Funny thing about this day, one of the biggest breaking news stories I ever covered while at @TheHerald_Sun. Everyone on the @UNC_Basketball beat was on alert each October, knowing Dean said he'd decide how he felt at the start of the season before deciding if he'd keep coaching. https://twitter.com/NCSHOF/status/1314550913651085313

Everyone figured he'd just call one of his close media friends -- Ron Green Sr. or @ArtChansky or John Kilgo -- to let them know. Back in the competitive days of newspapers, though, I didn't want to get beat. Dean didn't really play favorites on things like this. @kcs_tarheel

Early that afternoon, I got a tip that something was afoot and an announcement might happen the next day. @UNCKirschner said there was nothing stopping me from coming to the Smith Center. This would be the biggest news of the @marchmadness and @accmbb season.

But I couldn't find my car keys. I was working from home that day and had been doing some yardwork in between phone calls and writing. I had them in my hand one minute and they were gone the next. My newspaper career was on the line and I couldn't drive my car.

Running around the house, I pulled out cushions on every couch & chair while on the phone trying to confirm the story and talking to national writer friends wanting to know if they should get to NC. Spent an hour tearing up the house, somehow deciding it was my wife's fault.

Eventually, before the panic caused a heart attack, I found them hanging in the deadbolt lock of the back door. I grabbed them, raced from Cary to Chapel Hill, making calls on a barely charged flip phone. @neilamato will remember how frantic I was. No one knew how scared I was.

These were the days when hardly any news stories made it onto the Internet. I was competing against the 6 pm local news and @espn's SportsCenter. I got to UNC while Smith was meeting with his team, and spent the time writing the story on a laptop on the trunk of my Honda Accord.

The players eventually started to trickle out of the meeting. No one would say anything. Finally, Dean left the building and I was able to talk to him, briefly. I asked if the press conference called for the next day was to announce his retirement. He said:

"I guess I'll be there; it's about basketball. There's a lot of things going on right now, but nothing is positive." That was it. I confirmed with two independent sources and sent in story below. The @newsobserver used Dean's quote in its story, attributing it to Chansky.

The next 96 hours were hectic and exhausting: retirement press conference & naming Bill Guthridge new coach and football practice on Thursday, Tom Fazio unveiling his redesign plans for @UNCFinley on Friday, @TarHeelFootball- @WakeFB on Saturday, special section on Sunday.

It was among the most fun I had in my newspaper career.

Aspiring journo tips:

▪︎Good relationships = good sourcing = good reporting = good stories.

▪︎Always know where your car keys are.

▪︎Never -- and I cannot emphasize this enough -- blame your wife.