TO THE EDITOR:
Upon hearing of Harrison Barnes’ decision to return for his sophomore season, I immediately thought that in many ways next year will be like the 2009 season.
Then another thought came to my mind: Only the seniors at UNC will have had been students during the 2009 campaign. As such, I figured I would give all the freshmen, sophomores and juniors out there an idea of what to expect.
Watching a team as talented as next year’s will undoubtedly be fun, but there will also be a sense of pressure. Suddenly you may not be relieved when UNC pulls out a close game, but instead worried as to why the game was close in the first place.
There is only one outcome by which the season will be deemed a success: another banner.
Consequently, never fail to appreciate just how much fun it was to be a UNC basketball fan this past season. In my four years I saw the Tar Heels make it to at least the Elite Eight three times.
As great as those years were, this past season may have been the most fun I had watching UNC basketball. There is something special about seeing a group of young, talented players transformed from an amalgamation of individual talent into a true team.
Next season could really be something special, but don’t fail to appreciate what the team accomplished this year.
After all, next year’s promise is only possible as a result of what this year’s team accomplished.
