Tempo Talk

Register for the Annual Meeting with Potluck Dinner

Join us for the Annual Meeting on April 24th at 6:30 PM at Coach Hatchell's home.

There will be door prizes and surprises, so bring a dish to share with your fellow Team Tempo members, as well as a sweater and a lawn chair. Coach will address our group, recapping our season and giving us a preview of 2012-2013. This is our 3rd Annual General Membership Meeting where we will elect members to open Board of Director positions. The Nominating Committee has presented a slate of Pam Bordsen, Myra Zollinger, Rella Jackson, Mike Jacobs and Astrid Gatling for election.

Click here to register.  Please be sure to log in to your account before registering.

Chay Shegog Selected With the 21st Pick in the WNBA Draft

Chay Shegog will go to camp to begin her professional basketball career with the Connecticut Sun.  Congratulations, Chay!

All-ACC Team and ACC All-Freshmen Teams Announced

Congratulations to Chay Shegog for making Second Team All-ACC and Laura Broomfield for earning Honorable Mention recognition!  Both players have been instrumental of the success of this year's team. 

Brittany Rountree earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.  The future is bright in Chapel Hill.  Congratulations Brittany! 

Words from the President

To the Tar Heel Team Tempo Family,

 

This has been a difficult week for Carolina Women’s Basketball.  When the selections for this year’s NCAA Tournament were announced Monday, Carolina was omitted for the first time since 2001.  Given that they are hosting and would have played the first two games in Carmichael, it was an extremely bitter pill to swallow.  I am told that time gives us a better perspective, so instead of focusing on the painful reality that the season is over, I choose to reflect on some of the indelible images I remember from 2011-2012.

 

The first one that stands out to me is a conversation I had with Rhoda Osterneck at our Annual Tip-Off event.  She was so excited about the coming season.  I had the pleasure to walk her to her car that evening and although I did not know it, it would be the last time we spoke.  As all of you know, Rhoda passed on September 16^th, 2011 and her loss was felt all season.

 

I remember watching Chay Shegog all season.  I have trouble believing that it was the same player that I watched as a freshman.  She gave everything that she had every night.  She was consistently double or triple-teamed and was the focus of every other team’s defensive strategy.  She never faltered, she never quit and she was a leader.  I remember Laura Broomfield each game rebounding and scoring on the put-back, but there was one stretch when we were playing Georgia Tech at home that she seemed to get every rebound, was making steals in the open court and scoring every possession.  I remember She’la starting the year strong, suffering a bad ankle injury against Miami and working hard to get back.  The results of her hard work were evident in her play in Greensboro.  I remember Candace Wood’s 3 point shots, none of which were bigger than the daggers she dropped at Virginia in a tight game.  She played her entire career here with a bad knee and we are left to wonder what could have been if she were healthy.  We will definitely miss our senior class and look forward to seeing what their futures hold.

 

I remember the resiliency of the entire team, but especially the underclassman during the Miami game.  They simply would not quit and found a way to win despite not having She’la, Latifah, Megan, Waltiea and Tierra.  This is the same Miami team that was ranked in the Top Ten all season and that would only lose twice in the ACC Regular Season.  I daresay that any other team in the country that faced the level of adversity we did would have understandably fallen apart.  It is a tribute to our players and our coaching staff that we found a way to finish 20-11 overall and 9-7 in the ACC.

 

I remember Coach Stafford-Odom using hand sanitizer right before tip-off on a couple of occasions.  I remember Coach Lee giving us his pre-game Chalk Talks.  I remember Coach Calder actually smiling at a play we made.  I remember Greg Law providing the aforementioned hand sanitizer.  I remember Coach Williams-Johnson consoling Brittany after she missed the final shot against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament.  I remember Brittany and Danielle at Coach Hatchell’s radio program the week of the ACC Tournament.  I remember Coach Hatchell thanking the crowd after the Miami win and shag-dancing at mid-court.  I remember… I remember…

 

Most importantly, I remember what separates Carolina from all the rest.  The sense of family and loyalty.  The knowledge that no matter the results on the court, our players and staff represent us in a first-class manner.  The knowledge that we are part of the program and that we are family.

 

These memories and those from seasons past are what I will think about during this long off-season.  Eventually, the pain from the sudden ending will dull and a sense of anticipation will take over.  The thought of a new season and memories to be made will lead to the anxious days of September and October when the season tip-off looms.  I can’t wait!

 

Go Heels!

Gary

President