Raleigh News and Observer Exclusive

• 2017 Most Outstanding Player and National Champion Berry Added to ACCN’s Nothing But Net Roster
• Smith to Contribute Weekly on All ACC and In Play, and Serve as a Social Media Correspondent

Former North Carolina men’s basketball standouts Joel Berry II and KJ Smith have signed deals to join ACC Network as college basketball studio analysts. Berry II will appear weekly on ACCN’s signature basketball show Nothing But Net, while Smith will contribute on All ACC along with serving as a social media correspondent on the network’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram handles.

Both will make their network debuts Tuesday, Oct. 12 as part of ACCN’s coverage of ACC Basketball Tipoff.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Joel and KJ to our ACC Network family. Their engaging personalities and knowledge of the game will be immediate assets to our studio coverage,” said coordinating producer Aaron Katzman. “Joel makes our Nothing But Net team even more decorated with two Most Outstanding Players and NCAA champions in Joel and Luke Hancock and national champion, NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Carlos Boozer, while KJ will elevate both our studio programming and the content on our ACCN social platforms.”

Joel Berry II

One of the most decorated players in North Carolina men’s basketball history, Berry II helped the Tar Heels to the 2017 NCAA Championship and an appearance in the 2016 NCAA title game. He was named the 2017 NCAA Most Outstanding Player following a 22-point, six-assist effort in the title game, along with being named to the All-Final Four Teams in ’16 and ‘17. The Apopka, Fla., native earned third-team NBCA All-America and first team All-ACC honors in 2018, and was a finalist for both the James A. Sullivan and Bob Cousy awards that season. In addition, he also earned second team All-ACC honors in 2017, and was named the 2016 ACC Tournament MVP following the Tar Heels’ championship run.

During his four-year career in Chapel Hill, Berry II played a role in 109 Carolina victories, including 14 NCAA Tournament and 10 ACC Tournament wins. He recorded 1,813 points and 451 assists.

“ACC basketball holds a special place in my heart and being blessed with the opportunity to play in the best conference in the nation was a dream come true,” said Berry. “It doesn’t get any better than joining ACC Network and having the chance to cover high-level basketball that comes with playing in this conference. I’m honored to have this opportunity, and I’m excited to join the team and get started.”

KJ Smith

Smith played three seasons at North Carolina from 2018-21, appearing in 50 games and helping the Tar Heels to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2021. Following graduation in 2021, Smith joined On3 Sports covering college and high school basketball and recruiting.

Smith’s father, Kenny Smith Sr., played at North Carolina from 1983-87 where he earned Basketball Times National Player of the Year honors in 1987 and is the Tar Heels’ all-time leader in assists and steals.

“I’m thrilled to be joining ACC Network,” said Smith. “During my time at UNC, I fell in love with ACC basketball and now I can’t wait to cover it. It’s going to be a fun season and I am excited to contribute.”

About ACC Network

Owned and operated by ESPN in partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC Network (ACCN) and its digital platform ACCNX is a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports that launched on August 22, 2019. ACCN televises more than 500 regular-season and tournament games from across the conference’s 27 sponsored sports plus a complement of news and information shows and original programming. Together, ACCN and its digital platform, ACCNX, combine to feature more than 1,500 ACC events each year. ESPN has been televising ACC content since 1979 and has exclusive rights to every conference-controlled game across all sports and championships.

Carriage agreements are in place with the following video providers: Cox, DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, DISH Network, Frontier, fuboTV, Google Fiber, Hulu+ Live TV, Mediacom, Optimum, Sling TV, Spectrum TV, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios, YouTube TV, members of the NCTC, NRTC and Vivicast, among others. All ACCN games will also be available on the ESPN App to authenticated subscribers. Fans interested in learning more about ACCN can visit www.GetACCN.com.