At UNC-Pembroke I think it is safe to say that we are officially counting down the hours until our Braves travel to Chapel Hill to take on the #1-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. As I am writing this, we are a little over 50 hours until tip-off, 5:30 pm Saturday afternoon.
The Student Life department did a great job organizing this event for Pembroke students to be able to attend. They were able to put together a trip to the game, with 90 tickets available for students at the price of $5 instead of the ten dollar regular price. The deal includes a bus ride from campus to and from the game, and a t-shirt and other 'goodies.'
The contest came about due to the fact that new UNC-P head coach Ben Miller coached under Carolina coach Roy Williams at Kansas. Miller comes to the Braves after nine years as an assistant in Kansas and four more at Missouri State. This is his first head coaching job.
Miller also established the school's first student section at the team's first exhibition game last Saturday. The 'Bravehearts' are officially sitting at midcourt as Miller tries to instill a strong fan base and a defensive-minded team.
Also of note, Miller's father, Eldon Miller, has joined his son on the sidelines this season. The elder Miller said he agreed years ago to come back and help his son if the younger Miller ever got a head coaching shot. And that's just what he's done.
Eldon Miller, 69, won 568 games during his 36 years as a head coach at Wittenberg, Western Michigan, Ohio State and the University of Northern Iowa. He retired as a head coach after the 1997-98 season, but is now back in the heart of college basketball country working at a Division II school in little ol' Pembroke.
Both Millers will be on the sidelines Saturday, center stage, at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill. The experience on Saturday should be a good learning tool for both new head coach Ben Miller and his team.
And I know it will be a fun experience for those of us Pembroke students making the trip.
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