Tar Heels Basketball: 2015 Year in Review

It was a big year for Tar Heel basketball. Here is a review of some of the biggest moments of the year.

2015 marked a year for the North Carolina Tar Heels characterized with joy and pain. Although 2015 began on a sour note, it will end on better terms as we usher in 2016 with a potential NCAA championship in April.

Jul 16, 2013; Hollywood, CA, USA; Stuart Scott emcees the 2013 Gatorade National Athlete of the Year Awards at the W Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Stuart Scott lost his battle to cancer on January 4, 2015. Scott graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1987. He became a well-known sports broadcaster and analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports. His catch phrases “Boo-yah!,” “He is cooler than the other side of the pillow,” “Holler at a playa when you see him across the street,” and many other phrases set the bar for all future sports broadcasters.

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Legendary UNC coach Dean Smith passed away on February 7, 2015. Smith coached the Tar Heels from 1961 to 1997. His philosophy continues to permeate through the current. Smith has been credited with inventing “Four Corners” and developing the “tired signal (when a player desires to come out the game).” Smith was a Civil Rights’ activist. He fought racism in Chapel Hill and nationwide. Smith changed the landscape of college basketball in the South forever when he recruited Charles Scott in 1966. Scott became the first Black scholarship athlete in the South. With Coach Smith, race was irrelevant.

Smith won one NIT championship, one Olympic gold medal, two NCAA championships, 11 NCAA Regional championships, 13 ACC Tournament championships and 17 ACC Regular season championships. His list of awards include four time National Coach of the Year, nine-time ACC Coach of the Year, North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1981), Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (1996), FIBA Hall of Fame (2007), Basketball Hall of Fame (1993), College Basketball Hall of Fame (2006) and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (1997).

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Legendary coach Bill Guthridge passed away May 12, 2015. Guthridge was a long-time assistant coach (1967 to 1997) for Dean Smith. Guthridge resisted many offers as a head coach for other universities, due to his love and passion for UNC basketball. When Smith retired in 1997, Guthridge coached the Tar Heels from 1998 to 2000. He led UNC to two Final Fours in 1998 and 2000.

Mar 26, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) moves to the basket against Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) during the second half in the semifinals of the west regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

The North Carolina Tar Heels lose to the Wisconsin Badgers 79-72 in Sweet 16. Freshman sensation Justin Jackson connected on all three of this three-point field goals and six of his 11 field goals for 15 total points. Brice Johnson finished the game with 15 points and four rebounds. Marcus Paige was third in UNC scoring with 12 points. Wisconsin won this game by controlling the boards. They out-rebounded Carolina 35 to 28.

Wide-open dunks like this are a product of fast-breaks and a fast pace. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports /

J.P. Tokoto turns pro after three seasons in Chapel Hill. Although Tokoto came off the bench as a freshman, he started as a sophomore and junior. In three seasons, Tokoto averaged 8.3 points and 4.3 assists. He was known for his defensive prowess and impressive dunks. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Tokoto at the 58th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Jan 18, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) grabs a rebound as forward Kennedy Meeks (3) and guard/forward Justin Jackson (44) look on and Virginia Tech Hokies forward Shane Henry (0) and guard Will Johnston (25) and guard Adam Smith (3) defend in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Hokies 68-53 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson earned spots on the third team All-ACC team. Kennedy Meeks was an All-ACC Honorable Mention player. Justin Jackson is the lone UNC Tar Heel on the All-ACC Freshman Team.

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Sean May joined the University of North Carolina men’s basketball staff as assistant to the director of player development in October 2015. May spent five seasons in the NBA. He played overseas, as well. In 2005, May was the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four. He led UNC to a national championship with averages of 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds during the entire tournament. In the NCAA championship game versus the Illinois Fighting Illini, May finished the game with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

26 September 2015: Former UNC basketball players James Michael McAdoo (left) and Harrison Barnes (right) hold the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy they won as members of the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors. The University of North Carolina Tar Heels hosted the University of Delaware Blue Hens at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in a 2015 NCAA Division I College Football game. UNC won the game 41-14. (Photograph by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire) /

On June, 2015, Harrison Barnes and James Michael McAdoo win an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors. Both former Tar Heels had significant roles in the Warriors’ upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Barnes was a starter for the Warriors, logging the majority of his minutes at both forward positions. McAdoo manned the center position in a reserve role. Golden State won the series, 4-2.

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