Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels to honor Joel Berry at halftime of Duke game

By Blake Cockrum

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: Joel Berry II #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels speaks to media in the locker room after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: Joel Berry II #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels speaks to media in the locker room after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Former UNC basketball standout and national champion Joel Berry II will be honored at halftime of the Tar Heels’ game against Duke on Saturday.

The University of North Carolina will honor former men’s basketball standout Joel Berry II, a key member of the Tar Heels’ 2017 national championship team. UNC head coach Roy Williams made the announcement on Thursday afternoon.

"“We’re gonna honor his jersey for being MVP of the national championship team and MVP of the Final Four,” Williams said. “That part will hopefully be a nice celebration for him and his family at halftime.”"

Berry was an integral part of back-to-back national title game appearances for the Tar Heels in 2016 and 2017. He scored 22 points and dished out six assists against Gonzaga en route to the program’s sixth NCAA Tournament title, and was the first player since UCLA’s Bill Walton in 1972-73 to score 20 or more points in consecutive national championship games. And like Walton, Berry was named Most Outstanding Player for his performance. He’s also one of just two Tar Heels to win MVP honors in both the ACC Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament.

A recipient of the Patterson Medal (the most prestigious athletic honor at UNC) in 2018, Berry is one of just four players in program history to finish his career with at least 1,800 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists. His point-per-game average increased every year that he was on campus. He averaged 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a senior. He was named first team All-ACC, and third team All-American in 2018.

Berry is currently playing for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He’s averaging 5.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 36.8 percent from the floor, and 30.2 percent from three-point range.

Next. Theo Pinson's big night in the G-League. dark

Stick with Keeping It Heel for live coverage of the event on Saturday, as well as everything UNC basketball.

Home/UNC Basketball