The Fiery and Fickle Relationship Between College Basketball Coaches and Refs

Posted Mar 7, 2019
“Dean Smith said to me after he was retired, ‘John, that night we played Clemson, you called that block/charge and that was the wrong call,'’’ says John Clougherty, a referee for 30 years who later spent 11 years as the ACC’s director of officiating. Smith was referencing a game from the 1980s. “And I’m thinking, I’ve had 15,000 block/charges. But he remembers that.” (Sports Illustrated)

Related: Basketball, Basketball Recruiting

Video: TarHeel247 Podcast - Could next season's UNC Basketball team be more athletic?
UNC's basketball roster for next season isn't complete, but could Michael Malone's Tar Heels be more athletic than the club that recently concluded its season?...
Sun May 3, 2026

UNC Announces Re-Signing Of Isaiah Denis
15 days after announcing his return to Chapel Hill for his sophomore season, Isaiah Denis made it official. On Sunday, UNC announced Denis had put...
Sun May 3, 2026

Video: Locked On Tar Heels - Should UNC fans worry about Matt Able at NBA Draft Combine?
Incoming UNC Basketball transfer Matt Able received an NBA Draft Combine invitation, and suddenly there's concern that he will enter the NBA Draft instead of...
Sun May 3, 2026

Caleb Wilson commits UNC blasphemy with his LeBron James-Michael Jordan take
Likely no one will ever match the love and energy that Caleb Wilson brought to UNC. But we finally found something to be upset with...
Sun May 3, 2026