Tag: Luke Maye

Several former UNC basketball stars make appearances at Tuesday workouts

You might recognize these three former Tar Heels who recently appeared at offseason basketball workouts.

Anticipation continues to build for the start of college basketball season, which begins with gameplay in November.

A lot of that anticipation surrounds our North Carolina Tar Heels this week, who recently discovered their non-conference schedule. UNC opens its season against Elon on Monday, Nov. 4 at home, then heads to Kansas four days later for a 2022 National Championship rematch.

North Carolina’s 2024-2025 roster is headlined by the return of reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis, transfer additions of Cade Tyson and Ven-Allen Lubin, plus incoming 5-star McDonalds All-Americans in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. There are a few starting spots up for grabs, most notably center, but plenty of players who will compete for starting minutes.

UNC spent some valuable time at the Dean Dome on Tuesday afternoon, with offseason workouts allowing players the chance to shine in front of the coaching staff.

Also on Tuesday afternoon, there were a couple former Tar Heels you might recognize who showed up: Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Kenny Williams.

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If you haven’t already rewatched his clip thousands of times, Maye is best remembered for his shot against Kentucky in the 2017 Elite Eight. Maye became a starter the following year, averaging a career-high 16.7 points per game.

Kenny Williams was teammates with Maye from 2015-2019, breaking into a starting role during North Carolina’s title-winning season. Williams averaged a career-high 11.4 points per game in his junior year, then later played in the G-League for two seasons, before heading overseas.

Cam Johnson, one of the best transfers to ever play at North Carolina (2017-2019), averaged 16.9 points per game during his senior season. Johnson, now a starter for the Brooklyn Nets, is now a budding NBA star and one of the league’s best shooters (44.7 career field goal percentage).

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Drake Maye shoots hoops with brother Luke on NFL draft day

Former UNC football standout Drake Maye is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the 2024 NFL draft. He spent some valuable time with his brother before the draft, playing basketball with former UNC basketball star Luke Maye.

Luke Maye etched his name into UNC basketball history with his game-winning shot in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. He took a pass from Theo Pinson and sank a deep two against Kentucky en route to North Carolina’s sixth NCAA championship.

Luke’s younger brother, Drake, forever etched his name in UNC football history by earning 2022 ACC Rookie and Player of the Year honors. Drake played himself into Heisman Trophy contention last season, throwing for 400 yards in a game twice, as part of a 3,608-passing yard, 24-touchdown campaign.

Luke’s NBA career didn’t pan out. His only in-game NBA action was for the Milwaukee Bucks’ summer league squad, but I have a strong feeling Drake’s NFL career will end much better. The two are super close, as is the whole Maye family, with Luke highlighting how good of an athlete Drake is.

On 2024 NFL draft day, long before Drake heard his name called on the stage in Detroit, he was seen shooting hoops with Luke.

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If you aren’t able to see Drake and Luke shooting hoops immediately on the above Instagram post, scroll over to the second photo.

We feel pretty confident Drake’s NFL career will pan out, but it looks like he has some pretty solid basketball skills, too.

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WATCH: Revisit Luke Maye’s buzzer-beater vs. Kentucky in 2017 NCAA Tournament

Luke Maye will forever have a special place in UNC basketball lore, thanks to his game-winning shot against Kentucky in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. It happened seven years ago today – on March 26.

We’re already past the first weekend of March Madness and – let me just say – there’s already been a full meal worth of watchable games.

The opening weekend saw Oakland (MI) upset Kentucky, while 11-seed NC State held off the Golden Grizzles this past weekend for a Sweet 16 berth. Jack Gohlke became a March Madness legend with his 3-point ability, while Alabama showed it’s one of the Big Dance’s top offensive teams.

It’s always fun re-visiting old March Madness moments, particularly big comebacks and game-winners.

One of the most memorable game winners came from UNC legend Luke Maye in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

After Kentucky’s Malik Monk tied the game with a wild 3-pointer, North Carolina pushed the ball up court for one last chance at a regulation win. Theo Pinson found Maye near the perimeter and, as Marv Albert would say, “BANG!”

