North Carolina
Carmichael Comments: Consistent Leaders – University of North Carolina Athletics
But when they are called upon, they’re probably going to deliver. Take Zelaya against Virginia Tech: two threes and three rebounds in her 19 minutes – the bulk of which came in the fourth quarter. Or Poole against Duke, where she matched her season high in ACC play with eight rebounds. The steady veterans began their collegiate career as members of the highly-touted 2020 recruiting class, as names known to Carolina fans before they even stepped on campus.
And when they did arrive?
No fans. The pandemic restrictions prevented any semblance of normalcy for their freshman season. Both post players have seen not only the return of fans, but a slew of ups and downs through their college career. All the while, they’ve stayed consistent, an attribute that was a common talking point when they appeared as guests on this week’s Holding Court radio show.
Poole started 68 games as a Tar Heel between 2020 and 2023, yet has made all 21 of her appearances this season off the bench. For some players, that would be an ego hit. Not for Poole. How does she handle it?
“Knowing my role and knowing what I bring to the team,” she said.
The consistency in preparation, in a mental mastery of the game – one she did not grow up playing, preferring soccer until middle school – has motivated Poole.
“I’m going to give my all and give all I can do for this team every single time I step on the floor,” she told the Carolina fans assembled for Tuesday’s show at the Sheraton Chapel Hill.
Zelaya, who has gone long stretches of her career seeing limited action, returned to the same word: consistency.
“Honestly, it’s consistency,” she said when asked her key to staying ready. “I don’t face a lot of consistency with my playing time, so I have to make consistency in every moment outside of the game.”
The Arizona native pointed to extra work in practice, getting shots up, and taking pride in strength and conditioning as examples of that consistency. Even for a player who will be remembered for doing everything the right way and being the ultimate teammate, understanding that her college career would be defined by sporadic in-game moments wasn’t immediate.
“The acceptance part of ‘hey, that’s what my role is,’ that took a little bit,” Zelaya said.
Now, four years with the duo have seemingly flown by. They’ve gone from freshmen to seniors, and leaders on a team that has enjoyed success and fought adversity against a grueling schedule. Carolina is lucky to have Ali and Anya in the locker room as the Tar Heels battle down the stretch toward their fourth postseason and going a perfect 4-for-4 in qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s what else caught my eye this week …
Inward Focus
In this column last week, we focused on the Tar Heels’ ability to regroup and refocus during the bye week – a chance to break from the grind that had been ongoing for every team in college basketball since the Christmas break. For UNC coach Courtney Banghart, the largest benefit in practice for her team was the lack of needing to devote time in midweek practice for opponent preparation. Think of it this way – and these numbers are arbitrary: if practice is 25 percent skill work, 25 percent team drills, and 50 percent opponent preparation, using that entire half of practice for internal-focused work is a massive benefit.
“I have to say it was really nice to only have one opponent to focus on,” Banghart said prior to the Duke game. “We spent Tuesday and Wednesday really working on ourselves, and finally getting a chance to not have to game prep.”
Offensive Growth
A large part of that internal focus was centered on the offensive end, where the Tar Heels entered the bye week with a streak of two straight games of being unable to crack 60 points in regulation. While Sunday’s game at Duke still ended in disappointment, I asked Coach Banghart after the game about how she would evaluate her team’s offensive performance coming out of the bye.
“For the most part, better,” she said. “When the game got tight, we kind of went back. The ball stuck a little bit.”
Of Carolina’s seven assists, six came in the game’s first three quarters, and from four different players. The Tar Heels enjoyed a third quarter in which they not only shot 50 percent (6-for-12), but also earned eight trips to the foul line and knocked down seven of the eight free throws.
“We were changing our pace with the ball in our hands, separating better, attacking in transition – just more aggressive,” Banghart said of the first 10 minutes after halftime on Sunday.
Putting together more quarters like that one will be important for Carolina to find success down the stretch, and ultimately achieve its goals by winning games.
