Coach Smith asked the Elacquas to serve as “buddy parents” and he paired the Elacquas with James and Deloris Jordan, parents of a freshman recruit who came to the North Carolina program in 1981 when Perkins was a sophomore. “We knew Michael since he was a skinny 18-year-old kid. We hit it off right away with Michael’s parents. They were so kind and gracious we remained friends with them over the years,” Marlene Elacqua said. The Elacquas socialized with the Jordans and stayed several nights as guests at the Jordans’ home in Charlotte.