North Carolina
Duke-North Carolina court storm controversy escalates after DA’s rebuke of ‘punched in the face’ accusation
If choking away a big lead to heated rival North Carolina isn’t bad enough, Jon Scheyer is now being accused of lying by a North Carolina district attorney.
Jeff Nieman, the district attorney for Chatman and Orange Counties in North Carolina, called out the Duke head coach after he said staff members got “punched in the face” after Tar Heels fans stormed the court following an upset win in Chapel Hill on Feb. 7.
“A week has passed, and what seemed likely is now patently obvious. There is zero evidence that anyone from Duke’s basketball program was ‘punched in the face’ at the Smith Center last week. Nor is there any evidence that a staffer was ‘trampled on the floor’ or ‘in a complete brawl’, for that matter,” Nieman tweeted Monday afternoon.
“Some have asked why I’m talking about this. It’s certainly not because of a sports rivalry. That’s no business of the DA’s Office. But I’ve seen firsthand how reckless accusations of violence incite more violence, and that is my business. Someone with the power and influence of a major men’s basketball coach should exercise more discretion before just saying things that can have real-world consequences.”
After a 101-64 home thrashing of Syracuse on Monday night, Scheyer stood by his story.
“I would like to focus on Syracuse, but I’ll tell you that I know what I saw and I know what happened with our staff after the game, and that’s the bottom line. I’m not going to go and circle back or get into — I don’t know what was said or wasn’t said or what people want to claim, but I know what happened,” Scheyer said. “I’m always going to support our staff in those situations, and again, I could’ve even said more and I’m not going to do that, but we’re moving on. … But I don’t want to go back.”
This Tobacco Road drama dates back to the teams’ first meeting this season when North Carolina rallied to stun Duke, 71-68, on Seth Trimble’s 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Fans stormed the court after the team’s largest comeback win over Duke in 25 years — according to the ESPN broadcast — and that’s when Scheyer alleges things went off the rails.
“I got staff members that got punched in the face,” Scheyer said that day. “My family pushing people away, trying to not get trampled. That’s not what this game is about. You give them all the credit in the world. It’s not about the game, but obviously that was a scary ending and this rivalry is not about that.”
Nieman posted Monday after the rivalry game, asking for evidence of any said assaults for potential prosecutions, noting that “what particularly interests” him was the alleged punches.
“On Saturday night, Duke men’s basketball coach alleged multiple assaults occurring against his staff. If provided with evidence to support these allegations, they should be charged and we will prosecute,” he wrote in a two-part tweet on Feb. 9. “With over 20,000 recording devices there, it’s impossible to imagine that these assaults would not have been captured on one or more of them. So please, if you are in possession of evidence of these crimes, please come forward.”
Duke and North Carolina meet again on March 7 in Durham in the teams’ regular-season finales in what will surely be an intense atmosphere.
The Blue Devils (24-2, 13-1 ACC) first have a massive game Saturday against top-ranked Michigan that could influence the No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournaments.
North Carolina (20-5, 8-4) is trying to stay afloat without starter Caleb Wilson, who recently broke his hand.
North Carolina
Memorial service held for former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett
Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
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North Carolina
No. 11 Virginia vs. No. 3 North Carolina Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Lacrosse
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
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North Carolina
Helene blowdown contributes to Hendersonville brush fire, officials say
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Fire crews are responding to a brush fire near Howard Gap Road in Hendersonville on Friday evening.
The fire is across the street from the Ebenezer Baptist Church and near the Highlands Square Shopping Center.
Henderson County Fire Marshal Glen Gillette said crews are fighting “blowdown from Helene.”
NEW WILDFIRES IGNITE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA FOREST AMID WORSENING DROUGHT
Around 11 p.m., the fire appears larger than it did an hour ago because crews are backburning, which refers to using fire to help control the wildfire.
Dana Fire Department Chief Jimmy Womack said that what was a 3-acre fire an hour ago will be an 8-acre fire due to back burning. He said the fire is 80% contained.
Womack said the cause of the fire is unknown, but one of the conditions contributing to the blaze is the Helene blowdown.
“There’s a lot of blowdown in these woods behind us. That’s what creates most of the problem,” said Womack.
Womack said there has been no property damage and no injuries have been reported for this fire in the woods that 24 personnel are fighting. They got the call to arrive at 6:05 p.m.
LOCAL NEWS
Dana Fire and Rescue and Henderson County Fire Department are supporting the U.S. Forest Service with this fire.
Glen said no structures are threatened at this time and Howard Gap Road is closed.
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This story will be updated as new information is discovered.
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