Basketball
Tar Heels Coach Sylvia Hatchell Issued Warning After Toilet Papering Trees
By Dylan Vox

Feb 11, 2008

Sylvia Hatchell

This weekend, UNC’s women’s basketball head coach Sylvia Hatchell proved that you are never too old to make a childish mistake. After the Tar Heels earned a 93-76 victory over their rivals Duke, their beloved coach was issued a warning by police after she and some of the team members decided to toilet paper trees outside of a drugstore in Chapel Hill.  

Hatchell has amassed one of the most successful careers ever in college basketball in her 32 seasons coaching the sport. Twice named National coach of the year and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, Hatchell has the third most wins by an active coach in the nation.  

After 22 seasons with the Tar Heels, she lead the team to a 500th victory this weekend as they beat out Clemson at Carmichael Auditorium, but it was the incident after the victory over 11th ranked Duke that has gained some interesting media attention.  

The lopsided win over their bitter rivals had the entire UNC team in a celebratory mood and Hatchell just seemed to want to join in. The North Carolina coach told the team bus driver to drive down the center of Franklin Street and the women got out to toilet paper trees on the Chapel Hill campus.  

Local police arrived and issued a warning for littering against the coach before allowing the team back on the bus.  

Hatchell explained to the Associated Press, "We've got a great women's team. That was a big win for us over Duke. Let them do a little bit of celebrating."  

Hatchell said that she then boarded the bus with her hands behind her head as though she had been arrested and the women exploded with laughter.  

"It was worth it," she explained. "We beat Duke on national TV."  

The Tar Heels will once again face Duke on their home turf on March 2nd.