Also former Hornet player, Joe Wolf. At 59, that’s way too young
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So sorry to hear this. He played during an era of ACC basketball when guys mostly stayed 4 years and there weren’t 37 teams in each conference so you actually felt like you knew the players. Was never a UNC fan, but all the guys from the old 8 team ACC felt like family. He was a part of some great Carolina teams in the mid-80s. Very sad to see these guys passing away.
Thank you so much for posting this. I was a big Carolina guy in the 80s. By the time Joe Wolf was a senior, he was a great college player!
One interesting stat: He shot 57.5% on 40 3 point attempts in his senior year. Combined with some good outside-shooting guards, it really opened things up for JR Reid to shine as a freshman. That was a fantastic team, with Kenny Smith and Jeff Lebo also in the mix. They went undefeated in the ACC regular season, and made the elite 8, where they ran into a supremely talented Syracuse team(Seikaly, Coleman, Sherman Douglas).
I always wondered why Joe didn’t develop an NBA 3 point shot. He really was MONEY from 18-22 feet as a senior. Such an offensive weapon. In the pros, I remember him as more of a banger/pest type.
Either way, he appears to have led a really interesting life. RIP Joe.
Also, would like to add this:
The guy played 11 years in the league, only averaging 4 points and 3 rebounds. He averaged 7.6 points as a rookie(when he was a recent first round pick, playing for potential) and it only went down from there.
There must have been something special about his personality. He was never going to be a good NBA player. But he hung around so long with such minimal statistical contribution. You wouldn’t make a career like that if you were a team cancer. He must have been the opposite.