When I see a list of names, I immediately jump to the possibility that the names could be turned into a new Celebrity Word Scramble (CWS) book. Imagine my excitement when I visited the Carolina Basketball Museum on the campus of the University of North Carolina and saw the largest list of names I have encountered. The wall-size list of all UNC players who were selected in the first round of the NBA draft was a natural starting place for a new CWS book.
Typically, CWS books range from 100 – 130 puzzles. There are 54 UNC first-round picks. For a full book, I would need to add some more to reach 100. I thought why stop at first-round picks, let’s include all UNC players who were ever drafted. The NBA draft consisted of only two rounds after 1988. Earlier drafts went as high as 18 rounds. Adding the players who went in the second round or later added 62 puzzles. The Museum draft board does not include UNC Lady Tar Heels who have been drafted. There have been 20 UNC Women who have been selected by WNBA teams. Drafted players account for 136 of the 171 puzzles.
There have been many notable players who had an impact on Carolina basketball that were not drafted. I added any player who sits in the top 10 all-time in points, rebounds or assists. As the process continued, I received outstanding recommendations from Johnny Carroll and Chris and Diane Griffin on other key Tar Heel players and key contributors to include.
Today, we have 171 players, coaches and contributors celebrated in Celebrity Word Scramble Famous Names in Carolina Basketball. I am sure we have missed a favorite player or important contributor. Please send us your thoughts on who else should be included. I hope we have the opportunity to periodically refresh the book by including recent draftees and other important contributors.
Enjoy!