The Real Reason I Stayed in Chapel Hill

I could lie. I could say that I chose UNC's School of Medicine for its reputation. I could say that I chose UNC for the balance: number 2 in the country in primary care and number 19 for research. I could say that I came because of the school's commitment to the underserved. It is a public university dedicated to the people of North Carolina. I could tell you that I came here because the tuition was a third of any other school I applied to. Three years in state would cost roughly the same as one year at a private institution. Frankly, it might have even been considered stupid for me to go anywhere else. I could say I stayed for the people, for the weather, for Southern atmosphere, or for any other reason, but all those would be lies.

Because honestly, I came back to UNC because it meant 4 more years of basketball tickets.

And do you blame me? My first UNC Basketball memory: I remember coming back after youth basketball games at the Boys and Girls club, and sitting down with Pops to watch the 1993 National Championship game. My dad had the game taped on VHS. We re-wound the tape all the way to the beginning, and picked out where Carolina played 2-3 zone or man to man, or where a fantastic pick and role was executed. The number of minutes and seconds into the tape were marked and labeled so I could come back to it before the next game and watch where I could improve.

I remember watching Antawn Jamison going up for a dunk, wide open, fast break untouched. And he show-boated and missed it off the back of the rim. I was sitting on my parents bed on a Saturday, and man I was angry. I wanted him benched immediately. It didn't matter that we were up by forty.

I even remember when Serge Zwikker made a three from the outside corner. Sheer ugliness.

I remember Dean, Brad, and of course Roy. I remember 8 and 20, and '93, '05, and '09. My living room is a shrine to the last two.

I remember the entire 2005 season. Coming back to beat Dook in the last 90 seconds of the game. I certainly remember the rebound Marvin Williams got and the And 1 to get us back in the game. Rashad's three. Then holding hands in the Dean Dome with John Sands watching the National Championship game. Winning the National Championship game. Rushing Franklin after the National Championship game, jumping over fires, people standing up and screaming through the moon roof of my sister's 25 year old Mercedes.

Oh, and then we won again last year. Sitting at Top of the Hill... amazing. Overlooking the thousands that celebrated on the street.

So how could I not come back for basketball tickets? Last night, however, was something special. As seen in the picture, Clodagh, Kristyn, Meg and I (left to right) sat in the front row of Section 127. I gave up my Phase I ticket so I could see the contours of Travis Wear's ass as he threw in the ball from out of bounds. Meg's extended family has had these tickets since the Dean Dome opened its doors in 1986. Everyone in the stadium and my phonebook was jealous (probably because I also texted and sent pictures of me on the court to at least 100 people in my phone). I told Will Graves when to shoot, and applauded Marcus Ginyard for his defensive efforts. We weren't even allowed to stand because we were front and center.

It is a totally different experience sitting in the front row. The atmosphere, even against NC-Central was spectacular. Final score by the way: 89-42. It was embarrassing... and I loved every minute of it. Thank you, Meg. That was a once in a lifetime moment for me. This is why I came back to Carolina.

I'm a Tar Heel born, and I'm a Tar Heel bred. And when I die, I'll be a Tar Heel dead.