Kobe’s memorial was more for parents than players & coaches. They held a celebration of life Monday for Kobe Bryant, whose complicated life ended when he perished with his daughter and seven others in that horrific helicopter crash. In life, Bryant was jaded in some respects — but everyone from Michael Jordan to Jimmy Kimmel […]

Carolina barely met its meager numbers in the loss at Louisville. Steve Kirschner, UNC’s sports media director, sends out comprehensive notes after every Carolina basketball game. For more than 25 years, this duty has mostly been a joy for the man they call “Kirsch.” This season, though, sending those notes must be very painful. Statistically, the […]

It’s not about what Ol’ Roy says, it’s how he says it. A tweet from ESPN commentator and former coach Fran Fraschilla has given Tar Heel followers a chance to redirect their frustration about this season’s team. Fraschilla coached at three Division I schools and had a winning record — but not a great record. […]

The ACC and Big Ten are making a bad situation even worse. The transfer rules for football, basketball and other major sports are already off the rails, so why are two of the most respected conferences trying to turn them into the wild west? ACC Commissioner John Swofford has joined a movement started by recently […]

LeBron James had the right message, but for the wrong sport. What I have always admired about LeBron, beyond his immense talent and durability as a superstar basketball player, has been a willingness to speak out about subjects that could bring him controversial responses. It may be the era in which James was raised, but I wish […]

UNC’s last-chance run to the post-season has to start Saturday. The Tar Heels’ lopsided loss at Wake Forest all but eliminated them from any at-large berth into the NCAA tournament or NIT. Losing to the last-place team in your conference is just about a resume killer if you are hoping to get to the tourney […]

Brian Kalbas is still flying under the Carolina blue radar.                               A couple of years ago, I ran into a very nice woman at an event out in Fearrington Village. Since I was there to speak about Carolina sports, she just happened to mention that her son-in-law coached the Tar Heels women tennis team.          “Brian Kalbas?” […]

One bad ending just became two bad losses. Over the years, Roy Williams has been interviewed numerous times about the privilege of participating in the Carolina-Duke rivalry, the ballyhooed best of them all. When asked about the pros and cons, however, he always uses an iteration of this rationale. Because both schools get so amped […]

What do I feel sorry about over that win that got away? I feel sorry for those fans, many of whom might have thought their team had no chance to beat Duke, but didn’t sell their tickets and yelled their guts out at the Dean Dome, trying to pull Carolina through. I feel sorry for […]

Carolina and Duke showed their cultural divide Saturday night. What is it that makes a team win a game like that and allows the other team to lose what it had won – twice? Was it the missed opportunities in the first half that kept a game dominated by Carolina from becoming a truly unbelievable […]