It is exciting to be recruited by North Carolina, UCLA, Syracuse and other schools that have won many national championships. But as I prayed about it and talked with my family, I felt that BYU was the best place for me.
If the UCLA teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s were subjected to the kind of scrutiny (other schools) have been, UCLA would probably have to forfeit about eight national championships and be on probation for the next 100 years.
I was born in Norfolk, Virginia. I began school there, the first year of public school. When I was 7, the family shifted back to North Carolina. I grew up in North Carolina; had my schooling through the college level in North Carolina.
We talked about politics constantly in my family growing up in North Carolina. There were always debates. Being of Greek background, it's in our blood to drink coffee and talk politics.
I'm from North Carolina, and I stand here humbled, honored, and proud to place in nomination for the office of vice-president of the United States of America, my friend and my senator from the great state of North Carolina: John Edwards.
There's no other state, none, that's as connected to their basketball program as this one. Because those other states have other programs. Michigan has Michigan State, California has UCLA, North Carolina has Duke. It's Kentucky throughout this whole state, and that's what makes us unique.
Every February, we celebrate the heritage and contributions of African Americans in North Carolina and around the country. North Carolina holds an important place in African American history going back generations.
North Carolina's approach in crafting its law ensured the creation of the best possible law and, consequently, North Carolina is now the acknowledged leader in addressing predatory lending.
North Carolina is a terrific place to live, work, and raise a family.
People have asked me about the 19th century and how I knew so much about it. And the fact is I really grew up in the 19th century, because North Carolina in the 1950s, the early years of my childhood, was exactly synchronous with North Carolina in the 1850s. And I used every scrap of knowledge that I had.
One of the very best things about being a coach or student-athlete at UCLA is if you need medical attention, you won't find any better place in the country than at the incomparable UCLA Medical Center.
I would love to add to the rich tradition that Duke University holds on and off the court, and play for one of the all time great coaches, Coach K. I would love to go up to Chapel Hill, play for Roy Williams, and chase back-to-back National Championships at North Carolina.
North Carolina is an amazing place. It has the best food, and also has folks fighting really hard for what's right.
When people ask me now if I miss coaching UCLA basketball games, the national championships, the attention, the trophies, and everything that goes with them, I tell them this: I miss the practices.
This is an area where North Carolina does excel. I have known more colorful North Carolina political figures than I have colorless ones.
A lot of coaches say to me, 'We're kind of hesitant to recruit you because you're going to BYU.' I tell them, 'I'm keeping my mind open. BYU is a nice place, but I could go anywhere.
When I was a teenager, we used to go to North Carolina with my family, and we'd all pile into, like, a beach house. We'd rent, like, two or three next to each other, because I have a humungous family.