“Overall, better, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t find a way to win through it,” Banghart said.
Walk-On No More
In case you missed it on social media on Friday, the Tar Heels’ practice session at Carmichael Arena featured one of the most meaningful moments of the entire season. Carolina walk-on guard Sydney Barker, a Durham native and lifelong Tar Heel fan, was preparing to partake in her first ever Duke game. To help set the tone for the matchup on Sunday, Coach Banghart called upon Sydney’s father, Brian, to speak to the team about how significant the Carolina-Duke rivalry is for Tar Heels everywhere and for basketball lovers across North Carolina. However, as Banghart introduced Brian and referenced the financial sacrifice the Barker family makes for Sydney to walk on, she soon mentioned that sacrifice wouldn’t be necessary any longer: Sydney was on scholarship.
It’s the second time in Banghart’s Carolina tenure that she’s given a walk-on a scholarship, with both going to Durham natives and lifelong Tar Heels. Current program General Manager Liz Roberts, who walked on before Banghart came to Chapel Hill, was the recipient of Banghart’s first scholarship, awarded in 2019.
Check out the moment the Barkers received the news below.
This Tar Heel turned her dreams into reality … congrats @sydneybarker_5!Scholarship earned ✅#GoHeels | #InPursuit pic.twitter.com/ub1oKhc18s
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) February 9, 2024
Up Next
Carolina will try to get back to its winning ways this week with two more games that don’t require the team to leave the state. On Thursday, Carolina’s second home game since Jan. 26 takes place as the Tar Heels welcome Pitt to Carmichael Arena. The Panthers are in the midst of a rebuild under first-year head coach Tory Verdi, who came to the Steel City from UMass. While his team has only won one ACC game, it was against a Virginia team that owns a win against Carolina. Coach Banghart is 4-0 against Pitt in her Tar Heel career, with Carolina taking a tied game at the end of the third quarter last season and turning into a 15-point road win. Thursday’s tip is set for 6:00 p.m., with our Tar Heel Sports Network Coverage set to begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. As always, hear the broadcast worldwide for free on the Varsity Network App from Learfield, GoHeels.com, or the GoHeels app. The game will air locally in the Triangle on 97.9 FM/1360 AM WCHL, the flagship station of Carolina women’s basketball. WCHL’s Thursday coverage will begin right at game time at 6:00.
Then on Sunday, the Tar Heels will complete the Tobacco Road triumvirate with the every-other-year trip to Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem to play Wake Forest. Carolina will search for a third straight win over the Demon Deacons and fourth in the last five meetings. Second-year head coach Megan Gebbia is in the midst of putting her own stamp on the program, but with limited success this season. Sunday’s tip is set for 6:00 p.m., with a 5:30 p.m. airtime for the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. As always, hear the broadcast worldwide for free on the Varsity Network App from Learfield, GoHeels.com, or the GoHeels app. The game will air locally in the Triangle on 97.9 FM/1360 AM WCHL, the flagship station of Carolina women’s basketball.
Additionally, the next Holding Court with Courtney Banghart tapes on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at Noon at the Sheraton Chapel Hill. As a reminder, the show is open to the public, and we hope to see you there! If you can’t make it, catch the show on the Tar Heel Voices Podcast Channel or on Wednesday night, Feb. 21, at 7:00 p.m. on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM.
That’s all for now. Go Heels!
-Matt
It was a closer matchup than expected, but the North Carolina Tar Heels eventually separated themselves in an 80-62 win over the USC Upstate Spartans on Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center.
There were times of lapses and lack of attention to detail, which led to the Spartans scoring easy baskets in transition and in the half-court offense.
While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis explained what he was seeing on the court from his players.
- “It’s a tremendous lesson,” Davis said. “I told them, I’m a visual learner. I can remember things, but if I see it, I remember for the rest of my life, and my hope is that they could clearly see that there is a connection between how you prepare and how you practice in relation to how you play. And I identify the areas that have to be there every day. It’s not missed shots. It’s not the turnovers. Everybody misses shots, everybody turns the ball over, everybody makes mistakes.”
