Cassell's comment bothered Carolina
Mar 14, 2009
Tags: ACC
One of the more memorable quotes in ACC history - right up there with N.C. State's Charles Shackleford saying he could go left or right and was thus "amphibious" - was Sam Cassell's reaction to the Smith Center crowd in 1991.
Cassell, a Florida State guard, scored 22 points as the Seminoles stunned the No. 5 Tar Heels in their first ACC conference game.
This was before UNC moved the students closer to the floor, and the Smith Center was known for having wealthy alums near the court who did little in the way of raising noise.
Cassell got in another dagger after the game - although he actually butchered the cliche.
“This is not a Duke kind of crowd. It’s more like a cheese-and-wine crowd, kind of laid back," Cassell said, using "cheese-and-wine" rather than the more familiar "wine-and-cheese."
Cassell watched courtside Saturday as FSU stunned Carolina again. But the Raycom reporter who spoke with Cassell misconstrued the quote and recalled it as "cheese-and-wine."
Either way, the Seminoles had their first ACC win - and Cassell had made his point. That comment would annoy Carolina for years, and the Tar Heels made changes later to push students close to the floor and improve the atmosphere.
