On a game day UNC basketball fans in Chapel Hill paint up and get decked out in Carolina Blue to go watch the Tar Heels in the Smith Center. But many more fans across the country have to turn on TVs to see them play.
Many of these faraway fans are not UNC alumni — many of them have never even been to Chapel Hill. But these fans who have no formal associations with UNC can be as dedicated to Carolina basketball as those sitting courtside.
Alvin Rucker
When the UNC men's basketball team has a night game Alvin Rucker36 puts on his Carolina pajamas and cheers from his couch in Moss Point Miss.
Rucker was young when he first encountered UNC basketball. His cousins were watching the 1982 NCAA championship game" and the quality of Carolina's players and coaches appealed to him.
""They were a class act"" he said.
For Rucker, being a proud Tar Heel fan means recruiting others to root for Carolina alongside him.
I converted my brother" my brother-in-law my sister and my wife Rucker said. His 7-year-old son also roots for UNC.
The ultimate reward for these distant diehards would be to see the Tar Heels play in person.
That's one of my dreams to go to a Carolina game" Rucker said.
Michael Peila
Michael Peila, 52, from Idaho Falls, Idaho, appreciated Carolina's style of play and Dean Smith's coaching when he began cheering for the Tar Heels in the 1970s.
He's the one who really got me hooked on Carolina"" he said.
And being a Carolina fan means becoming involved in the UNC-Duke rivalry, even for fans who can only see the rivalry on TV.
After UNC beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season, Peila sent his friend, a Duke fan, a picture of his four-year-old son wearing Carolina blue with UNC Rocks!"" written at the bottom of the picture.
Peila attended his first UNC basketball game this season when the Tar Heels played Nevada in Reno on New Year's Eve.
""That was kind of like my life dream for basketball"" Peila said. I got Roy Williams' autograph after the game and talked to him a little.""
And Peila has tried to pass the Tar Heel worship on to his seven children" gathering his sons in front of the TV on game days.
Jonathan Bentz
Jonathan Bentz25 from Lancaster Penn." became a Carolina fan when he saw the 1993 NCAA championship game.
""When you're a kid" you're very impressionable" he said. You tend to bandwagon a team that wins.""
Bentz stuck with UNC through tougher seasons. Now he readily talks trash to his mother" a Duke fan and his wife" who picked Illinois to win the 2005 NCAA championship.
""You have to show your colors and stick up for your team"" he said.
Star players like Antwan Jamison, Bentz's favorite UNC basketball player, heighten Carolina's appeal.
When you watch players from Carolina" you're not just watching college basketball" he said. You're watching the future of the NBA.""
Now" with the arrival of March Madness" fans across the country are hoping for a championship.
""I think the team is ready"" Bentz said. There's no choke in Carolina.""
Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
Faraway fans equally devoted
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