YouTube Gold: Darvin Ham Takes Out A Backboard, Then UNC

Duke fans didn’t much enjoy his time in Chapel Hill, but there’s no question that Dean Smith was a remarkable coach. His teams regularly made remarkable comebacks and they were nearly always ready to play at a very high level.

And just as importantly, he created a family atmosphere that all of his players clearly valued. At one point, one of his guys had an issue (we don’t remember who) and was ashamed and Smith told him that that was exactly when he needed to feel he could come to him.

It was hard to appreciate those things while he was coaching; it’s impossible not to appreciate them years later.

Even so, or perhaps specifically because of those things, watching UNC fail was fun. For non-UNC fans, the 1977 loss to Marquette was beautiful. The loss to BC in 1994 was wonderful. And in 1996, there was Texas Tech and Darvin Ham.

Not only did Texas Tech crush UNC in the NCAA tournament, 92-73. but Ham pulled off one of the most memorable plays of the 1990s, smashing a backboard, then just walking off like it was something he did every day.