CHAPEL HILL — Jeff Lebo has win No. 1 and win No. 500 on his UNC basketball resume.
A freshman guard when the Tar Heels opened the Smith Center with a win against Duke in 1986, Lebo was on the bench as an assistant coach as UNC earned an 87-84 victory against Wake Forest for the program’s 500th win inside the Dean Dome. “It’s pretty cool. It also says you’re pretty old, too,” Lebo, 59, told the USA TODAY Sports Network with a smile. “But this place is sacred ground. A lot of (wins) in here, and it’s nice to be part of the first one and the 500th. I hope there’s a lot more for this year.”
Now in his fifth season as an assistant coach alongside head coach Hubert Davis, Lebo watched and coached as the 17th-ranked Tar Heels (14-2, 2-1 ACC) fended off a furious rally from the Demon Deacons (10-7, 1-3).
For Davis, who picked up the 100th win of his coaching career against Wake Forest at the 2025 ACC Tournament, the 500th win at the Smith Center was a reminder of the memories he made on and off the court as a player in the early 1990s.
“I love the Smith Center. As I said before, I said ‘home plate.’ This is home. The first place that I saw my first Carolina game was Carmichael (Auditorium), when I got to see my uncle (Walter Davis) play. But I knew I always wanted to be here, and I wanted to be a part of this place,” Davis said during his postgame press conference.
“I mentioned to the team before the game, I said, ‘You have to find joy and enjoyment in how hard and difficult it is to be successful individually and as a team.’ I said, ‘Where you find that joy and enjoyment, a lot of times people look at the destination or getting to the destination.’ And I told them that’s the wrong place to look. Where you find the joy and enjoyment is in the journey. I talked specifically about – you said 500 wins – I don’t know the stats.
“I don’t even know the stats of, really, this game. I couldn’t tell you what was game No. 1, game No. 250. But I can tell you more than 500 memories that I have here, personally. Conversations with coach (Dean) Smith and coach (Bill) Guthridge. Bringing my wife here and taking her to coach Smith. My best friends in my life started here. So, it’s more than just wins. It’s about the relationships, the experiences that all of us as former players have had here, that bind us to this place, to this university and to the Smith Center.”
Virginia Tech transfer Jaydon Young, who grew up a Carolina fan, is now a part of that history. Young, who provided 12 points off the bench against Wake Forest, remembers coming to the “Late Night with Roy” preseason event as a third-grader.
“I got in trouble in school. Grades were down. My dad brought me here, but he made me sit up top,” Young said. “I’m just watching like, ‘I’m gonna be a part of that one day.’ He was like, ‘Man, next time we come, it’s gonna be because they’re recruiting you. We won’t be up top.”
For freshman forward Caleb Wilson, who had his 11th double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds against the Deacs, it’s a “crazy” accomplishment for the Tar Heels. When asked about his first impression of the arena, which Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes described as the “loudest building in the ACC,” Wilson recalled the size.
“I thought it was humongous. That’s really what my first impression was,” Wilson said. “When it gets filled, like it was (against Wake Forest), it’s kind of unbelievable. I’ve been to other college stadiums and it just doesn’t feel like this.” He’s also happy to share the moment with Lebo, who was there nearly 40 years ago when the Smith Center debuted in style against the Blue Devils.
“I think that’s really cool. Coach Lebo, he’s an OG,” Wilson said. “He’s done seen it all. I’m sure that’s a really cool experience for him. Even for me, I’m happy to be a part of history.”
