GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2009
S D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION DRSJR15252-LG-173 (04/28)
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Sponsors: |
Senator Rand. |
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Referred to: |
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a joint resolution declaring THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA at chapel hill MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM a North Carolina Institution AND CONGRATULATING THEM ON SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS RESULTING IN THE 2009 NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP.
Whereas, Dr. James A. Naismith created the sport of basketball in 1891 and believed that all people should "be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals"; and
Whereas, Dr. Naismith was instrumental in establishing basketball as a collegiate sport, serving as one of the game's first college coaches at the University of Kansas; and
Whereas, college basketball programs quickly sprang up all over the country after Dr. Naismith's creation became well-publicized, leading to the formation of conferences to govern and organize competition; and
Whereas, one of the first conferences to be organized was the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, founded in 1894, and one of its charter members was the University of North Carolina; and
Whereas, the University of North Carolina's men's basketball program has been one historically identified with the beliefs Dr. Naismith espoused; and
Whereas, the 2008-2009 men's basketball season began with the North Carolina Tar Heels as the consensus Number One team in the major national polls; and
Whereas, the 2008-2009 Carolina men's basketball team finished Number One in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular season for a record 27th time with a 13-3 record; and
Whereas, while it is generally recognized that a team's performance during the regular season is important and often worthy of praise and remembrance, the three-week period during which the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball championship is decided captivates the attention of the citizens of our great nation like no other event; and
Whereas, the various stages of this three-week competition are known by several different names, such as March Madness (although this year it ended in April), the Big Dance, the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and the NCAA Division I Championship; and
Whereas, Carolina entered the 2009 version of March Madness as the Number One seed in the South Regional, the 13th time Carolina has earned a top seed since the NCAA selection committee began seeding the teams (with no other school being a Number One seed more than 10 times); and
Whereas, Carolina's first four wins in the 2009 tournament over Radford, Louisiana State, Gonzaga, and Oklahoma sent the Tar Heels to an NCAA record 18th Final Four, and their ninth Final Four in the last 19 years, the third time in the last five years that Carolina has played in the Final Four. No other ACC team has reached a regional final in those five years; and
Whereas, Carolina's next two victories over Villanova and Michigan State made the Tar Heels the 2008-2009 men's basketball National Champions, confirming both their preseason Number One ranking and the predictions of their scrimmage partner, President Barack Obama; and
Whereas, Carolina's national championship victory came in a game with the largest attendance in NCAA championship game history (72,922) and gave the Tar Heels 102 victories in NCAA men's basketball tournament play, the most of any team in NCAA history; and
Whereas, the 2009 Tar Heels broke the record for the most points scored in the first half of a championship game (55) and the record for the largest halftime lead (21), became the first team to win all six games by at least 12 points in the NCAA Tournament, and now have the second-largest point differential in NCAA tournament history (+121); and
Whereas, the 89-72 Carolina win over Michigan State was a convincing and thorough victory but one that left intact Duke's record for the worst loss in Final Four history (103-73 to UNLV in 1990); and
Whereas, the 2008-2009 title is Carolina's fifth NCAA championship in men's basketball, tying the Tar Heels for third place but giving them more national championships than any other school in North Carolina; and
Whereas, the 1924 Carolina men's basketball team, which went 25-0, was chosen by a panel of experts at the Helms Athletic Foundation to have been the country's best team and was named "National Champion" in men's college basketball that year as well, said national championship being the first men's basketball national championship won by a team from the South; and
Whereas, Carolina now has the most NCAA men's basketball championships in the "modern era" (defined to be that period after UCLA's last championship under John Wooden); and
Whereas, the senior players on Carolina's 2009 National Champion men's basketball team include Mike Copeland, Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard, Danny Green, Tyler Hansbrough, Patrick Moody, J.B. Tanner, and Jack Wooten; and
