North Carolina basketball: Ranking the 27 best Tar Heels of all time

CHAPEL HILL, NC - 1983: Michael Jordan #23 of the North Carolina Tar Heels sits in the huddle against the Clemson Tigers circa 1983 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1983 NBAE (Photo by Anthony Neste/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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26. Jerry Stackhouse (1993-95)

Had he spent more time in Chapel Hill, there’s no question that Jerry Stackhouse would’ve placed substantially higher on this list. However, he played only two seasons for the Tar Heels and only one of those was spent as a starter. Even still, Stackhouse etched his name in the lore of North Carolina basketball over the course of his 69 games played for the program.

As a freshman coming off of the bench and with UNC coming off the 1993 National Championship win, Stackhouse and the Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament but failed to make it to the Sweet 16. As a role player, though, the youngster still shined as he averaged 12.2 points, five rebounds, two assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field in only 21 minutes per contest.

The following season, however, Stackhouse became the featured piece of the Tar Heels and performed beautifully in doing so. First, the forward averaged 19.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from 3-point range. Moreover, he also led his team back to the Final Four after failing to make the Sweet 16 the previous season.

For that work, the Kinston, NC native was a first-team All-American and deservedly so. And, while Stackhouse elected to head to the NBA following that year, there’s no question that he deserves a spot among the 25 best players in program history.