exciting!