- “I just think the things that you have control over; I think those are the things that are non-negotiable,” Davis continued. “You have to bring it every day. That’s energy, effort, attention to detail, enthusiasm, and can’t use the excuse that we have final exams. I’m married and I’ve got three kids. I got prepared for this game early.”
With that being said, here are reasons the Tar Heels should be encouraged following Saturday’s performance.
Luka Bogavac is Playing with Confidence
These are the types of games for role and bench players to build confidence and find their footing in the offense. It was the second consecutive game in which Bogavac shot the ball efficiently, but this was the first time this season that it felt like he was playing with full confidence and rhythm.
The overseas transfer went 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, totaling 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
If Bogavac plays anywhere remotely close to this level during conference play, the Tar Heels will have a chance to compete for the ACC regular season title.
Could Depth be a Strength?
Just a couple of weeks ago, we were questioning how deep this roster was. Without Seth Trimble, North Carolina’s guard play looked suspect, but over the last few weeks, a couple of players have emerged as potential impactful players.
Freshman guard Derek Dixon has been the standout bench player in the previous two games, averaging 11.5 points, while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range.
Sophomore forward Jonathan Powell had his breakout game on Saturday, scoring 17 points while shooting 6-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
It appears North Carolina has at least two bench players who can produce double-digit points on a moment’s notice. With Trimble returning to the lineup soon, which will slide Bogavac back to the bench, the Tar Heels have the flexibility to incorporate eight players into the rotation.
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North Carolina
Virginia signee Hamrick leads Shelby Crest to its 7th North Carolina high school football title by beating Hunt
Wilson J.B. Hunt and Shelby Crest will battle for the Class 5A North Carolina High School Athletic Association title at 8 p.m. at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham.
Both teams enter with 12-2 records in this contest.
Crest has won 6 state titles, the most recent came in 2015 in Class 3AA.
The Crest Chargers have won five in a row since a 21-14 loss to Ashbrook on Oct. 24. During the playoff run, the Chargers have knocked off Concord, 69-6; East Lincoln, 31-14; South Point, 28-14 and Hickory, 39-21.
East Lincoln and Hickory were both ranked ahead of the Chargers in the state.
The Hunt Warriors carry a 6-game winning streak into the finals. One of the two losses came against fellow finalist Tarboro, which is in the 2A finals.
The postseason run has included a pair of close wins for the Warriors, 30-28 against Eastern Alamance in the first round and then 32-29 over Croatan in the quarterfinals. Last week, Hunt beat Northside-Jacksonville, 20-7, to punch the ticket to the finals.
According to MaxPreps, dating back to 2004, these teams have not played.
Crest
QB Ely Hamrick, sr. — 2,686 yards passing and 29 TDs; 706 yards rushing and 17 TDs; signed with Virginia; once played at IMG Academy
RB Malachi Gamble, jr. — 501 yards rushing and 9 TDs
WR Michael Edwards, sr. — 48 catches for 801 yards and 8 TDs; 24 carries for 248 yards and 10 TDs
WR Namjay Thompson, jr. — Has 47 catches for 804 yards and 13 TDs
LB Chris Gunter, sr. — Leads team with 81 tackles; has 10 TFL
S D’Various Surratt, sr. — Team-high 4 interceptions; signed with North Carolina State
S Lyrick Pettis, sr. — 3 interceptions; Duke signee
Hunt
LB Judah Harris, jr. — 184 tackles, 49 TFL, 6 sacks, 56 QB hurries, 2 FF, 2 FR
DT CJ Dickerson, jr. — 174 tackles, 46 TFL, 15 sacks, 40 QB hurries
WR/CB Isaiah Chadwick, sr. — 6 interceptions; 23 catches, 361 yards, 2 TDs
WR/CB Jamauris Howard, sr. — 16 catches for 307 yards, 3 TDs; 8 interceptions
LB Trevorous Cooper, fr. — 127 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 FR
QB Mez Harris, jr. — 1,435 yards passing and 8 TDs; 122 carries for 1,271 yards and 16 TDs rushing
RB Doryan Jones, so. — 243 carries for 1,754 yards and 21 TDS
Tell us who you think will win the game with High School On SI’s Pick ‘Em Challenge
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The 5A @NCFarmBureau Sportsmanship Award recipients, presented by NCHSAA Board members Eddie Doll and Chris Blanton. Congrats!
