LUCAS: SENIOR NIGHTS...
I hope we never stop having senior nights.
College basketball is changing and I understand that. Players come and go and sometimes they only stop at a program for a year and I fully understand why all of this is necessary and why it is, frequently, a positive development.
But if senior night ever goes away, we will have lost something. We will have lost Phil Ford running off the court at Carmichael after a great performance at Duke, and David Noel scoring a career-high 26 points on his senior day, and Marcus Paige fighting back tears on his last gameday in the Smith Center. We will have lost the experience of watching Tar Heels grow up, and them getting better, and maybe us getting a little wiser.
"I told them before the game that these are moments you'll remember for the rest of their lives," Hubert Davis said of the senior trio of Ryan McAdoo, Brady Manekand Leaky Black. "Senior night is serious business to this program. I want everyone to understand that senior night means something."
That does not mean, though, that Davis will never make changes. The first came Monday, when in deference to the preferred format of his seniors, the Tar Heels eliminated the postgame senior speeches and instead had the seniors address the crowd directly through a series of messages that ran during timeouts.
The video board also played a role during the traditional pregame ceremonies. In addition to being introduced individually and being presented with framed jerseys by the program, family members of each senior addressed the crowd--and their senior--on tape.
That's when Leaky Black looked up at the boards and saw his dad, Chon Black. This is what his father said:
"Thank you for making me the happiest dad in the world."
Just one sentence. But sometimes all of us forget that these are real people who are parts of real families that have the same real complications that all the rest of us have. That one sentence changed the night for Leaky Black. You don't have to understand the dynamics of the Black family relationships. You just have to think about your own family, about how sometimes things can be complicated, and how sometimes one gesture or one hug or, yes, one sentence can change everything.
"That's when I started getting emotional," Black said after the game on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "I was fighting back tears. My dad has been my biggest critic since I was three years old. To hear him say that really gave me the determination to lock in for this game. It really meant a lot to me."
Case closed. Senior night was a success. Hearing Black say that the night meant a lot to him is all anyone involved could ever hope for. That's what is supposed to happen. It's supposed to be meaningful for all of us, sure, but we'll get to do it again next season. This night, February 28, 2022, is supposed to be—as Hubert Davis said—a night these seniors will always remember. That's what happened for Black.
And by the way, he then went out and dominated the game in a very Leaky Blackway, scoring occasionally (eight points), rebounding frequently (seven rebounds), and passing perfectly (seven assists). What isn't documented in the box score is his defense. He spent the first 35 minutes harassing Buddy Boeheim, locking up the league's second-leading scorer to the point that Boeheim was actively avoiding the basketball. Black noticed, and knew he'd had a successful defensive night.
But it wasn't over, because Boeheim's teammate, Cole Swider, was handling all the scoring. He was on the way to the second-biggest individual scoring night in Smith Center history by an opponent, and he would have had the record in that category had Davis not made a very savvy move: he switched Black to guard Swider with five minutes left in regulation.
To that point, Swider was an unconscious 13-for-17 from the field. He was firing a shot every two minutes and he was hitting at a 76.5 percent clip.
After Black switched to him, he got only one shot the rest of regulation, and he finished 1-for-4 after the defensive switch before fouling out in overtime.
Those are Defensive Player of the Year type stats, folks. Maybe they're not easily quantifiable like blocked shots or steals. But Leaky Black's defense every bit won the game on Monday, on his senior night.
Black's only break from Swider in regulation came with 16 seconds left, when Davis made the masterstroke of inserting Puff Johnson when the Orange had the ball and a one-point lead. That enabled Johnson's length to bother Swider while Black switched back to Boeheim. Suitably intimidated, Boeheim promptly kicked the ball out of bounds, setting the stage for Caleb Love's three-pointer.
That's a great senior night. And how much have we watched Leaky Black grow up? I want you to be totally, completely honest: What did you think when he fired a three-pointer the last three years? It's OK, just admit it. The numbers are with you: he was a career 25.8 percent shooter from the arc coming into this season.
And now, here we are in his senior season, when he is a 41.7 percent three-point shooter, and every time Leaky Black takes one of those corner three-pointers I just go ahead and get my three goggles ready, because I am pretty sure it's going in. That's the progress he's made, and we've all gotten to make it with him.
"There's major, serious significance to senior night here at Carolina," Davis said. "I wanted to make sure Leaky, Ryan and Brady have a smile on their face when they run through the tunnel for the last time."
Black did indeed have a wide smile when he ran through that tunnel after the game. And he did indeed have a memorable experience.
"I loved it," he said. "I can't even put it into words. It was so loud in there, and one last time just to feel the atmosphere and how loud everyone was. I couldn't ask for anything else."
And yes, he did say "one last time." But he did say something else, something that certainly isn't final but is also worth pondering when you're thinking about the 2023 Tar Heels.
Black was talking about running back to the locker room for the "final" time with a win. "It felt great," he said. And then he added this:
"Maybe I'll get to do it again."
Look, it's not a final answer. This is Carolina basketball and we know people make emotional statements after big games and kiss the floor at unusual times and these sentiments are not always permanent. Black's final decision will ultimately be dictated, as it should be, by what's best for him personally and not the overwhelming emotion of the glow of a big win.
But it was obvious he'd at least considered it. And maybe, just maybe, Leaky Blackalso hopes we never stop having senior nights.
