Tag: UNC

Hamdy Refaee named UNC assistant fencing coach

The North Carolina fencing team named Hamdy Refaee as the new assistant coach.

The UNC fencing team has added [autotag]Hamdy Refaee[/autotag] to their coaching staff, naming him the new assistant coach.

The announcement came Friday that Refaee would join the Tar Heels after working as an instructor at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club for the past two years. In a press release by Go Heels, North Carolina’s head coach Matt Jednak stated his thoughts on Refaee joining the program.

“We are very excited to have Hamdy join our family,” Jednak said. “He is not only an amazing coach, but an amazing person. His character and energy show that he has always been a Tar Heel. Our team is going to benefit greatly from all the experiences he brings with him. I personally feel very blessed that he is with us.”

Refaee comes to UNC with experience as the assistant fencing coach for the US Air Force Academy for three years. Refaee also had two stints with the Egyptian National team, winning a few tournaments, including placing for a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2016.

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Twitter reacts to ESPN asking “Who is the REAL Carolina?”

ESPN had Twitter in shambles after asking whether USC or UNC was the real “Carolina.” We take a look at the reaction.

The temperature is heating up between the North Carolina Tar Heels and South Carolina as fans debated who the real “Carolina” was.

Days after ESPN announced that College GameDay would be covering the battle of the Carolinas at Bank of America Stadium in week one, they tweeted out a million-dollar question.

Who is the REAL “Carolina”?

The question sparked the reaction, garnering over 1.5 million views, as fans debated which team should be considered the real Carolina. The answer is clear to the Tar Heel faithful, with the program being as prominent as it is around the nation. However, in what seems like a different reality, Gamecock’s fans believe they are the authentic representation of the name.

If looking at the stats solely keeping it on football, UNC dominates the head-to-head meeting with a record of 35-20-4. The Tar Heels also won the first initial meeting between the two in 1903, with UNC claiming the victory 17-0.

Now, with the history behind us, Let us look at how Twitter reacted to which program is the true Carolina.

North Carolina women’s basketball adds Andrew Graber to staff

The North Carolina women’s basketball team named Andrew Graber the new Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program named Andrew Graber the new Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Graber has been a program member, working as support staff for the last two seasons. In a press release by Go Heels, UNC women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart explained what it meant to have Graber transition into the head strength and conditioning coach.

“I’m proud of our program and the women in it that we were able to attract such a talented applicant pool,” Banghart said. “Sport science is the future of athletic performance training and Andrew is so versed in the software and the application of it. He has a national championship as a lead strength coach, and he has run the sport science programming for numerous sports teams. He will help with feedback ā€“ and feeding forward ā€“ as we develop our daily, weekly and monthly plans together to put our student-athletes in the best possible position for success.

UNC went 22-11 last season, dominating at home with a 13-2 record in Carmichael Arena. The season ended in a heart-wrenching defeat to Ohio State, losing 71-69 in round two of the NCAA tournament.

This upcoming season is expected to be fruitful, especially with some of the games already announced, like the showdown on November 30th against South Carolina.

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Twitter reacts to UNC hosting Chelsea-Wrexham

Fans from all over packed Kenan Stadium on Wednesday, July 19 for the historic Chelsea-Wrexham match. See how people reacted on Twitter.

Wednesday was a historic day at UNC’s Kenan Stadium, as it hosted Chelsea-Wrexham for the first-ever professional soccer match in its 95-year history.

Normally covered in Carolina Blue for Tar Heel Football games, Kenan was decked out in English soccer gear. There were team shops for both squads on the main concourse, Chelsea and Wrexham banners donning the lower bowl, plus the 50,000+ fans in red, white and blue ā€“ several from out-of-state ā€“ packing the stands to watch an English power go up against a mighty, up-and-coming squad.

The match did not disappoint. Wrexham kept things close early, going into halftime down just 2-0 and even earning a couple of solid scoring chances in the box, but ultimately ended up losing 5-0.

It almost felt like a home-field advantage for Chelsea ā€“ nearly everywhere fans looked, they saw royal blue. Despite the thousands of “Let’s Go Wrexham” chants, Chelsea fans roared after each of their five goals.

UNC should evaluate the impact of Chelsea-Wrexham and the benefits of hosting such a historic soccer match. Wednesday night was certainly a success and hopefully, it paves the way for other opportunities.

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Chelsea-Wrexham match delivers an epic night in Kenan Stadium

UNC hosted the first-ever stateside matchup between Chelsea and Wrexham, and fans got their money’s worthā€”a look inside the historic game.

