By: Maceo Carter
I emailed UNC in October, letting them know that thanks to Team Gleason we would be at the Ohio State game. A week later I got a response from the Athletic Director’s office offering us a tour of the Smith Center and a chance to hangout at shoot around! Words cannot describe the feeling of having that dream come true. Walking up the same tunnel the players take to the court was unbelievable.
Then we got a chance to meet and speak with Hall of Fame Head Coach Roy Williams!
Also while in North Carolina I got a chance to see my little sister and goddaughter, and my wife got a chance to see her best friend and her family.
Next stop was Washington, D.C. This is where the true “adventure” begins. Due to a mixup at the car rental we missed our flight from Raleigh to Washington which caused us to wait 3 1/2 hours for the next flight. Then we arrived in D.C. and had trouble checking into the hotel. Through it all, we met the best hotel manager and staff and Team Gleason‘s travel agent worked with us every step of the way to make things as smooth as possible.
We spent our Friday around the Air and Space and Native American Museum and drove around different parts of the city.
Saturday was family day. We spent hours at my aunt’s house who had a gathering of family from different states come in town for us to hang with. After that we spent time with my wife’s grandmother. Sunday was our travel day back to Phoenix.
Looking back six months after the trip two points stick out. The first is the birth of our 4th son, Mason Hendrix.
We also got video of some of the time we got to spend with Coach Roy Williams. He took pictures with us and held up Mason’s onesie for pictures. Per “The Last Dance” this is the same man who Michael Jordan’s father built him a stove. Because he saw the No White Flag T-shirts he came and spent some time with us. BEST TAR HEEL DAY OF MY LIFE.
The second point would be spending time with our family while there. My mom just passed away on June 10th. Due to Covid we weren’t able to attend her burial service so that time that we spent with family means even more now. I Can’t Thank Y’all Enough For This Experience!!!
