University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Fighting Together
September 13, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Featured Writers, Student-Athlete Development, Adam Lucas
The Dribble for Victory Over Cancer was a perfect capstone to an only-in-Chapel Hill weekend.
By Adam Lucas
The entirety of the Carolina basketball reunion weekend has been a reminder of everything the program encompasses.
                 Â
It's about winning, of course. The Tar Heels are the most important program in college basketball because of their six NCAA championships and the way they've won them, with a changing roster of legendary players and coaches who have had unprecedented success across eras.
                 Â
It's about family, definitely. Last night's events at the Smith Center were a clear reminder of how being a Tar Heel becomes one of the most important parts of the lives of those who are fortunate enough to be part of the program.
                 Â
It's also about using the platform created by all of the success to make a difference in the lives of those who might never pick up a basketball or care about the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. And that's why the 2026-27 Tar Heels were at Carmichael Arena on Sunday morning for the annual Dribble for Victory Over Cancer.Â
                 Â
The event has become an integral part of the early-season Carolina basketball calendar and is an easy way for fans to meet and interact with Tar Heel standouts. Sunday's attendees included the complete rosters of the men's and women's basketball teams, women's lacrosse standout Chloe Humphrey and other teammates and players and/or coaches from gymnastics, softball, men's lacrosse, cheer, mascot and band. With the generosity of an anonymous donor who made a $37,500 matching gift, the event raised over $140,000 for pediatric cancer research.
                 Â
Men's basketball donated $30,000 from previous sales of team-autographed basketballs and then raised an additional $3,000 to help fund the cause. They also had several alums on hand to support the current team, including Harrison Barnes, Marcus Paige and Leslie McDonald.
                 Â
"This whole weekend really speaks to what we always say—Carolina basketball is bigger than one individual," Barnes said. "It's about the way the generations come together, how strong we all are together, and the camaraderie."
                 Â
Barnes, who has won awards from the NBA for his community involvement and is involved in multiple charitable endeavors, spent much of his morning signing autographs and posing for pictures at Carmichael. Then he was on the front row with McDonald to watch Michael Malone and Courtney Banghart help orchestrate the pre-walk presentations.
                 Â
One of Malone's assistants, Pat Sullivan, helped introduce the Eric Montross Courage Award.Â
                 Â
"We all had some understanding that we had a platform as a Carolina basketball player and as a Tar Heel," said Sullivan, who played with Montross on the 1993 national champions. "None of us understood in the same way Eric did exactly how we could use that platform to make someone else's life better.
"I remember him encouraging me to go with him to the Children's Hospital. I wasn't sure if I could do it. It's hard to walk into those rooms. What did I know about walking into a room where a family is going through some of the hardest days of their lives?
"Eric helped show me it's not about saying the exact right thing. Sometimes just being there makes all the difference in the world."
That's why the Tar Heels continue to be part of the event. They want to be there. Both Eric's son, Andrew, and wife, Laura, took the microphone. "You are reminding cancer patients and families that they are not alone," Laura said.
This year's Courage Award was presented to assistant athletic director for new media Ken Cleary. That's a fancy title that obscures Ken's real contributions: virtually nothing that you see or hear that is produced by Carolina—from podcasts to live game productions to video board presentations—would occur without his efforts.
After accepting the award, Cleary gave a moving speech in which he described meeting with Eric Montross in the spring of 2023 to produce a community service video for one of Eric's many causes. Montross was already battling his own cancer diagnosis but was still constantly working for many of his community projects. "I remember thinking that day that I hoped this never happened to me, but if it did, I hoped I would handle it with the same strength and character that Eric was showing," Ken said.
A few hours later, Ken received a call from his doctor that a concerning spot on his leg was indeed cancerous. The best method of treatment was amputation of his right leg from the mid-thigh down.Â
And yet he's barely missed a moment. He remains essential in all the same ways he was before, and has added new ones. He's active in raising money for cancer research and says he uses Montross as his role model for all his community activities.
He left directly from the Dribble event, even as the Tar Heels and over 500 dribblers were walking the mile course around campus, to handle the technical setup for yet another UNC video production. Before he left, though, he gestured at the participants and donors gathered in the Carmichael seats and the kids battling cancer who had sprinted onto the court while running through a tunnel of high fives from the players.
Then he turned to the men's and women's players lined up behind him across the court. The person who spends significant time behind the camera wanted to use this moment on a big stage to say something very important.