July 19th, history was made as Kenan Memorial Stadium opened its doors to a sold-out crowd with 50,596 in attendance for the first-ever stateside meeting between Chelsea and Wrexham.

As fans lined up at the gates for the doors to open, high-fives and chatter filled the void of waiting. The temperature was perfect, with Carolina blue skies in 80-degree weather with a nice breeze.

Once doors opened, it was on as fans poured in the entrances rocking dark blue for Chelsea and red for Wrexham; it felt like Kenan Stadium was under attack by UNC in-state rivals. However, a Tar Heel chant broke out, echoing louder than UNC’s bell tower, to end any color alliance.

The game started with the national anthem performed by North Carolina’s oldest cappella group with current and alums members of the UNC Clef Hanger. The coin toss was as particular as the atmosphere, with North Carolina’s women’s soccer coach, Anson Dorrance, doing the honors of the game’s ritual coin flip.

Fans were greeted with an early treat as Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen got things going early with a goal before the three-minute mark. The thrill continued throughout the first period as fans cheered at fast breaks, held their breath for lob passes, and booed refs for suspect calls. Before the half was over, Maatsen scored his second goal to give Chelsea the 2-0 lead.

The quick 15-minute half-time show, or lack of one, did not bring the house down, but that did not waiver the energy in the second half.

Despite both teams going scoreless in the first 35 minutes of the second period, fans still found ways to erupt, whether due to a sweet pass or insane crossover. At the 81 minute, the blue sea erupted again with Conor Gallagher’s goal to give Chelsea the 3-0 lead. Chelsea added salt to injury by tacking on two more goals in the 89th and 90th minute to push the lead to 5-0.

Fans stayed seated and cheered until the end, even with the shutout on the horizon.

Chelsea would go on to win 5-nil. The excitement would not end there as men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis and football coach Mack Brown presented the Man of the Match to Maatsen, voted by the fans.

It is no telling if UNC will get another chance to host such an event, but with the atmosphere brought tonight by fans, it would be hard not to.

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UNC diver Vazquez Montano wins Silver at World Aquatic Championships

Aranza Vazquez Montano, a diver at UNC, won two individual medals and helped win a team medal at the World Aquatic Championships this week.

The college sports season is just a month away, with fans anticipating the start of football, volleyball, soccer and field hockey season.

There’s plenty to be excited about if you’re a UNC fan, particularly around the Drake Maye-led football team coming off an appearance in the ACC Championship Game.

Carolina fans should also be excited about one of its Winter athletes.

Diver Aranza Vazquez Montano, a rising senior, claimed her second medal of the 2023 World Aquatic Championships on Tuesday by winning silver in diving’s mixed three-meter and 10-meter team event.

Vazquez helped Mexico score 455.35 points in its second-place, 10-meter team finish. She won her first medal earlier that day, finishing third in the one-meter springboard competition.

There was another Tar Heel connection in the competition, as former diver Anton Down-Jenkins helped New Zealand to a 13th-place finish.

Vazquez will have a few more chances to add onto her medal total, as the Championships run until Sunday, July 30. She can compete in Wednesday’s 10-meter Women’s Platform event, two 3-Meter Springboard events on Thursday, a 3-meter Springboard event on Friday and a 3-meter Springboard Mixed Synchro event on Saturday.

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Twitter reacts to Trent Dilfer comparing Drake Maye to Joe Burrow

Twitter reacts to Trent Dilfer comparing Drake Maye to Joe Burrow when talking about the 2024 NFL draft.

The college football season has yet to be played, but that has not stopped UNC quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] from already receiving NFL draft comparisons.

Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer is the latest to praise the Tar Heel by comparing Maye to 2020 NFL 1st overall pick Joe Burrow. In an article written by Albert Breer, Dilfer described Burrow when talking about Maye and what he brings to the table.

“Yes, thank you, he’s Burrow,” Dilfer said. “That’s exactly who he is; he’s Joe Burrow, who we know is one of the great players in the NFL. So there’s nothing negative here. It’s more like, let’s get our analogies right. Burrow’s a very good athlete, he was a very good high school basketball player, he’s a great competitor, but what separates Joe Burrow is this innate quality, this nuance to his game, that people want to say is something that’s it’s not because you don’t know how to define it, instead of just saying I don’t know how to define it.
“It’s nuanced. ā€¦ Joe makes everything look easy.”

Burrow heads into the season as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, with many speculating the first overall pick coming down between USC’s Caleb Williams and Maye.

Unsurprisingly, the Joe Burrow comparison made its rounds on social media, catching quite the reaction.