Re-live the legendary moment here, which occurred seven years ago today:

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Maye became a hero and the Tar Heels won, 75-73, en route to their most recent National Championship. Maye played in the G-League for the Milwaukee Bucks’ affiliate in 2019-2010, but now is in Japan.

The UNC faithful are certainly grateful for Maye’s big moment, as it nearly fell victim to another Kris Jenkins-esque moment.

Who will create the next March Madness memory for North Carolina?

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How UNC Basketball’s start to 2023-24 compares to past 10 years

Through nine games, the UNC men’s basketball team is 7-2. That starting record has proven leading to strong finishes in years’ past.

Sitting at 7-2 after nine games into the current college basketball season, UNC’s men’s hoops squad is in a pretty solid position ahead of another tough, non-conference test against Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 16.

Carolina just lost its Jimmy V Classic matchup to UConn, the reigning National Champions, on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Despite the Tar Heels’ best efforts and multiple second-half runs, which closed the game to a couple possessions, the Huskies’ hot shooting proved too much to overcome.

UNC’s only other loss is in overtime to Villanova, another college basketball blue blood who sits at 6-4. Carolina’s lost non-conference games in years’ past to the likes of Belmont (Tenn.) University and Wofford who, despite being some of the stronger, mid-major conference teams, are nowhere near the level of Nova and UConn.

Regardless of what happens against Kentucky, Carolina’s already off to its best start since 2021-2022. We’d talk about how disappointing last season was, but I’m sure you all are tired of hearing the “Preseason Number One to missing the NCAA Tournament” narrative.

Instead in this story, we’ll compare UNC’s current nine-game start to those of the past 10 seasons.

While every team’s goal is to play solid basketball all year long, it’s always better to play your strongest in March and April.

Maye no more: Beau Maye opts not to continue UNC hoops career

Beau Maye, brother of UNC star quarterback Drake Maye and former hoopster Luke Maye, is leaving the Carolina basketball program.

Maye is a household name at the University of North Carolina.

It started when Luke Maye hit “The Shot heard ’round Chapel Hill” in the 2017 men’s basketball NCAA Tournament, sending UNC to its second-consecutive Final Four. The Heels ended up winning the title that year, holding off Gonzaga for their sixth title.

Fast-forward a few years, and Drake Maye is the best quarterback in college football.

Drake finished fourth among Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in passing yards (4,321) and played himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation. He’s a preseason Heisman contender and projected to go in the first round in the 2024 NFL draft.

There’s another Maye brother you might not know as much about: Beau Maye. Beau, who grabbed two rebounds in two minutes for UNC during the 2022-2023 season, will not return.

There was no reason given for Beau Maye leaving the program, but it’s not a huge blow for the Heels. They already return talented starters in Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis, plus a key reserve (and possible future starting center) in Jalen Washington, then brought in electric point guard Elliot Cadeau, Zayden High and a slew of tranfers.

Whether he left to watch his brother sling it on the gridiron or not, it would’ve been unique to still say there’s two Mayes playing at UNC.

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Drake Maye drains game-winner overseas

Former UNC basketball standout Luke Maye drained a buzzer-beater to open the season over in Spain.

Former UNC basketball standout [autotag]Luke Maye[/autotag] knows a thing or two about hitting game-winning shots.

The forward sent the Tar Heels to the Final Four in 2017 after hitting a game-winner against Kentucky. From there, UNC moved on with a win over Oregon and finished off the redemption campaign by beating Gonzaga to win it all.

Now, a few years later he’s hitting a game-winner overseas in his season debut.

Maye hit the game-winning shot for Coviran Granada to help his team win their opener in Liga ACB over in Spain. Check out Maye’s shot on Thursday below as he delivers a win:

Maye has played overseas since 2020, joining Italian team Dolomiti Energia Trento and then Baxi Manresa of Liga ACB. He signed with Coviran Granada this past Summer and is teammates with Marcus Paige.

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