Jamison and Stackhouse Team with Current UNC Basketball Players for Thanksgiving Project Nov. 26, 2003 By Adam Lucas Monday night, Carolina's men's basketball team played to a crowd of over 16,000 in the Charlotte Coliseum and a television audience of hundreds of thousands. The very next evening, the Tar Heels were hosted by a much smaller audience--but might have had an even more substantial impact. At the conclusion of Tuesday evening's practice, the entire squad--including Roy Williams, assistant coach Steve Robinson, and administrative assistant C.B. McGrath--piled into two vans to deliver some holiday cheer across Chapel Hill. The vans barely drew a second look as they crossed Franklin Street, with pedestrians completely unaware that they held the players who had been on national television just 24 hours before. The first stop was the Inter-Faith Council shelter, a social service organization that serves meals three times per day, 365 days a year and also includes a 46-bed facility that hosts those in need 24 hours per day. The Tar Heels arrived in the middle of the dinner hour, but it didn't take long for attention to turn from the food to the unusually tall young men hauling turkeys and bags of groceries. The food items were purchased by Carolina alums Jerry Stackhouse and Antawn Jamison, a program that Stackhouse began in 2001 and was joined by Jamison last year. Coordinator Livis Freeman hopes to add involvement from even more Tar Heel alums next year. "We're very thankful to Jerry and Antawn for providing the opportunity," said assistant coach Steve Robinson, who also brought his two sons along for the evening. "It really helps the guys appreciate what they have and how fortunate they are." At the IFC shelter, the players first passed off their grocery items--seven sizable turkeys and three overflowing bags full of the other Thanksgiving necessities--before being herded into what turned into a makeshift autograph room. McGrath produced a box of 2003-04 team calendars and the squad fell into a smoothly coordinated signing process, inking nearly 50 posters and numerous basketballs. The first autograph requests were timid, with one small boy appearing near tears as he had to turn over his basketball to Williams to be signed. "Don't worry," the Tar Heel head coach told him, "we'll give it back." Soon, the shyness melted away. Damion Grant scooped up a small boy and provided a first-hand look at a seven-footer's perspective on the world. Williams, meanwhile, was handed a two-week-old baby for a photo opportunity. "It makes us realize how fortunate we are," sophomore Sean May said. "We are very lucky to get to play a game we love for fun, but these are people who can't be with their families for Thanksgiving and may not have a place to go." After leaving the shelter, the squad headed for the nearby Ronald McDonald House, which houses families whose children are being treated at UNC Hospital. Last season, the team spent nearly 90 minutes there, and May vividly recalled the story of one resident who had lost three family members in the past year to cancer. It's also, of course, run by McDonald's, which explains the statue of Ronald McDonald on a bench near the entrance. After asking Ronald if he had any fries (the statue remained mum) David Noel made an observation that created much hilarity among his teammates, as he pointed out that the cartoonish Ronald had massive red shoes that were approximately the same size as those worn by May, whose size 20 shoes are a frequent punchline. The squad's smiles carried over into the Ronald McDonald House lobby, which quickly turned into a mass of basketball players, families, children with the heartbreaking signs of chemotherapy who quickly overcame their shyness, and even a pair of therapy dogs. Senior Jonathan Miller was the first to bridge the gap between the two players and residents, noticing a pair of children standing against a wall and quickly moving to introduce himself. "Come on over here with us," he told them with an inviting smile. "We've got a lot of guys over here who want to meet you." And it did seem that the players wanted to meet them. Raymond Felton introduced himself around the room and Melvin Scott got acquainted with therapy dog Goose, a boisterous canine who was decidedly less shy than some of the children. At the conclusion of the visit, Ronald McDonald House volunteers organized a group photo with the players and children. Just before the shutter was snapped, Grant noticed something amiss. "Wait a minute," the big man said. And with that, he left his spot on the back row of the picture, where he had been standing comfortably between a pair of teammates, and got down on the floor between three residents. Taking two of them in his arms, the Jamaican native looked up at the cameras. "Now," he said, "it's OK." And right that minute, you got the sense that it was OK. Which was, in a place that can sometimes be gloomy despite the best efforts of big-hearted volunteers, something to be thankful for. Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly.