Tar Heel icon Eric Montross dies months after cancer diagnosis
Tar Heel icon Eric Montross died from cancer on Sunday at the age of 52, according to reports from WTVD.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill posted on its website that Montross was surrounded by his loved ones at his home when he passed away.
WTVD reports that his death comes just nine months after he announced he had been diagnosed with cancer.
Montross played for coach Dean Smith from 1990-1994, starting at center for the Heels when they won Smith’s second national championship in 1993.
In his first two years in Chapel Hill, Montross played with current Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis. Together they made it to the Final Four and Sweet 16 in 1991 and 1992, according to reports from WTVD.
The 1993 national title team is the Tar Heel team that beat Michigan’s Fab Five. The game is most remembered by future No. 1 overall NBA draft pick and hall of famer Chris Webber getting double-teamed and trying to call a timeout with Michigan down two points in the waning seconds of the game. Unfortunately for Michigan, the team was out of timeouts. Therefore, the gaffe resulted in a technical foul, which ultimately sealed the victory for UNC.
According to WTVD, in Montross’ senior season at UNC, the team finished the regular season ranked in the top 5 nationally. They won the ACC Tournament and went on to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, the team was upset in the second round by Boston College.
Montross was selected in the first round of the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. He played nine seasons in the NBA bouncing around with the Celtics, Mavericks, Nets, 76ers, Pistons, and Raptors.
After his basketball career ended, Montross returned to Chapel Hill and became a well-liked analyst on the Tar Heel Sports Network. He was a familiar voice on the network for 18 seasons.
However, he stepped away from his duties with Tar Heel Sports Network to focus on his battle with cancer this season, according to WTVD.
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