The future of the Kings of Tobacco Road game hinges on whether or not the NBA Player’s Association decertifies this week.
Should the players not accept the current offer from the owners, the NBA will remain locked out and current players will still be looking to play somewhere until a deal is accepted and training camp begins.
And Matt Moyer, one of the event’s organizers, feels pretty good about the chances of the Duke-UNC alumni game being played in nine days.
Moyer is the head of basketball operations for Bleid Sports, a Kentucky-based basketball event consultant group. On Tuesday morning, he offered some additional information about the Kings of Tobacco Road game that was first reported on Monday.
During the summer, he met with former UNC star and S.J.G. Greater N.C. Pro-Am host Jerry Stackhouse at North Carolina Central, where Stackhouse informed him there were several Duke and UNC players who were interested in getting a game together. They just needed an organizer and a venue.
Moyer had a relationship with the folks at Duke and Cameron Indoor Stadium, but because of several Blue Devil games slated for next week, he had to move the event from Cameron to NCCU’s McDougald-McLendon Gym, where the pro-am is hosted.
The rosters are fluid and obviously depend heavily on what’s going on with the NBA. But Moyer said that “with all confidence, if they aren’t in training camp, they’ll play with us.”
The current rosters, according to Moyer:
UNC- Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Vince Carter, Shammond Williams, Donald Williams, Raymond Felton and Brendan Haywood.
Duke- Nolan Smith, Kyrie Irving, JJ Redick, Chris Duhon and Elton Brand.
Former UNC point guard Phil Ford and Duke point guard Jay Williams have been reported to be the coaches for the respective teams. Moyer said because of Williams’ college basketball analyst duties for ESPN, he may not be able to coach the game. If that’s the case, organizers have looked at recruiting former Duke star Christian Laettner as the coach of the Blue Devils.
He said because of the high demand already for the event, Bleid Sports is looking into holding the event on Friday, Nov. 18, as well. Moyer said he received a call Monday evening on his home phone from a fan hoping to buy 100 tickets from Moyer by phone.
Another event that’s in the works is a UNC-Kentucky alumni game that could be in December at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. While no contract has been settled, Moyer feels comfortable about the game, which would be played the night before the current Tar Heels and Wildcats play on Dec. 3.
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