UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell spoke to the N&O today about Kay Yow. Here's what she had to say:

"Kay was a treasure to me. She was a jewel of a person, a coach, but more so a friend. I was able to go spend some time with her Wednesday before we left for Georgia Tech. That was a real special time for me. I did most of the talking because she was so weak. We just had a special moment together where I just talked to her about coaching, basketball, life in general. But more than anything else, just how special she was and all the things she had done for me, women's basketball and people in general."

And I thought UNC Chapel Hill's last chancellor was the keyboard guru.

Last night at the women's basketball game between UNC Chapel Hill and the University of Connecticut, Carolina Chancellor Holden Thorp provided the musical accompaniment for the National Anthem. He played the keyboards in support of Terri Houston, the university's director of recruitment and multicultural programs, who belted out a powerful rendition of the anthem that drew raves as it crescendoed to its conclusion.

Thorp became chancellor last summer, succeeding James Moeser, an accomplished organist. I was curious about how Thorp and Houston put their act together; turns out they perform from time to time, as you can see in this photo of the two of them from a campus event from last year called Fallfest.

I e-mailed the chancellor late last night and he was gracious enough to fire back some answers. 

Click "Read More" for all the details.

North Carolina romped past Carson-Newman, 114-64, in the Tar Heels' first public exhibition game of the 2008-2009 women's basketball season.

UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell used the game to experiment with future line-ups and evaluate her freshman class.

Listen to Hatchell talk about her team's progress as they prepare for the season-opener against Western Carolina on Nov. 14.

North Carolina women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell has signed a contract extension that carriers her through to 2015.

According to a statement released today by the university, UNC's Board of Trustees approved a seven-year deal for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame coach that starts this month.

Hatchell's agent, John Meadows, said the package will improve her salary this year to $705,000 from $476,000, making her one of the highest paid women's coaches in the nation.