🏈 Mez Harris (#2) @Hunt_High_NC — NCHSAA (@NCHSAA) December 14, 2025
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|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hunt |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
|
Crest |
7 |
17 |
7 |
0 |
31 |
Hunt gets the all first
Nehemiah Rayquan Parker nearly gets a pick for Crest. Bobbled it twice but it fell to the ground
Crest gets the ball
Hamrick to Edwards for a first down and the ball is near midfield
Big play! Cooper with a blocked punt with 8:02 left. The Warriors will have good field position
Jones with a first-down run. Ball at the 30-yard line; Pettis is hurt on the play
Jones with another big run off tackle. This time, going to the right; Ball at the 5-yard line
Jones with another carry and taken down at the 2 The ball pops out but he is ruled down by contact
TOUCHDOWN! Harris with a 2-yard run at 5:42. PAT is good. Hunt 7, Crest 0
Crest has to punt again. Hunt ball with 4:46 left but ball at the Crest 43-yard line
TURNVOER! Hunt goes deep and Javion Hopper hauls it in. Ball at the 5-yard line. 4:32 left
Ball at the 1-yard line after a TFL
Hamrick to Thompson for a 49-yard completion 2:58 left
Big play! Jason Black runs down to the 3-yard line but a horse collar tackle will make it closer. Crest ball at the 2
Flags on the play
Offsides on Crest
1st and goal at the 7
TOUCHDOWN! Edwards with TD no. 11 on the season. Hamrick ran ahead of Edwards toward the goal line. 1:29 left. Crest 7, Hunt 7
Touchdown by Michael Edwards for Crest. Crest 7 – Hunt 7. 1:29 left in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/QygPT3Dnt4
— What’s Up Shopper (@WhatsUpShopper) December 14, 2025
4th and 1 at the 35 now for Crest; Hunt jumped off sides to make it a little bit shorter
TOUCHDOWN! Edwards with 35-yard run and Hamrick is one of the lead blockers. Crest 14, Hunt 7, 9:17 left in 2nd
Touchdown by Michael Edwards for Crest. Crest 14 – Hunt 7. 9:17 left in the half. pic.twitter.com/YqroLPdlds
— What’s Up Shopper (@WhatsUpShopper) December 14, 2025
Hunt punts; Crest taking over with 5:57 left
TV timeout
Black with a 9-yard run on the first play for the Chargers
Hamrick keeps it and runs for a first down. Ball into Hunt territory; 6-foot-5 TE Romeo Sanders with a big block for the Chargers
Hunt calls a timeout with 3:52 left. Chargers are driving
Edwards in a QB in a Wildcat formation and gets down to the 5 but flags on the play
Holding on Chargers will move the ball back
On a draw, Jason Black runs up the middle and the ball is at the 6.
