Daily Tar Heel, Other Newspapers Trumpet Champs

UNC Tar Heels win national title

The 2008-09 NCAA men’s basketball champion is the North Carolina Tar Heels. Newspapers far and wide, from the Daily Tar Heel to the Boston Globe and San Diego Union-Tribune, have sung the praises of the nation’s best men’s college basketball program. At this writing, the women’s champion has not been decided, but I’m going to pick the Connecticut Huskies. For the purposes of this article, however, let’s focus on what has happened.

Bob Ryan reports for the Boston Globe that the Tar Heels have shown staying power. Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Danny Green all decided to return to the university for their senior season. They put the lure of NBA contract money on hold, and that turned out to be among the biggest reasons why the 2008-09 college basketball season went as it did.

Turning away from NBA money, even if it is only for another year, must be difficult for players if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds. To be able to help their families with a large signing bonus is hard to wait for. To see them not have to depend upon personal loans when times get tough would be gratifying.

But Williams put it to them straight

Head coach Roy Williams knew he had the players; he just needed to keep them focused on winning over merely “working on their game” for NBA draft positioning. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Daily Tar Heel, Other Newspapers Trumpet Champs"