Let us look at how Twitter reacted to Dilfer, comparing Maye to Burrow.

Twitter reacts to Brady Manek’s summer league performance

Twitter reacts to Brady Manek’s strong summer league performances with the Atlanta Hawks.

The annual NBA Summer League is underway, and a few former UNC basketball players are getting a shot to prove they belong, including fan favorite [autotag]Brady Manek[/autotag].

Manek signed with the Atlanta Hawks days before the summer league kicked off, and fans are already pushing for the modern-day Larry Bird to snag a roster spot after strong performances. Manek had a strong performance to kick off his Hawks journey, finishing with 17 points, including five 3s.

On Sunday night, Manek performed under the bright lights again, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds while shooting 57.1% from the field. Along with the strong offensive performance, Manek showed his ability to defend with two blocks.

Unsurprisingly, these performances provoked quite a reaction: Fans admired Manek’s game with his unique look. The ability to stretch the floor and charm the fans had been why UNC fans gravitated toward Manek when he transferred, and NBA fans are getting a taste.

Let us look at how Twitter reacted to Manek’s big performances.

Twitter reacts to Cole Anthony’s sideline interview at NBA summer league

Twitter reacts to Cole Anthony’s sideline moment from the NBA summer league games.

It has been an eventful offseason for [autotag]Cole Anthony[/autotag], from working out with Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble to being miked up on the sideline of the summer league games.

Saturday night put Anthony back into the spotlight, but this time not for his work ethic on the court. Instead, it was for his personality off the court. During the Orlando-Detroit game, Anthony was interviewed, and while in mid-sentence, the former Tar Heel showed some hype for a fellow teammate after a thunderous play.

Anthony’s reaction mid-interview was shared on Twitter from different media outlets as fans discussed how entertaining he is.

Anthony is entering his fourth season with Orlando and has displayed some magical games in the 172 games he has played for the organization. Last season, Anthony averaged 13 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.

Let us look at how Twitter reacted to Anthony’s sideline moment.

Meet Amari Gainer, a much-needed boost to the Tar Heel defense

Linebacker Amari Gainer can give the UNC football defense a big boost this season.

The University of North Carolina football teamā€™s offense grabbed national attention last year ā€“ mainly thanks to talented quarterback Drake Maye and his trusty wide receiver duo of Josh Downs and Antoine Green.

The Heels finished their season ranked Top 20 in the FBS in several categories ā€“ sixth in passing yards (4,330), 11th in passing yards/game (309.3), 12th in total yards (6,479) and 19th in total yards/game (462.8)

Defense, unfortunately, was the polar opposite.

Carolina allowed 5,697 yards across 13 games, the seventh-worst mark in the FBS. Its 438.2 yards per game allowed was slightly better, but it still ranked 17th-worst.

To help shore up their defense, the Heels snagged a linebacker through the transfer portal, graduate transfer Amari Gainer from Florida State.

Gainer, who chose Carolina over the likes of national powers Alabama, Ohio State, 2021 CFP semifinalist Cincinnati and Big 12 school West Virginia, is a player UNC defensive coordinator Gene Chizik is pretty excited about.

ā€œHeā€™s very conscientious as a football player,ā€ Chizik said, according to TarHeelIllustratedā€™s Andrew Jones. ā€œHe loves the game, heā€™s a violent player, he plays really hard. It really is important for him to learn whatā€™s going on. So, he never takes a rep off, it doesnā€™t matter if heā€™s in there or not. When you see him with me, even when heā€™s not in, weā€™re talking things through every single rep.ā€

Gainer is also excited about joining Carolina, calling it the perfect spot to prepare himself for the next level.

ā€œWhen it comes down to it, itā€™s about going to the next level,ā€ Gainer said, according to Jones. ā€œAs far as connections and relationships, it was hard, but lifeā€™s hard. Making that jump, making that decision was a risk betting on myself. Going back to my natural position at outside linebacker kind of played a pivotal role into me being here.ā€

Despite limited action last year, with just 17 tackles and a sack across seven games, Gainer registered 210 tackles across 46 games at Florida State. He was the Seminolesā€™ career-leading tackler among members on last yearā€™s squad.

According to Jones, Gainer will slot in at the jack linebacker slot (outside linebacker). Heā€™ll join a linebacking corps with 100-tackle players Cedric Gray and Power Echols, giving Carolina what should be one of the most vaunted units in college football.

Even though the Heels only have him for one year, Gainer should get fans excited and give them plenty of hope in improving a bottom-ranked defense.

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