The Best of the Sports Shop

Our dear friend of the show Van Eure, owner of the Angus Barn in Raleigh joins the Sports Shop to give her thoughts on the NFL Divisional Round games this weekend and makes her pick on who she thinks will win the NC State and UNC matchup.

Both NC State & UNC earned wins this past Tuesday ahead of their first meeting tomorrow, but the two teams are entering this game with different seasons. NC State is having one of its best years since Kevin Keatts's first season with the Wolfpack, while the Tar Heels have struggled to find their footing all season long. Who needs this win more and what should we expect inside the Dean Smith Ce...

The Raleigh Firebirds are proud to share that Bob MacKinnon, a veteran leader in the game of professional basketball has accepted the head coaching position for the 2023 season. MacKinnon is no stranger to the team as he has been the interim coach for the past two years during the pandemic. Mackinnon began his coaching career in 1982 and served as a Coach in the NCAA ranks for 25 years as an Assis...

Reese, Pam, and Graham preview a big weekend for our local triangle teams. At Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Duke Blue Devils host the 17th-ranked Miami Hurricanes. Over in Chapel Hill, it’s the vintage ACC rivalry renewed as NC State takes on North Carolina. Duke is looking to get back on track and avoid a loss at home against a tough Miami team. Down the road, there’s a question of who needs this w...

As always, each and every Thursday the Sports Shop gets a chance to dish it up with Dr. Deborah Stroman. To begin, she touches on our previous segment with chancellor Johnson Akinleye and continues to share the positive impact of the Eagles Celebration Bowl win for the community. She also previews the women's basketball game between #13 Duke and #17 North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Also, she discuss...

North Carolina Central's Chancellor Johnson Akinleye joined the show to discuss how the Eagles winning the Celebration Bowl Championship has created such a positive outcome for the University and community activities planned for this Saturday as the team will be holding a parade to celebrate the win.

Reese was taken by the fine meal he enjoyed last night downtown with K-Mac, but he left Graham stranded in the process. Also, in honor of today's throwback year, Pam explains why she's been a Dallas Cowboys fan for so long.

Reese, K-Mac, & Pam discuss the unfortunate circumstances that took place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama this past Sunday.

Yesterday, Aaron Rodgers joined the Pat Mcafee show to discuss the future of his NFL career in which he said he felt he could win the MVP again, but he wasn't sure if he could do it playing for the Green Bay Packers. This led to a discussion on the Sports Shop of what could appeal to someone like Rodgers, or even Tom Brady to come play for the Carolina Panthers, in regards to the positives of livi...

B-CU's new head football coach Ed Reed offered an apology following a video he posted on social media criticizing the university's football facility. The video contained vulgar language in regard to the poor conditions Reed felt he was having to deal with. Reese, K-Mac, & Pam discuss how he could've gotten his point across in a better manner.

We had two of our local teams in action last night as North Carolina defeated Boston College at home by a final of 72-64. NC State was on the road in Atlanta as they defeated Georgia Tech 78-66. Both wins were big for the two teams considering they could've easily been "trap games" before UNC and NC State play each other this Saturday.

Vashti Hurt of the Carolina Blitz joins the Sports Shop to give an update on the Carolina Panthers job fair in Charlotte amongst other coaches and coordinators in the NFL. Also, Terquavion Smith after the Wolfpack’s win over 16th Miami had this to say: “I feel like other colleges in NC feel like they’re better than us because they wear blue, but I just want people to know that you can come here to...

This past Saturday, NC State picked up another win against a top-20 ranked opponent at PNC Arena as they defeated the 16th ranked Miami Hurricanes 83-81 in overtime. The Wolfpack are now on a three-game winning streak as they prepare for a big matchup this upcoming weekend in Chapel Hill against North Carolina. CL Brown from the News & Observer joins the Sports Shop to review their performance...

Pam Thompson Smith might be one of the happiest people on the Sports Shop this morning as she makes her return. Her Dallas Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 last night in the final game from the Wild Card weekend. Dak Prescott may have had one of his best games all season, while Tom Brady may have played his worst. Did we witness Brady's final game in Tampa, or his final game in the...

The 43rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Triangle Interfaith Prayer Breakfast is underway at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park with The Sports Shop on location. It's always the most exciting time of the NFL season, the postseason. The Wild Card weekend began the playoffs this past weekend with some exciting games taking place. Reese, K-Mac, & Graham recap the entire weekend...

Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Greear Webb, who is a senior Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the Sports Shop's very own Pam Thompson Smith chime in to discuss MLK Day events around the Triangle and the continued need to support young leaders in our area.

Wade Harris joins The Sports Shop for Firebirds Friday ahead of the team's first practice this Sunday before the start of their season next weekend. The team will be traveling to Canada for a two-game series. Wade is joined by the town manager of Garner, Rodney Dickerson who discussed why it is important for the community to support the Firebirds and what's the latest in the town of Garner. Also,...

The Carolina Hurricanes who recently were on an eleven-game win streak, all of a sudden found themselves on a four-game losing streak until last night when they defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets by a final of 6-2 on the road. Our producer Graham gives us the recap during his "Hill Hurricane Update." Also, Lamar Jackson tweeted that he will not play Sunday in the Ravens playoff game against the Be...

Atrayus Goode, the president, and CEO of Youth Mentoring Collaborative joins The Sports Shop ahead of his organization event at the Governor's Mansion this upcoming Tuesday. It's the first annual Champions of Mentoring Awards Ceremony & Reception. It's an evening of celebration as they present the Lifetime Achievement Award to the Honorable Howard N. Lee and the Mentor of the Year Award.

Lamar Jackson's extended absence from practicing creates more issues with the Ravens regarding his contract and their upcoming playoff game against the Bengals. The quarterback has missed 16 straight practices and is uncertain if he'll play Sunday or not. Also, the Miami Dolphins face problems as well ahead of their playoff game against the Bills. Yesterday, the head coach Mike McDaniel announced...

Duke returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium last night and picked up a 77-69 win over Pittsburgh. Head coach Jon Scheyer felt as though it was a "vintage" win for his team being back in front of their home crowd. K-Mac gives his observation of the Blue Devils' performance. Also, yesterday it was announced that North Carolina cornerback coach Dre Bly was parting ways with the team. Reese, K-Mac, &...

The NFL coach's carousel continues as teams are beginning the process of who their next hire will be as a head coach. K-Mac believes the process of how certain owners think about the situation is wrong.

As the NFL playoffs approach with Wild Card weekend starting this weekend, there's a lot of diversity amongst the teams who made it in. Some teams earned their spots in the playoffs early on in the season with how well they played all year, while other teams came limping in toward the end of the season. Which overall team has the most to play for once the playoffs begin?

In the Tar Heels game last night against Virginia, Armando Bacot left the game within the first two minutes due to injury. Hubert Davis's team would be able to control the lead for most of the first half, but the Cavaliers rallied back late in the second. Reese, K-Mac, & Pam discuss what went right for North Carolina, and what went wrong in the end.

The coach's carousel continues ahead of next season as teams around the NFL announced the firing of their current head coaches yesterday. Reese & K-Mac share their thoughts on the matter and some of the disappointments they have had with a few organizations.