Stormin' Norman Sloan, the volatile former men's basketball coach at N.C. State, once told a pack of sportswriters that if it weren't for A.J. Carr, he could say he hated all of the writers who covered him.

Sloan described the sportswriters with a series of words, one of which rhymes with snitch.

Carr has reported on sports for The N&O since 1966. On Monday, he will receive the North Carolina sportswriter of the year award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Carr received the same award in 1978, which shows that he has played at a high level for a long, long time.

Big-time sports coaches aren't known for their tact or patience. Many distrust reporters, believing they are out to get them. There's some truth to that: Reporters get paid to ask the hard questions, the ones fans want answered.

Carr has thrived in that environment. He can ask the hard questions, but he does it in a way that endears him to players and coaches.

He speaks softly, with humility, and is always polite. His religious faith -- he's an active member of Millbrook Methodist Church -- is vital to him and influences his work.

"I get a chance to work with the media all over the world," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who will coach the USA men's team at this summer's Olympics.

"He's as trustworthy as anybody I've ever dealt with. He's a good man. ... When he writes it, I believe it."

Former UNC coach Dean Smith agreed. "He's very thorough," he said. "It always came out right. I had a lot of confidence in him."

Carr, 65, was born and raised in Duplin County in eastern North Carolina. He was an excellent athlete at Wallace-Rose Hill High School, playing baseball, basketball and football, earning all-conference honors in the last two.

He was a 5-foot-7, 135-pound blur of energy.

Later he took up tennis and competed fiercely.

(One of my favorite A.J. stories: Carr was playing doubles against pro Charlie Owens and former hoops star Jeff Mullins when Mullins hit a smash that nailed Carr between the eyes, shattering his glasses. Blood gushed. The players rushed to him. Carr immediately apologized for delaying the match.)

Carr said he remembers from his playing days how disappointed players and coaches are after a loss. And not just the big-timers. Carr brings the same approach and commitment to covering all players, including those playing recreational sports.

"The games mean as much to them as does a Carolina Final Four game to Roy Williams or a Duke Final Four game does to Coach K," he said. "To me, every story is important."

Krzyzewski said players and coaches sense Carr's sincerity and commitment and open up to him.

When Carr had a hip replaced in 1999, Krzyzewski surprised him by visiting him in the hospital at Duke. The coach, who also has an artificial hip, welcomed him to the Hip Replacement Club and urged him to rehabilitate diligently.

As a reader, Krzyzewski likes the way Carr's writing style focuses on people: "He finds not just the story of the game but the story of the people playing and coaching in the game."

His 2005 story about high school football coach Jack Holley showed Carr's ability to tell a story with pathos and hope.

Holley, then 67, coached at Carr's old high school. He had won more high school football games than any coach in state history.

But he had never won a state championship. He said it didn't bother him, but it gnawed at his players.

Carr reported that Holley worked out with his players, lifted weights with them and often drove some of them home after practice. He once inspired his team by coaching in his underwear on a freezing day.

That bond between the players and coach drove the narrative of Carr's fine story.

After more than 40 years at The N&O, Carr is going strong. He has great sources and still works the phone better than anyone. Sources return his calls, even when they are mad at another N&O writer for a story or column we published.

"I can't think of a more respected sportswriter," said N&O columnist Caulton Tudor, "and I know a lot of sportswriters nationally."

Even Norm Sloan didn't hate A.J. Carr. Now that's saying a lot.