I know lots of fans are grateful to have basketball back. Last week, I wrote about the creeping dread that comes with successful seasons, and the almost-relief that comes with seeing those fears realised. Last Saturday’s season-starter for the men’s basketball team, against Radford, saw 17,000+ fans welcoming the start of a new athletic season (and some non-zero number below that celebrating the distraction from the ongoing football season).
Please don’t get me wrong; I’m thrilled that it’s basketball season, too. I grew up living and dying with the Heels on the hardwood; I watched Sean May (now Coach May) win a national title when I was 11 years old, and I cried like hell in 2016 in my final year of college when Marcus Paige hit the circus shot that should’ve won a title for him and Brice Johnson.