Whereas, the senior class of 2009 won 124 games during their four years at Carolina, the most wins by any one class in Carolina history; and
Whereas, the senior players named above were undefeated in all away games played within a 12-mile radius of Chapel Hill; and
Whereas, Tyler Hansbrough was an All-American all four years he played at Carolina, was the consensus 2008 men's basketball National Player of the Year, won the Lowe's Senior Award in 2009, which recognizes student athletes for staying in school all four years and for academic, community, and athletic achievement, is the only player in ACC history to be a unanimous First Team All-ACC selection for four years, holds NCAA records for most free throws made (982), for most points (2,872), most games scoring in double figures (133), most games scoring 20 or more points (78), most free throw attempts (1,241), and is the only player in ACC history to lead his team in scoring and rebounding all four years; and
Whereas, Ty Lawson was the 2009 ACC men's basketball Player of the Year, was the 2009 NCAA South Regional MVP, was a consensus Second Team All-American, won the 2009 Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard, and set the NCAA championship game record for steals with eight; and
Whereas, Wayne Ellington was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 Final Four and broke the Final Four record for highest three-point field goal percentage (a record previously held by fellow Tar Heel Donald Williams); and
Whereas, Danny Green set Carolina career records for most games played (145), most wins (123), and is the only player in ACC history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three pointers, 150 blocks, and 150 steals, and became the fourth Tar Heel selected to the league's All-Defensive Team; and
Whereas, Marc Campbell, Ed Davis, Larry Drew II, Deon Thompson, Justin Watts, and Tyler Zeller all played very important roles throughout the season and in the NCAA tournament to help lead Carolina to its national championship, with freshman Ed Davis selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team and freshman Tyler Zeller selected to the ACC All-Academic Team; and
Whereas, Coach Roy Williams, a Tar Heel born and bred, as well as a direct descendant in the coaching "family tree" of Dr. Naismith, is a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, was named America's Best Basketball Coach by Forbes Magazine this year, became only the fourth active and 13th all-time coach to win two or more NCAA men's basketball championships, has coached teams to seven Final Fours (five in the last eight years), is third all-time and second among active coaches in NCAA Tournament victories, has a record 20 consecutive years winning at least one game in the NCAA tournament, holds the record for active coaches for most consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, has led Carolina to four ACC regular season championships in the last six years, and has the highest winning percentage among active coaches; and
Whereas, Assistant Coaches Joe Holladay, Steve Robinson, C.B. McGrath, and Jerod Haase have helped Coach Williams lead Carolina to two National Championships in the last five years; and
Whereas, Inside Higher Education also did a 2009 NCAA Bracket Competition based on Academic Progress Rates and Carolina won this national championship also; and
Whereas, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is home to many firsts and achievements, including being established as the first public university in the nation, being the only public university to admit students in the 18th century, being acknowledged nationwide for excellence in athletics as well as academics, and being justifiably proud of a sky that is a particularly beautiful shade of blue; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
SECTION 1. The General Assembly declares the men's basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a North Carolina Institution and expresses the admiration and respect of the people of North Carolina to them for winning the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Championship.
SECTION 2. The General Assembly recognizes the perseverance, teamwork, and hard work of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill men's basketball team members: Marc Campbell, Mike Copeland, Ed Davis, Larry Drew II, Wayne Ellington, Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard, Will Graves, Danny Green, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Patrick Moody, J.B. Tanner, Deon Thompson, Justin Watts, Jack Wooten, and Tyler Zeller; and coaches and staff: Roy Williams, Joe Holladay, Steve Robinson, C.B. McGrath, Jerod Haase, Chris Hirth, Eric Hoots, Jonas Sahratian, Molly Brenner, Bobby Cooper, Zach Lagod, Brandon Rhodes, Ryan Riedel, and Sean Stout.
SECTION 3. The Secretary of State shall transmit certified copies of this resolution to Head Coach Roy Williams; the team members, coaches, staff, and managers honored in this resolution; Athletic Director Dick Baddour; and Chancellor Holden Thorp on behalf of the university community.
SECTION 4. This resolution is effective upon ratification.