I hope we never stop having senior nights.
College basketball is changing and I understand that. Players come and go and sometimes they only stop at a program for a year and I fully understand why all of this is necessary and why it is, frequently, a positive development.
But if senior night ever goes away, we will have lost something. We will have lost Phil Ford running off the court at Carmichael after a great performance at Duke, and David Noel scoring a career-high 26 points on his senior day, and Marcus Paige fighting back tears on his last gameday in the Smith Center. We will have lost the experience of watching Tar Heels grow up, and them getting better, and maybe us getting a little wiser.
"I told them before the game that these are moments you'll remember for the rest of their lives," Hubert Davis said of the senior trio of Ryan McAdoo, Brady Manekand Leaky Black. "Senior night is serious business to this program. I want everyone to understand that senior night means something."
That does not mean, though, that Davis will never make changes. The first came Monday, when in deference to the preferred format of his seniors, the Tar Heels eliminated the postgame senior speeches and instead had the seniors address the crowd directly through a series of messages that ran during timeouts.
The video board also played a role during the traditional pregame ceremonies. In addition to being introduced individually and being presented with framed jerseys by the program, family members of each senior addressed the crowd--and their senior--on tape.
That's when Leaky Black looked up at the boards and saw his dad, Chon Black. This is what his father said:
"Thank you for making me the happiest dad in the world."
Just one sentence. But sometimes all of us forget that these are real people who are parts of real families that have the same real complications that all the rest of us have. That one sentence changed the night for Leaky Black. You don't have to understand the dynamics of the Black family relationships. You just have to think about your own family, about how sometimes things can be complicated, and how sometimes one gesture or one hug or, yes, one sentence can change everything.
"That's when I started getting emotional," Black said after the game on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "I was fighting back tears. My dad has been my biggest critic since I was three years old. To hear him say that really gave me the determination to lock in for this game. It really meant a lot to me."
Case closed. Senior night was a success. Hearing Black say that the night meant a lot to him is all anyone involved could ever hope for. That's what is supposed to happen. It's supposed to be meaningful for all of us, sure, but we'll get to do it again next season. This night, February 28, 2022, is supposed to be—as Hubert Davis said—a night these seniors will always remember. That's what happened for Black.
And by the way, he then went out and dominated the game in a very Leaky Blackway, scoring occasionally (eight points), rebounding frequently (seven rebounds), and passing perfectly (seven assists). What isn't documented in the box score is his defense. He spent the first 35 minutes harassing Buddy Boeheim, locking up the league's second-leading scorer to the point that Boeheim was actively avoiding the basketball. Black noticed, and knew he'd had a successful defensive night.
But it wasn't over, because Boeheim's teammate, Cole Swider, was handling all the scoring. He was on the way to the second-biggest individual scoring night in Smith Center history by an opponent, and he would have had the record in that category had Davis not made a very savvy move: he switched Black to guard Swider with five minutes left in regulation.
To that point, Swider was an unconscious 13-for-17 from the field. He was firing a shot every two minutes and he was hitting at a 76.5 percent clip.
After Black switched to him, he got only one shot the rest of regulation, and he finished 1-for-4 after the defensive switch before fouling out in overtime.
Those are Defensive Player of the Year type stats, folks. Maybe they're not easily quantifiable like blocked shots or steals. But Leaky Black's defense every bit won the game on Monday, on his senior night.
Black's only break from Swider in regulation came with 16 seconds left, when Davis made the masterstroke of inserting Puff Johnson when the Orange had the ball and a one-point lead. That enabled Johnson's length to bother Swider while Black switched back to Boeheim. Suitably intimidated, Boeheim promptly kicked the ball out of bounds, setting the stage for Caleb Love's three-pointer.
That's a great senior night. And how much have we watched Leaky Black grow up? I want you to be totally, completely honest: What did you think when he fired a three-pointer the last three years? It's OK, just admit it. The numbers are with you: he was a career 25.8 percent shooter from the arc coming into this season.
And now, here we are in his senior season, when he is a 41.7 percent three-point shooter, and every time Leaky Black takes one of those corner three-pointers I just go ahead and get my three goggles ready, because I am pretty sure it's going in. That's the progress he's made, and we've all gotten to make it with him.
"There's major, serious significance to senior night here at Carolina," Davis said. "I wanted to make sure Leaky, Ryan and Brady have a smile on their face when they run through the tunnel for the last time."
Black did indeed have a wide smile when he ran through that tunnel after the game. And he did indeed have a memorable experience.
"I loved it," he said. "I can't even put it into words. It was so loud in there, and one last time just to feel the atmosphere and how loud everyone was. I couldn't ask for anything else."
And yes, he did say "one last time." But he did say something else, something that certainly isn't final but is also worth pondering when you're thinking about the 2023 Tar Heels.
Black was talking about running back to the locker room for the "final" time with a win. "It felt great," he said. And then he added this:
"Maybe I'll get to do it again."
Look, it's not a final answer. This is Carolina basketball and we know people make emotional statements after big games and kiss the floor at unusual times and these sentiments are not always permanent. Black's final decision will ultimately be dictated, as it should be, by what's best for him personally and not the overwhelming emotion of the glow of a big win.
But it was obvious he'd at least considered it. And maybe, just maybe, Leaky Blackalso hopes we never stop having senior nights.
