While Kennedy Meeks’ lip-synching of the Whitney Houston song “I Will Always Love You” was one of the highlights of “Late Night with Roy Williams” in Chapel Hill Friday night, from an importance standpoint it paled in comparison to the return of women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell.
Hatchell, who has led the UNC women’s program to seven ACC titles and a national championship in 1994, missed all of last season after being diagnosed with leukemia. Now cancer-free, Hatchell will be back on the sidelines this season as North Carolina looks to improve on last season’s run to the Elite Eight. North Carolina, which lost to Stanford in the regional final, finished the season with a 27-10 record.
Below is a video of the festivities in Chapel Hill, with Hatchell’s introduction coming at the 45-second mark. Hatchell, who wound up in the middle of a group hug from her players as she walked onto the Dean E. Smith Center court, even did some dancing with the team.