A family tradition on the Carolina playing field

“I grew up in this state, and I grew up around Carolina. The fact that I get to wear the Carolina jersey every night gives me chills.”

Like many other kids his age growing up in North Carolina, Luke Maye pretended to be a great Tar Heel quarterback when he threw the football around the yard. But unlike the others, Maye emulated his father, Mark, a UNC quarterback for Dick Crum in the 1980s.

“I wanted to throw the football like he threw it,” Luke says. “My granddad tells me a little about it, and I’ve seen [my dad] a couple of times on ESPN Classic.”

Many naturally assumed Luke would arrive at Carolina on a football scholarship.

But long before he hit a jumper against Kentucky to send the Tar Heels to a Final Four, Luke always seemed to prefer the hardwood and pictured something different than the gridiron.

Read the complete Carolina Story from The Rams Club…

This is story number 121 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.

In spring 2018, Luke Maye as named a second-team Academic All-American, becoming the third Carolina men’s basketball player in the last eight years — joining Tyler Zeller and Marcus Paige — to receive the honor.

Photo courtesy of JD Lyon Jr.

Related Stories

How to Heal a Broken Heart

Celebrating a Presidential Day

Siblings Guide the Next Generation