Column: Untold stories from covering UNC men's basketball

Most of you will probably recognize my stories better than my face or my name.

Nick Weiler’s game-winning kick? That feature on Nate Britt from a month ago, or the front page piece on Luke Maye’s legendary shot from Sunday night?

Well, those were all me.

I’ve been so fortunate, so blessed, to have seen all these games and met all these people in person. They’re experiences I’ll never forget.

But for every story I’ve written — for every basket, foul, or 3-pointer — there’s so many behind the scenes I’ve never gotten to write about.

Say, the time I danced with Kennedy Meeks in a fraternity basement four years ago.

Or when I took shots with Nate Britt at Country Fried Duck; spoke with head coach Roy Williams on my personal cell phone; grabbed bagels at Alpine with Luke Maye or watched Isaiah Hicks play Call of Duty in his room.

I don’t mean to sound pretentious with any of this. I just wish I could’ve shared all these moments as they happened — reminded you all how basketball players on a screen are really just normal people like you and me.

Because that’s what you guys want to read. You saw Maye’s shot; you don’t need me to describe it. What you want to know is what happened next. What you want to know is what really goes down in that huddle.

On Sunday night against Kentucky, for example, that was curse words. A whole bunch of them. You can’t print those, can’t report every single word those guys say to one another — that isn’t fair to them. They’re college kids playing a game, and they got excited when they won. How would you like if everyone knew every word you spoke, even if just within the circle of your best friends?

And so there’s plenty more stories — of naked behinds in the post game showers or playlists made exclusively of Drake — but there isn’t nearly enough time to tell them.

But it’s all in fun. And so I try to recap these little moments, these quirky happenings whenever I get a chance. This postseason, I’ve written about a texting groupchat, apple juice and a Playstation 4, for example.

Those are the things you all want to know. And so I’ll do my best to keep sharing them with you. But first, I’ve got one last story to tell you.

After that Elite 8 win against Kentucky, I asked Kennedy Meeks what exactly the team said when they saw Maye’s shot go in. The truth, I asked him — you can be honest with me.

He just grinned, then looked me dead in my eyes and said something I won’t forget:

“I can’t tell y’all that. I just can’t. Some things, you guys just don’t need to know.”

@BrendanRMarks

sports@dailytarheel.com