UNC Basketball: The 15 Tar Heels opposing fans hated most

Jerry Stackhouse

Jerry Stackhouse played alongside Rasheed Wallace in the mid-90’s, and much was of the hate he got was for the same reason as his UNC counterpart — skilled, confident, flamboyant — and some of it simply because he was guilty by association.

He was a very good backup for North Carolina the season following the Tar Heels’ national championship in 1993. He started just one of the team’s 35 games, but he averaged 12.2 points, five rebounds and two assists in just 21 minutes off the UNC bench.

The following season, however, Stackhouse got to showcase his game more, starting 33-of-34 games, and exerting himself as the Tar Heels’ go-to guy. He averaged a team-high 19.2 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting, and 41.1 percent from three-point range. He also shot north of 71 percent from the free throw line, while bringing in 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. He was named first team All-ACC, and consensus first team All-American.

His dominance as a sophomore definitely aided in opposing fans’ dislike for him, but the thunderous dunks he threw down and the celebrations that often ensued are what really got under their skin. It didn’t help fans to like him any more when he and Wallace — who they already couldn’t stand for his numerous antics and trash talk — would trade turns going up for alley-oops or reverse slams like the one in this clip against the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Stackhouse left North Carolina after just two seasons, and was selected third — one spot ahead of Wallace — in the 1995 NBA Draft. He played 18 seasons in the league for the 76ers, Pistons, Wizards, Mavericks, Bucks, Heat, Hawks and Nets.

In the years since, Stackhouse has had assistant coaching positions with the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies, as well as a head coaching gig with the Raptors’ G-League affiliate, Raptors 905. He accepted the head coaching position at Vanderbilt University in 2019.