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DTH Sports at a Glance

DTH Sports at a Glance: Ping pong is serious, people

UNC 2018 commit Coby White (left) poses with Greenfield School's runner-up trophy on Dec. 30 at the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh.
Buy Photos UNC 2018 commit Coby White (left) poses with Greenfield School's runner-up trophy on Dec. 30 at the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh.

In high school, I played a lot of ping pong. 

Every day after school, I would play — no, beat — my brother, Ben. We'd get home, drop our backpacks off and head to the former dining room that we converted to a room specifically for table tennis.

These games were competitive. We would regularly play best-of-seven series, and once we even played a best-of-seven series of that best-of-seven series (yes, "series" is the plural of series). Our unofficial motto was that if you're not sweating, you're not trying hard enough. 

The culmination of this motto came one day in the middle of a long point. One forehand after another, I was hitting the corners of the table and moving my brother side to side. On one sharply hit backhand I thought was sure to be a winner, Ben ran full force to the wall and knocked a hole in it trying to return the shot. 

The point of the story being: ping pong is serious. And with basketball season fast approaching, it seems North Carolina junior Brandon Robinson knows that, as referenced below.



Though first-year Coby White may need to work on his ping pong game, his alpha dog mentality has made him the leader of the most highly-touted group of UNC newcomers in six years. 

That group of White, Nassir Little and Rechon Black will be crucial to UNC's success this year. Just as important are the team's veterans. Though Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson are gone, Kenny Williams is ready to lead the Tar Heels in 2018-2019 alongside Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson. 

Here are the rest of your stories from the world of UNC athletics this week:

Surratt out for the season

In his first game back from suspension, quarterback Chazz Surratt tore ligaments in his right wrist attempting a tackle against Miami. He will undergo surgery Wednesday and won't be back on the field until next season.

His absence brings up questions for North Carolina in a primetime matchup with Virginia Tech Saturday night. 

Gerard shoots best round in UNC golf history

On Monday, sophomore Ryan Gerard shot a career-best 10-under par 61 at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Classic. The round, which was the best in UNC history, helped the Tar Heels to a third-place finish in the tournament.

The many braces of Nils Bruening

After two ACL surgeries kept him off the field last season, Nils Bruening's two goals led UNC men's soccer past Virginia Tech Saturday. The win propelled North Carolina to No. 1 in the polls, but in its first game as the top-ranked team in the country, UNC tied unranked Old Dominion, 1-1. 

Tar Heels in the Pros

Eric Ebron, tight end for the Indianapolis Colts, had a career game last Thursday. The former Tar Heel went for two touchdowns and 105 yards, showing his NFL potential. 

Coming up this weekend

In a full weekend for UNC sports, basketball takes the Dean Dome floor for the first time this season at Late Night with Roy and football plays a night game. We have the scoop for you on those events and many others, including No. 1 men's soccer and No. 1 field hockey in action. 

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@holtmckeithan

@DTHSports| sports@dailytarheel.com

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