By CLTure
December 30, 2023
The Carolina Tar Heels honored the late Eric Montross, who passed away on December 17 at the age of 52 after a battle with cancer. The UNC basketball legend who won a national championship in 1993 under coach Dean Smith was also a two-time All-American, going on to be drafted ninth by the Boston Celtics in the 1994 NBA Draft. Montross played eight seasons in the league then became the color commentator on the Tar Heel Sports Network alongside Woody Durham and then Jones Angell for 18 years.
He was also well known for his philanthropic work with the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, starting the Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp to benefit the hospital and honor Jason Clark, a 15-year-old cancer patient who he befriended as a senior at UNC. After Clark lost his fight with cancer, the Jason Clark Teen Room was created, and Montross along with his wife Laura have helped raise over $1.8 million for the cause.
Friday night’s game against Charleston Southern marked the first at the Dean Dome since his passing and the Tar Heels paid tribute to Montross with a moment of silence. His usual seat at the scorers table was left empty in the arena with a Carolina blue and white bouquet of flowers. Angell called the game solo to honor his longtime broadcast partner and friend. The Tar Heels beat Charleston Southern 105-60.
ERIC MF MONTROSS!!! 🩵🩵🩵 pic.twitter.com/d6P7dhr1fR
— 𝗝𝗘𝗙𝗙 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗 (@jsbtarheel95) December 30, 2023
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