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick on a tush-push play. 2:06 left. Crest 20, Hunt 7
Offsides on Hunt; offense coming out for 2 points now
A lineman jumps offsides and Crest is sending kicking unit out for the second time
PAT is good. Crest 21, Hunt 7
Television replay just saw the flag thrown on Crest prior to the game; don’t see that often
TOUCHDOWN! Harris tries to pass; finds no one and goes through a entire Crest defense for an 80-yard score. 1:42 left. Crest 21, Hunt 14
Crest calls timeout with 18 seconds left
Hamrick to Surratt — usually a defensive player — for a big gain. Ball at 10
Another timeout with 8 seconds left
incomplete pass; 4 seconds left
FIELD GOAL Carson Grier with a 27-yard FG. 0:00; Crest 24, Hunt 14
Crest gets the ball first
Hamrick to Brock Melton for a first down. WR got an extra 7 yards after initial tackle
Unsporstmanlike call against Crest; guessing for Melton’s celebration after catch, but no mic on ref that time to know who call was against and I can’t read lips that well
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick with another TD run from the 24. 9:56 left Crest 31, Hunt 14
Jones gets the ball near midfield with a long run. He’s up to nearly 100 yards on the night. Ball is at the 48
Harris drops back and finds nothing. He runs for a first down and the ball is at the 32
Bad snap — high — turns into a TFL for Christian Stowe. 4th down coming up for Hunt with 5:37 left and rolling
TURNOVER! 38-yard FG goes wide right; 5:10 left
Crest ball coming out of Media timeout
Hamrick and Black with back-to-back first down runs. Ball at a midfield for the Chargers
Cooper is hurt for Hunt with 2:03 left. He looks to be favoring a shoulder injury
TURNVOER! Harris with an interception with 7 seconds left in third quarter
Incomplete pass; Hunt still doesn’t have any passing yards; Incomplete pass celebration gets a flag on Crest. 1 second left in the 3rd
Hunt calls a timeout with 11:53 left
Hunt punts the ball again; Crest ball with 10:45 left
Big play from Hamrick to Edwards and the ball is at the 13-yard line now.
Crest facing a 4th and 31
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick to Thompson for a TD at 4:16.
Thompson did a backflip after TD and a flag followed, so … connect the dot
Unsportsmanlike call on Crest; so touchdown is off the board
TURNOVER! Harris fumbles and Gunter recovers with 3:22
Sunday’s matchup will be a step down in competition, as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ recent schedule has featured Michigan State, Kentucky, and Georgetown in the last four weeks. With all due respect to the USC Upstate Spartans, they are not in the same class as any of the three teams mentioned above.
North Carolina’s coaching staff and personnel should not view this game as a pointless outing, as the Tar Heels can utilize this matchup to continue developing key features that will serve them well down the road.
With that being said, here are a couple of expectations for North Carolina in a home matchup against USC Upstate.
Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar Should Continue Dominance
The Tar Heels’ frontcourt, consisting of Veesaar and Wilson, has been the team’s driving force on both ends of the floor. That trend should continue on Saturday against USC Upstate, as the Spartans are an undersized team, with their tallest player at 6-foot-9.
This season, Wilson is averaging 19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Veesaar is averaging 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting 63.6 percent from the field.
Both players could total career highs in points and rebounds in this game, which could easily translate to 20+ in each category.
Another Steppingstone for the Backcourt
North Carolina’s backcourt produced a complete group effort against Georgetown on Sunday, with Kyan Evans and Derek Dixon having standout performances. Evans totaled seven points and four assists, which all occurred in the opening minutes, but it set the tone for the Tar Heels. Dixon scored 14 points, while shooting 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range.
Head coach Hubert Davis highlighted both players’ performances against the Hoyas during his postgame press conference.
- “I thought the start that [Kyan Evans] had was huge for us,” Davis said. “I mean, it’s not just the shots that he made. He was confident, he was aggressive, he was on point. It’s been five out of eight games where he’s gotten into foul trouble, so we’ve [got to] find a way to keep him out there on the floor.”
- “I really like [Kyan] and Derek [Dixon] on the floor at the same time,” Davis continued. “I’ve always said that I love multiple ball handlers. You can’t take us out of our offense. And with those two, with the way that Georgetown was switching defenses, we always had somebody that can handle the basketball and get us into a set and get us organized.”
That was the first time in weeks where Evans was playing with complete confidence and was not hesitant shooting the ball from the perimeter. As for Dixon, it was the second straight game the freshman guard played a monumental role in the team’s win. Both players have an opportunity to replicate that level of production on Saturday.
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