I grew up a fan of Dean Smith's teams in the 80s and 90s and as a result, grew up spoiled. Making the tournament every year, Final Fours every other year, some of the best players to come through the ACC... I took wins and deep NCAA runs die granted.
Then Dean retired. Things didn't go south immediately, but the Heels didn't dominate as they used to. Some teams overachieved, some under, andof course Matt Doherty carpet bombed his way through a messy three year run of ups and then bottomed-out downs.
When Roy was brought home to save the school, things seemed to return to the way I remembered. Finishing at the top of the conference, high seed in the tournament. With Hansbrough we were spoiled again with consecutive deep runs before another 21st century title.
And then last season happened, when a dissappointing team frustrated both Coach Williams and Heels fans. This season started slowly, and many of us worried the good times - the high life of the halycon 1990s - were just that: a part of the school's history.
But things turned around somewhere around the time Larry Drew decided to pick up his ball and take his bad attitude home. And rooting for the Heels is fun again. Sure they may throw out a drinker like they did in the ACC Tourney final. And this recent trend of ceding double digit first half deficits before roaring back is going to lead to too-early visits to the cardiologist. But unlike during the 1990s run of success, I'm not taking this team or its wins for granted. I am thoroughly enjoying this period of fandom. Win or lose, this is a Heels team that I am happy to cheer on. And that makes for a fantastic March.
