Caleb Wilson reflects on season, All-American honors as UNC begins NCAA Tournament

Caleb Wilson sprinted ahead, past the outstretched phones and fans leaning over railings, leading his teammates through the tunnel and onto the floor at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Or so he thought.

In keeping with a UNC postseason tradition, Wilson and fellow freshmen Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon ran out first and quickly grabbed basketballs off the rack — only to turn and realize no one else had followed.

They’d been pranked.

Director of operations Eric Hoots pointed and laughed. Wilson broke into a wide grin, eyes crinkling. “You’re a funny guy! That’s good, man!” Wilson shouted at Hoots.

Moments later, as the rest of the Tar Heels jogged onto the court, Wilson drifted to the baseline. That’s where he stayed Wednesday afternoon, watching shootaround ahead of UNC’s first-round NCAA Tournament matchup with No. 11 seed VCU.

It’s where he’ll be Thursday, too. But Wilson, speaking to the media for the first time in over a month, doesn’t sound like someone stuck on the sideline. If anything, the second-team All-American is enjoying the ride.

“It’s kind of fun,” he said. “I’ve been able to build relationships with everyone on my team now… I’m with the walk-ons at the end of the bench, and usually I’d just be in the game. So it’s definitely fun, and I’m enjoying it. I’m grateful I have this opportunity to learn how to lead in a different way.”

For the first time since UNC’s Feb. 7 win over Duke, Wilson spoke at length with reporters in Greenville. The questions were predictable: about the injury, the emotions, what comes next.

He was ready for each one with an answer, yes. But jokes too.

What do you remember about celebrating the Duke win?

“That was the last night I had two hands.”

Have you seen the TikTok edits?

“They’re really sad. I be like, ‘Damn, I’m not dead.’”

What was your reaction to breaking your thumb?

“I was like, ‘Dang, that’s crazy.’ But I dunked hard, so maybe I should start dunking softer.”

The humor is real, but so is the shift in perspective. And both are fueling the Tar Heels this week.

“I’ve said before that just my heart is broken for him,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Obviously, people have seen how gifted and talented he is on the basketball court, but he’s just as gifted as a person and as a teammate. He had a burning desire and a dream to play in the NCAA Tournament, and he’s not being able to do that.”

“So being able to give him that news (being named an All-American) doesn’t replace not being able to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Davis added, “but it did put a smile on his face, and that’s something that brightens up our room every time he smiles like that.”

Highs and lows

Wilson had just played in one of the most memorable games of his life — beating rival Duke on an instantly-iconic buzzer beater from senior guard Seth Trimble — before his college career was cut short. Wilson dropped 23 points against the Blue Devils, carrying the Tar Heels on his back so he could later carry his bedazzled belt down Franklin Street and celebrate in a sea of Carolina Blue.

“I went out for like an hour, and then I realized I had a game in two days,” he said. “I was like, ‘I should probably go to sleep.’”

Days later, everything changed. Wilson fractured his left, non-shooting hand the following Tuesday in Coral Gables, Florida. He suffered the injury when he closed out on Miami’s Noam Dovrat 3-point attempt with 5:35 remaining in the first half.

“He stuck his legs out,” Wilson said. “Should’ve been a flop, but it is what it is.”

He didn’t realize the severity at the moment. An X-ray at halftime cleared him to return, but he struggled.

“It hurt pretty bad,” Wilson said. “I couldn’t really dribble… I thought it was a sprain.”

Further imaging in Chapel Hill later that week revealed the fracture. Wilson began the rehab process with the hopes of returning to play in UNC’s season-finale contest against Duke on March 7. That, too, was derailed.

At practice on March 5, Wilson broke his right thumb attempting a dunk during warmups. In the days afterwards, Davis described the freshman as “devastated.”

But now, just weeks later, Wilson talks about his injury with ease.

“I was like, ‘Maybe I jammed it really bad,’” Wilson said. “But I didn’t know I broke it. And then I found out. I was like, ‘Dang, that’s crazy.’”

“I just found out, got my surgery and really just kept it moving, honestly,” Wilson added. “It was, of course, really tough mentally. But I was kind of able to accept it and what I went through and kind of just move on.”

Wilson looked on the bright side: he wasn’t dealing with anything career-ending. He turned to his love of Stoicism, reading ancient philosophy and the Bible — particularly Proverbs. That’s helped Wilson focus on the controllables and maintain an almost shockingly optimistic attitude.

