UNC Football Falls Short, Basketball Scrimmages in Cherokee, Baseball Downs Pack
Plus: Marcus Paige recruiting Nasir Anderson, Drake Maye in NFL MVP conversation, perfect Olympic sports weekend, recruiting updates
UNC Football came so close in its loss to Cal on Friday and showed some improvement. Carolina Basketball met Tar Heel fans in western North Carolina during a Blue-White scrimmage in Cherokee. Drake Maye and Javonte Williams are lighting up the NFL, there’s basketball recruiting news, the Diamond Heels beat the Pack, and a it was perfect 6-0 weekend for UNC Olympic sports. On to the updates…
Basketball
Fans in Cherokee, North Carolina were treated to a Carolina Basketball scrimmage Saturday, with the Blue squad taking the 65-53 win over the White squad. Zayden High (14 points), Henri Veesaar (13), and Jarin Stevenson (13) led the Blue team in scoring, while Seth Trimble (18) and Caleb Wilson (14) led the White team.
R.L. Bynum from Tar Heel Tribune was on hand and provided the postgame coverage and courtside highlights.
Football
It was a heartbreaking night for UNC Football on Friday night/Saturday morning against Cal. Despite fumbling away the game on the first play and at the goal line in the waning minutes, the Tar Heels showed some improvement. Eliminate those two mistakes, and UNC likely wins the game.
Kobe Paysour’s 101 receiving yards and Tyler Thompson’s two sacks and a fumble recovery jumped out as two performances to build on. The defense also held Cal to 294 yards and 7 points over the final 3 quarters.
In the NFL, several Tar Heels had big performances:
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye set the franchise record for highest completion percentage in a single game (21 of 23) at 91.3%, topping Tom Brady’s 88.5% mark from 2009.
Cowboys running back Javonte Williams rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 44–22 home win over the Commanders.
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb started and had four tackles and three assists.
Here’s this week’s complete rundown.
Basketball Recruiting
On the basketball recruiting trail, assistant coach Marcus Paige is serving as UNC’s lead recruiter on class of 2027 5-star point guard Nasir Anderson, per Teddy Karp of Inside Carolina.
“Anderson’s relationship with North Carolina’s coaching staff has been anchored by consistent communication and mentorship. Assistant coach Marcus Paige has served as his primary point of contact, reaching out regularly to…develop the relationship. Those conversations, Anderson said, often extend beyond basketball.”
Anderson is one of seven class of 2027 players with an offer from the Tar Heels. Here’s the full 2027 UNC Basketball Recruiting Board.
Football Recruiting
Under the “Friday Night Lights,” several future Tar Heels had big performances:
4-star cornerback Kenton Dopson played lockdown defense and caught a 43-yard TD reception.
Running back Crew Davis rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive lineman Viliami Moala recorded 8 tackles and a sack.
Recruiting analyst Don Callahan from Inside Carolina has the complete weekly roundup.
Baseball
It’s a nice change of pace to have college baseball in October, especially when it involves the Tar Heels beating the Wolfpack, 3-1, in a scrimmage at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
“Sophomore right-hander Walker McDuffie, the winning pitcher, struck out Mikey Ryan on an 82-mph slider with two runners on in the eighth inning before UNC got two runs in the bottom of that inning.”
Baseball Recruiting
The Diamond Heels were winners off the field as well, landing commitments from Walters State relief pitcher Ryan Smith and Penn transfer pitcher Jake Moss.
Moss made nine appearances out of the bullpen for Penn last season, going 1-1 with a 2.82 ERA over 22.1 innings. He held opponents to a .214 batting average, striking out 26 with 13 walks.
Women’s Basketball Recruiting
UNC Women’s Basketball coach Courtney Banghart has her eye on the (distant) future, as class of 2029 6-foot shooting guard Charlotte McCurry paid an unofficial visit to Chapel Hill last week.
Olympic Sports
It was also a perfect 6-0 weekend for Carolina Olympic sports,
No. 21 UNC Volleyball (15-2, 8-0 ACC) swept BC, 3-0, on Friday night then downed Syracuse, 3-1, on Sunday to remain perfect in the ACC. The Tar Heels also unveiled their new “Taraflex“ volleyball court.
UNC Men’s Cross Country wrapped up its regular season by knocking off the nation’s No. 1 team, Iowa State, at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday.
No. 2 UNC Field Hockey (14-1, 6-1 ACC) trailed 3-1 then scored 3 straight goals to beat No. 9 Syracuse, 4-3, on Friday. Erin Matson’s squad followed that up Sunday with an 8-1 mauling of Cornell during its two-game New York road swing.
No. 23 UNC Women’s Soccer (10-5, 4-3 ACC) shut out SMU on the road Friday, 3-0.
UNC Men’s Soccer shut out Virginia Tech, 3-0, on Sunday night in Chapel Hill.
Finally, UNC freshman soccer standout Lauren Malsom is currently in Morocco participating in the U17 Women’s World Cup. Malsom was named Player of the Match as her Team USA scored a 3-0 win over Ecuador on Saturday. The U.S. next faces China on Tuesday in a key Group C matchup.
This Week’s Tar Heel Birthdays
Happy birthday shoutouts to…
Brad Daugherty, 5x NBA All-Star: Oct. 19 (60)
Ashlyn Harris, 2x World Cup Champion, 3x NCAA Women’s Soccer Champion: Oct. 19 (40)
Trevor Kelley, 5-Year MLB Pitcher, Oct. 20 (32)
R.J. Davis, 2024 ACC Player of the Year, Jerry West Award Winner, Consensus All-American: Oct. 21 (24)
Jeff McInnis, 12-Year NBA Veteran: Oct. 22 (51)
Zach Brown, 8-Year NFL Linebacker, 2016 Pro Bowl: Oct. 23 (36)
Katelyn Falgowski, 2x Field Hockey Olympian, , 4x All-American, 2011 National Player of the Year, Retired UNC Jersey: Oct. 23 (37)
And in honor of Brad Daugherty’s 60th birthday, some of us of a certain age will remember his 31-point performance against UCLA at Carmichael Auditorium in 1985. If not, here are the highlights. I still miss the flip scoreboard in the corner.
Final Thoughts
Thanks again to everyone for supporting the Tar Heel Times Newsletter. I hope you had a great weekend, and please leave a comment to let me know how you’re enjoying the content so far, what you’d like to see more of, or anything else that’s on your mind. I truly appreciate your support.
Go Heels!
James