The “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast,” with hosts Britt Whitmire and R.L. Bynum, gives Tar Heel Tribune readers a conversational companion to the site’s written coverage of Carolina athletics with interviews, opinions and insights.
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Faith helped Kelly through tough season; he says stability should make offensive line better
CHARLOTTE — North Carolina’s offensive line rarely trotted out the same five linemen from game to game a year ago, causing a lack of continuity that left the unit searching for stability throughout the season. Center Christo Kelly experienced that instability from an unusual vantage point. The Holy Cross transfer arrived in Chapel Hill expecting to be a fixture up front, only to be limited to two games because of an injury that sidelined him.
Schools began trying to lure Abou Jaoude, Shipp with big money during last season
CHARLOTTE — There were plenty of schools that wanted to flash big money at defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude and wide receiver Jordan Shipp to lure them away from North Carolina. In both cases, the first contact from other schools came during the season, but they decided to remain loyal to UNC and try to turn the program around after a frustrating season.
Lopez talks about transfer decision, says he’s glad he played for Belichick
CHARLOTTE — Gio Lopez decided to move on from North Carolina after one season, but made it clear that he has no ill will toward Coach Bill Belichick. Now at Wake Forest, Lopez lamented that he wishes the Tar Heels had taken more advantage of his running ability during his season in Chapel Hill but said that his decision to transfer involved several factors.
Belichick says culture much better than it was entering last season
CHARLOTTE — It’s too early to tell if North Carolina will be better than last season, but Coach Bill Belichick said Friday morning at ACC Kickoff that the culture has already gotten better. Belichick pointed to the work players have put in since spring practice as the clearest sign of progress.
Wilson dazzling again, but won’t play in Bulls’ final Summer League game
High draft picks are typically done after two NBA Summer League games, but Caleb Wilson isn’t like most high draft picks. He wanted to keep grinding because he says he loves playing, and he has shown the NBA world why he should have been picked higher than No. 4 in the NBA draft.
Deja Kelly’s WNBA goal within reach as her game evolves
GREENSBORO — Deja Kelly has played many times at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, but on Thursday she was in front of many screaming kids on camp day in the more intimate Novant Health Fieldhouse. “I feel good,” she said after her Charlotte Crown’s 85–75 victory over the Greensboro Groove. “It’s good to be out here playing. Good to be back in the state of North Carolina, so that’s always fun. This is a great league. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Renner sees growth ahead for UNC after tough 2025
Bryn Renner has seen North Carolina football from every angle imaginable: as a star quarterback in Kenan Stadium and now as a sideline reporter for the Tar Heel Sports Network. On Episode 3 of the “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast,” Renner offered a blunt but empathetic breakdown of what derailed the Tar Heels in 2025, the first season under Coach Bill Belichick, and why he believes better days are ahead in 2026.
Trimble pours in 24 points; RJ Davis produces double-double with 12 rebounds
Seth Trimble bettered his combined scoring output in his first three games with a 24-point performance at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on Wednesday night when former UNC teammate RJ Davis produced an impressive double-double.
ACC alters tiebreaking procedure for its football championship game
After Duke, rather than eventual College Football Playoff finalist Miami, advanced to the ACC title game, the league moved to revise how it breaks ties to better ensure the two most deserving teams reach the championship. Commissioner Jim Phillips announced the new policy Wednesday on the first day of ACC Kickoff in Charlotte. It takes effect with this season as the conference shifts to a nine‑game league schedule, emphasizes head‑to‑head results while also accounting for the fact that not every program will play the same number of conference games during the transition.
Wilson puts up another highlight-reel game while Trimble, Powell have best games of summer
It’s not often that high draft picks play more than two NBA Summer League games, and Caleb Wilson took full advantage of that chance on Tuesday night, when Drake Powell broke out of a horrible shooting slump in a Nets win, and Seth Trimble had his best game of the summer.
Gold Glove second baseman Gallaher returning to UNC for senior season
Second baseman Gavin Gallaher will return to North Carolina for his senior season, immediately bolstering a program coming off a run to Omaha.
Wilson puts on show in possibly final Summer League game; Veesaar has best game with 20 points
Wilson’s Chicago Bulls lost again, this time to the Utah Jazz 80–63 on Monday, but he put together a dazzling all-around performance with 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Hubert Davis in Vegas to see Wilson, other players in Summer League, says ‘it’s really important’
Hubert Davis was in Brooklyn when Caleb Wilson was picked No. 4 overall in the NBA Draft, and he is back on the road this week in Las Vegas to watch Wilson and other players he coached at Carolina take the floor at the NBA Summer League. Davis arrived Monday and planned to stay through Wednesday, moving between two arenas, catching up with former Carolina players, and watching how they are progressing.
RJ Davis has best game of summer ahead of Wilson’s battle Monday with Peterson
Tar Heels posted mixed results over the weekend in Las Vegas at the NBA Summer League following Caleb Wilson’s sensational debut on Friday. After a quiet outing Saturday for San Antonio, RJ Davis rebounded with his best game of the summer in a battle against Cormac Ryan and Pete Nance as the Spurs earned a 90–80 victory on Sunday over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Two more Tar Heels go in MLB Draft, but players not picked should give them solid senior returnees
There were good surprises and bad surprises for North Carolina in the MLB Draft, but the latter should give the Tar Heels an impressive returning core from last season’s College World Series finalists.