Dear 2015-2016 UNC men's basketball team

Dear 2015-2016 UNC men's basketball team,

First and foremost, I would like to thank every single player on this team for an incredible year. You represented this university so well, and you really did us proud this entire season. I'd also like to thank you for one other thing: helping me grow as a fan.

You've helped me start a new chapter in my life. 

Before coming to UNC, I was an avid fan of Notre Dame football. As far as painful sports memories go, I've lived through some tough BCS bowl game losses, including one particular painful one to Alabama in 2013.

I thought I knew what it was like to be a college sports fan based off of watching all of those games. I've now come to realize that I was very wrong. 

Emotion plays an important role in sports. Sure I was sad when Notre Dame lost, but it didn't really affect me. Those teams were never 'mine' so to speak. Sure I thought they were cool and all but they didn't represent my school. They didn't represent me.

You, on the other hand, do.

You've given me a team and a program that I care about so much that I now know what it is like to cry over a game. And I wouldn't trade those tears for the world.

You've given me the most amazing first-year experience I could have ever asked for. You've shown me what it means to be a Tar Heel and what it means to be a fan of college sports. 

I know that not every year is going to be like this, and that's okay. It makes this year, this team, and what you've accomplished special. 

You've given me a team to call my own, and for that I thank you.