"I want you to know that there is no place on earth like this place," he said. "All of this just doesn't happen anywhere else."
The entirety of the Carolina basketball reunion weekend has been a reminder of everything the program encompasses.
                 Â
It's about winning, of course. The Tar Heels are the most important program in college basketball because of their six NCAA championships and the way they've won them, with a changing roster of legendary players and coaches who have had unprecedented success across eras.
                 Â
It's about family, definitely. Last night's events at the Smith Center were a clear reminder of how being a Tar Heel becomes one of the most important parts of the lives of those who are fortunate enough to be part of the program.
                 Â
It's also about using the platform created by all of the success to make a difference in the lives of those who might never pick up a basketball or care about the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. And that's why the 2026-27 Tar Heels were at Carmichael Arena on Sunday morning for the annual Dribble for Victory Over Cancer.Â
                 Â
The event has become an integral part of the early-season Carolina basketball calendar and is an easy way for fans to meet and interact with Tar Heel standouts. Sunday's attendees included the complete rosters of the men's and women's basketball teams, women's lacrosse standout Chloe Humphrey and other teammates and players and/or coaches from gymnastics, softball, men's lacrosse, cheer, mascot and band. With the generosity of an anonymous donor who made a $37,500 matching gift, the event raised over $140,000 for pediatric cancer research.
                 Â
Men's basketball donated $30,000 from previous sales of team-autographed basketballs and then raised an additional $3,000 to help fund the cause. They also had several alums on hand to support the current team, including Harrison Barnes, Marcus Paige and Leslie McDonald.
                 Â
"This whole weekend really speaks to what we always say—Carolina basketball is bigger than one individual," Barnes said. "It's about the way the generations come together, how strong we all are together, and the camaraderie."
                 Â
Barnes, who has won awards from the NBA for his community involvement and is involved in multiple charitable endeavors, spent much of his morning signing autographs and posing for pictures at Carmichael. Then he was on the front row with McDonald to watch Michael Malone and Courtney Banghart help orchestrate the pre-walk presentations.
                 Â
One of Malone's assistants, Pat Sullivan, helped introduce the Eric Montross Courage Award.Â
                 Â
"We all had some understanding that we had a platform as a Carolina basketball player and as a Tar Heel," said Sullivan, who played with Montross on the 1993 national champions. "None of us understood in the same way Eric did exactly how we could use that platform to make someone else's life better.
"I remember him encouraging me to go with him to the Children's Hospital. I wasn't sure if I could do it. It's hard to walk into those rooms. What did I know about walking into a room where a family is going through some of the hardest days of their lives?
"Eric helped show me it's not about saying the exact right thing. Sometimes just being there makes all the difference in the world."
That's why the Tar Heels continue to be part of the event. They want to be there. Both Eric's son, Andrew, and wife, Laura, took the microphone. "You are reminding cancer patients and families that they are not alone," Laura said.
This year's Courage Award was presented to assistant athletic director for new media Ken Cleary. That's a fancy title that obscures Ken's real contributions: virtually nothing that you see or hear that is produced by Carolina—from podcasts to live game productions to video board presentations—would occur without his efforts.
After accepting the award, Cleary gave a moving speech in which he described meeting with Eric Montross in the spring of 2023 to produce a community service video for one of Eric's many causes. Montross was already battling his own cancer diagnosis but was still constantly working for many of his community projects. "I remember thinking that day that I hoped this never happened to me, but if it did, I hoped I would handle it with the same strength and character that Eric was showing," Ken said.
A few hours later, Ken received a call from his doctor that a concerning spot on his leg was indeed cancerous. The best method of treatment was amputation of his right leg from the mid-thigh down.Â
And yet he's barely missed a moment. He remains essential in all the same ways he was before, and has added new ones. He's active in raising money for cancer research and says he uses Montross as his role model for all his community activities.
He left directly from the Dribble event, even as the Tar Heels and over 500 dribblers were walking the mile course around campus, to handle the technical setup for yet another UNC video production. Before he left, though, he gestured at the participants and donors gathered in the Carmichael seats and the kids battling cancer who had sprinted onto the court while running through a tunnel of high fives from the players.
Then he turned to the men's and women's players lined up behind him across the court. The person who spends significant time behind the camera wanted to use this moment on a big stage to say something very important.
"I want you to know that there is no place on earth like this place," he said. "All of this just doesn't happen anywhere else."
Sunday, September 13
Sunday, September 13
Saturday, September 12
Saturday, September 12