Fansided

Ranking the top 30 UNC basketball players in program history

By Cooper Watson

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – OCTOBER 26: Rameses, mascot of the North Carolina Tar Heels, performs before a game against the Shaw Bears during play at the Dean Smith Center on October 26, 2012 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – OCTOBER 26: Rameses, mascot of the North Carolina Tar Heels, performs before a game against the Shaw Bears during play at the Dean Smith Center on October 26, 2012 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

5. Sam Perkins (1980-84)

Sam Perkins is the frequently unheralded and often overlooked member of the “Big Three” from UNC’s 1981-82 National Championship squad. This is likely due to the fact that his NBA career, while quite successful, did not bring him the same levels of fame that we saw with James Worthy and Michael Jordan.

Perkins averaged 15.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 1.8 BPG on 57.6% shooting from the field over his four seasons in Chapel Hill. He ranks second in UNC history in career rebounds and third in both points and blocked shots—one of the truly elite post defenders in program history. Although most effective a more traditional post player, Perkins had the ability to stretch the floor with his jumper, a relatively rare ability for a big man at the time.

From 1980-84, UNC won a national title (and appeared in another), three ACC regular-season titles, and two ACC Tournament titles with an overall record of 117-21. Perkins was the key connecting player between all four of those seasons.

Individually, Perkins won ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981 and was a second-team All-American in 1982 followed by a first-team All-American in 1983 and 1984. In 2018, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.