Will Graves(Dudley HS/UNC) pipes up

As the North Carolina Tar Heels exit the locker room and walk down the hallway before every home game, a booming voice screams “Heeeeeeeere! Weeeeeeee! Goooooooooooo!” three times in succession followed by a quick repetition by his teammates.

The pregame bellow has become a Smith Center staple over the last couple of years, sort of like the “Jump Around” dance.

So how did the sophomore wing Will Graves(Dudley HS) get the job?

“When Rayshawn Terry was here, he used to do it,” Graves said. “And then he graduated my first year, and when we were coming out for the first exhibition game my redshirt freshman year, nobody said it. And I took about 10 steps, then I said it. Some people on the team are kind of superstitious, so I never want it to stop.”

It’s a tougher job than it soundd like, considering how far he has to make his voice project.

“I struggle sometimes, and {my teammates} laugh,” said Graves, a reserve who is averaging 4.3 points and 12 minutes a game. “There’s been a couple of games where the voice isn’t there for all three ‘here we goes’ but they stick it out with me.”

*****from Rob Pickeral at the accnow blog at newsobserver.com*****