The 19-year-old told reporters Wednesday he thinks being sidelined will be “good” for him and predicts he will be “even better” when he returns.

“Just knowing that you can be grateful for things that I kind of wasn’t being grateful for — like being able to put on your socks,” Wilson said. “Or being able to take a shower without having to put a plastic bag on your arm, just simple stuff that you’re not grateful for until something happens to you. So I feel like these injuries have really helped me become a more grateful person, not for just things I can do in basketball, but things in life.”

That acceptance has brought a different kind of awareness — for Wilson and the Tar Heels.

A different vantage point

North Carolina’s 82-58 loss to N.C. State in February wasn’t just a defeat. It was a demoralizing beat down. After watching the game from the sidelines — and being chirped at by Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland — Wilson couldn’t stay silent.

And he didn’t. In the Lenovo Center visiting locker room, Wilson told his teammates to “be grateful for the opportunities that they have to play.”

“Of course, at that point, I was going to come back,” Wilson said Wednesday. “I was just telling them, ‘Just because I’m out does not mean anything or change our approach to our games.’”

Many Tar Heels have pointed to that night — that loss and Wilson’s message — as a turning point for the team.

North Carolina won its next four games, including a road win over Syracuse, a top-25 win against Louisville and a grit-it-out victory over Clemson on UNC’s senior night.

“It was really great, honestly,” Wilson said of his team’s response. “This team is really talented, with or without me, so I really believe in them — that we can make a run in the tournament.”

And while Wilson certainly didn’t expect to be watching March Madness from the bench, he’s found plenty of purpose there.

“I’ve actually learned a lot,” he said. “You see things on the court you don’t see on the bench and vice versa — just seeing what options are open and how we can communicate better and capitalize on mistakes.”

Teammates say his presence hasn’t diminished. If anything, it’s just taken on a new form. Highlight reels of Wilson’s bench celebrations have taken the place of Wilson’s highlight-worth dunks. From his spot on the sideline — “it’s almost like court-side seats,” Wilson joked — the freshman has gone viral for his many antics: jumping up and down, waggling his tongue, dancing and just generally making a fool of himself.

“He’s an incredible player on the floor, but off the court he’s an even better teammate,” walk-on John Holbrook said. “A lot of people in his position — you’d see their heads down. But he’s stayed involved.”

“He’s motivated us,” Stevenson added. “He’s taught me a lot and been a great leader even though he’s not able to play.”

Already cemented

Even with a shortened season, Wilson’s impact as a freshman has been historic.

He added more All-America honors Wednesday — second team from the USBWA and third team from the NABC — one day after earning second-team recognition from the Associated Press on Tuesday.

That distinction carries particular weight at UNC. It ensures his No. 8 jersey will one day hang in the rafters at the Smith Center. Davis delivered the news to Wilson and the Tar Heels at practice on Tuesday, a moment that Wilson said surprised him.

“I didn’t think I was gonna get what I needed, because I got injured,” Wilson said. “I was really excited that I got the accomplishment.”

And his teammates, who Wilson has cheered on so enthusiastically for weeks, were equally thrilled for him.

“It was really cool, obviously, for him to get that moment,” freshman guard Derek Dixon said. “You know, it’s something he talked about. He was hoping he got second-team All-American just to get it. So I was really excited.

“I remember him in the summer talking about that was his dream,” Holbrook added. “I think that’s why he picked eight. Just being in the rafters, being special. To be the only one, one of one. It’s very exciting, because he’s worked his ass off for it. And it’s well-deserved.”

Wilson is currently the first Tar Heel to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists per game, averaging 19.8 points per game and setting multiple freshman records.

And, just this week, he became the second freshman behind Tyler Hansbrough to have his jersey eligible for entry in the rafters.

“It’s kind of hard for me to show a lot of motion for stuff because I’m not playing,” Wilson said. “So I would much rather be playing in March Madness than be an All-American in all honesty.”

But it’s that exact mentality his teammates love.

“When you talk about the top five players in the draft, there’s not a lot to differentiate,” said UNC senior captain Elijah Davis. “There’s not a lot of difference in terms of how talented they are. But the way Caleb is as a person, there’s no one like that... how much energy he brings. That’s why I got to say, to any NBA team that has the number one pick, you’re stupid if you don’t pick Caleb number one.”

Wilson won’t take the floor Thursday night, as much as he wants to.

But in Greenville, he’s still present — cracking jokes, dancing to the marching band’s tunes and, in his own way, still leading.

And for now, that’s more than enough for the Tar Heels.