North Carolina will play the most unique basketball season opener in school history on Friday, taking to a court that will be on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.
The game against Michigan State on the USS Carl Vinson will be the first of its kind, and it will give coach Roy Williams a good look at his team, which is ranked first in both national polls. For Williams and his players, the game will mean more than the start of their pursuit of the NCAA tournament championship, with Friday being Veteran's Day and most of the controlled game crowd being military personnel.
"I've been excited about it since the very first day we made the decision (to play the game)," Williams said. "To me, it's a way of honoring our military.
"That's what it boils down to."
North Carolina will leave early this afternoon on a flight to San Diego, departing a day earlier than normal for most trips to acclimate to the time change and to the playing conditions on board. The game will be outdoors unless inclement weather forces play inside the ship.
Senior center Tyler Zeller said he's happy to have the time to see the ship and meet the military personnel.
"I'm very appreciative," Zeller said. "I couldn't do what they do. I have a lot of respect for them. As a team, we're all very excited to be able to give back to them. We've all had relatives that have been in the military at some point in time. It's a nice feeling to give back."
At least 13 Tar Heels players have relatives who are serving in the military or have served.
Junior forward John Henson has eight cousins who are presently serving in the military. One was deployed twice to Iraq, while another was recently deployed to Afghanistan.
Sophomore forward Harrison Barnes has an uncle who is retired from the Navy and at one time was stationed in San Diego. Kendall Marshall, a sophomore point guard, has a grandmother who spent 26 years in the Army and retired a lieutenant colonel.
Marshall, who is recovering from a slight back injury suffered late last week, has a deep appreciation for military personnel because of his grandmother's career.
"I think what they do is so much more important than what we do," Marshall said. "We're out here playing for fun. This is almost like a hobby for us. This is every day they're putting their life on the line.
"So I definitely have much more respect for what they go out there and do day to day, opposed to us playing basketball for fun."
Four coaches have family members who served in the military or are serving. Williams has nine uncles, five on his father's side, who served. Two were career military men.
The crowd is expected to include the nation's commander in chief, President Barack Obama. When Obama was campaigning in 2008, he stopped in Chapel Hill and played pickup basketball with the North Carolina players, and he picked North Carolina to win the 2008-09 national championship in his tournament brackets.
North Carolina did, and the team that it defeated in the title game was Michigan State. Williams is looking forward to meeting Obama again.
"It's a big-time deal," Williams said. "He's a basketball junkie, and that's not said in disrespect by any means. I really like the guy, so I'm hopeful that he'll enjoy it. I think he's looking at it as, yes, it's basketball, but it's another way to honor our troops."
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