CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's Mack Brown said Monday he was “disappointed in me” for making emotional postgame locker-room comments — including whether he should stay on as coach — after giving up 70 points in a shocking home loss to James Madison.
The Tar Heels (3-1) lost 70-50 at home Saturday to the Dukes, a Sun Belt Conference program who tied the record for the most points ever allowed by UNC in any game.
“As I was walking off the field, I thought, ‘I’m responsible for all this, it's on me, so I should ask the players about leadership, if they feel good about me moving forward,'" Brown said during his weekly news conference. “That's something I shouldn't do. I shouldn't put that pressure on those young people at that point. I'm supposed to be a leader ... So (I'm) disappointed in me.”
Inside Carolina, citing unnamed sources, reported Saturday night that Brown’s emotional postgame message included telling players he was quitting, a report that stirred at least some uncertainty about the immediate future of the program. Brown said Monday that players who thought he was quitting had misinterpreted his message and said players were eager to move forward.
“What I said is, ‘If you all don’t feel I'm the leader you need, then I'll go do something else,'” Brown said. "And they said, ‘No, we’re in, let's go.' It was overwhelming. I wish I hadn't put them in that spot, but that's all it was.
“If I was going to quit, I would've come in here (to the postgame news conference) and done it.”
Brown, 73, is a College Football Hall of Fame member who leads all active Bowl Subdivision coaches with 285 career victories along with winning a national championship at Texas (2005). He’s in the sixth year of a second stint at UNC, where he built the Tar Heels to top-10 status before his 1997 departure to take over the Longhorns program.
The game that sparked everything was an all-systems-failure moment. The offense put up its best numbers of the season but committed five turnovers, including Jacolby Criswell throwing a pick-six that pushed JMU to 53 points before halftime. The offensive line struggled to block oncoming rushers and the defense gave up gaping lanes to an offense that amassed 611 total yards and watched quarterback Alonza Barnett III account for seven touchdowns to make him The Associated Press national player of the week.
James Madison also scored a touchdown off a blocked punt in the first 5 minutes, the first of many shocks for Brown after what he felt had been a strong week of practice coming in.
Brown said he apologized to athletics director Bubba Cunningham and chancellor Lee Roberts afterward, and lamented multiple times making himself the focus of Monday's news conference with the Tar Heels preparing to visit rival Duke (4-0) in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
The team didn't make players available after Saturday's loss and isn't letting them to talk to reporters leading up to Saturday's game against the Blue Devils.
“I'm supposed to be a role model for these kids and you’re supposed to take negatives and turn them into positives," Brown said. "You’re supposed to learn from losses. I didn’t do that very well Saturday night. I'm supposed to be a mentor for young coaches, and I didn't do that well either. So disappointed in me. I’ll grow from it and not do it again, and can't wait to get back to work tomorrow.”
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North Carolina head coach Mack Brown takes notes on his sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against James Madison in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Daniel Lin/Daily News-Record via AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A'ja Wilson scored 21 points and blocked five shots after earning her record-tying third MVP award earlier Sunday, and the two-time defending-champion Las Vegas Aces held the Seattle Storm to a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter in pulling away for a 78-67 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-three series.
Wilson made just 1 of 8 shots as Las Vegas missed 16 of 18 altogether and fell behind 18-9 after one quarter. She had four points at halftime and Seattle led 42-38 after Jordan Horston and Mercedes Russell both made two free throws in the final 43 seconds.
But the third quarter was a different story as Wilson sank seven shots with a 3-pointer, accounting for 15 of the Aces' 26 points. Skylar Diggins-Smith had a three-point play in the final minute and the Storm took a 65-64 lead into the final period.
Kelsey Plum missed her first seven shots, but she had the first basket of the final quarter at the 7:04 mark to give Las Vegas the lead. Seattle missed its first seven shots, and back-to-back layups from Wilson and Tiffany Hayes pushed the Aces' lead to 70-65 with 4:49 left to play. Diggins-Smith hit two free throws for the Storm's first points to get them within three, but Chelsea Gray had two baskets in an 8-0 run to wrap up the victory. Seattle missed all 13 of its shots and turned the ball over six times in the final 10 minutes.
Hayes finished with 20 points and five steals off the bench for fourth-seeded Las Vegas. Gray had 16 points and seven assists. Jackie Young added 12 points and seven rebounds. Wilson had eight boards. She joined Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as the league’s only three-time MVPs.
Diggins-Smith led fifth-seeded Seattle with 16 points and eight assists. Gabby Williams finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Nneka Ogwumike had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Horston had 10 points off the bench.
Seattle beat Las Vegas by 13 the first time they met this season, but the Aces closed with three straight victories over the Storm — two by double digits.
Las Vegas will host Game 2 on Tuesday. Seattle would host Game 3 on Thursday, if necessary.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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This story has been corrected to show a possible Game 3 would be Thursday, not Wednesday.
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) embraces mother Vickey Gray after winning a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Seattle Storm, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) receives the 2024 WMBA MVP award prior to playing in a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Seattle Storm Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) embraces mother Eva Wilson and receives the 2024 WMBA MVP award prior to playing in a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Seattle Storm Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) drives the ball around Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (5) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) goes to block Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (4) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes (15) reacts to a play during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Seattle Storm, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (5) guards the ball from Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) reacts to a call during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Seattle Storm, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (5) lays up the ball during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Las Vegas Aces, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (4) guards the ball from Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (4) signals while taking the ball down court during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Las Vegas Aces, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes (15) from right, Las Vegas center A'ja Wilson (22) and Seattle Storm center Mercedes Russell (21) react to a loose ball under the net during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12), right, and Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes (15) celebrate a shot during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Seattle Storm, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) goes up to shoot around Seattle Storm guards Victoria Vivians (35) and Jewell Loyd (24) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) looks to the basket near Seattle Storm guard Jordan Horston (23) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes (15) signals during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Seattle Storm, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes (15) jumps to block Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (5) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) shoots the ball near Seattle Storm forwards Gabby Williams (5) and Nneka Ogwumike (3) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
