UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heels find new gig at ACC Network

With the start of the 2021-22 college basketball season starting next month, the ACC Network is adding some new talent and a pair of former UNC Basketball players have a new gig.

The ACC Network announced on Monday morning that they are adding Joel Berry and K.J. Smith to their talent lineup. The two will be joining the network as analysts for the upcoming college basketball season.

Per R.L. Bynum of the Tar Heel Tribune, Berry’s first appearance on the network will come Tuesday morning during “Packer and Durham” with Mark Packer and Wes Durham. He will also have a weekly appearance on “Nothing But Net” which breaks down both men’s and women’s basketball.

“College basketball is everything to me,” said Berry via the Charlotte Observer. “I thought it would be something to where I can stay attached to the game.”

Smith will serve as an analyst on the network’s “All ACC” program, following in his father’s footsteps of being a basketball analyst. Kenny Smith serves as an analyst for TNT and appears on the “NBA on TNT” weekly.

Berry played four seasons at North Carolina and helped lead the Tar Heels to back-to-back title game appearances. He was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player after helping them beat Gonzaga to win the 2017 national championship. Berry finished his career with 1,811 points and 451 assists in his time with the Tar Heels. He recently announced his retirement from professional basketball in August and it didn’t take long for him to find a new job.

Smith spent three years at UNC after transferring from Pacific. He served as a role player on Blue Steel off the bench and appeared in 51 games for the Tar Heels.

For more on the UNC Basketball program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.