How ‘Never let ‘em see your next move’ became a rallying cry for the Tar Heels

It began as a joke among North Carolina’s big men.

Earlier this month, North Carolina sophomore Brandon Huffman messaged a picture on Instagram to a group of his teammates. The picture showed a man standing straight legged, his feet pointed in opposite directions, with a caption that read, “Never let ‘em see your next move.”

The players in the group message — Huffman, Sterling Manley, Walker Miller, Caleb Ellis, K.J. Smith and Garrison Brooks — thought it resembled the way Brooks stood. They were teasing him.

“I naturally stand like that,” Brooks said with a smile.

They all laughed and Huffman took a picture of Brooks standing with his feet pointed out wide. He posted it to his Instagram story with the same caption because he figured someone would think it was funny.

He was more than right and now he’s created somewhat of a movement.

Hundreds of people, fans from around the world have sent Huffman photos of them standing with their feet pointed in opposite directions and the caption, “never let them never see your next move.”

“I’m talking about moms doing it,” Manley said. “Little Kindergarteners doing it. Kids at school. People around the university.”

It has become somewhat of a rallying cry for the current Tar Heels team as they play in the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels (29-6) are headed to the Sweet 16 in Kansas City as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, winners of 17 of their past 19 games, with their sights set on an NCAA national championship, which would be their second in three years.

“It just shows that we have fun off the court and on the court, and we all get along with each other,” UNC freshman Nassir Little said.

On North Carolina’s basketball team this season, the big men are considered the class clowns.

When asked what does, “never let them see your next move” mean to them, Huffman and Brooks said it’s important that he and his teammates are never predictable.

“Don’t nobody know what I’m going to do,” Brooks said jokingly.

“When you’re charismatic and creative like we are, it keeps people guessing,” Huffman said. “It keeps people interested.”

Huffman said when he posted the first picture on Instagram, he never saw it taking off the way it did. Neither did his teammates, who say they were just having fun.

He said he sometimes receives up to 10 photos daily from fans. He’ll post his favorites on his own Instagram story.

“Everyone is different,” Huffman said in between bites of the salmon he was eating for lunch in the locker room before practice. “So if it’s something interesting, like a different location, or the shoes they’re wearing, or like the pose is funny, or they say something, those are the ones I usually post.”

Brooks, who likes to say the movement started with him, said he hopes it brings a smile to fans’ faces.

“That’s always the biggest thing to me,” Brooks said. “Bringing joy to people.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 1:13 PM.