Bobcats rookies Raymond Felton and Sean May have proved that some things indeed never change.

Felton and May returned to the Smith Center in Chapel Hill on Saturday night to play in the 4th Annual World's Greatest Alumni Game and continued to do what they did best in Carolina blue, as their CarolinaPros team defeated the ACC All-Stars, 139-126, in a game hosted by North Carolina alums Jerry Stackhouse (Dallas Mavericks) and Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards), with proceeds going to the American Diabetes Foundation.

"It was fun. We were victorious again at home," May said. "It was great playing against Chris (Paul) and Danny (Ewing) - guys we played against all year. It was fun to play against the old vets like Flip Murray and Darrell Armstrong, too. It's great to see guys like that put on a good show for the fans and for charity. It's a great event and hopefully for many more years, we can continue to do it."

It didn't take May and Felton to feel at home again, as they seemed to pick up right where they left off on the floor of the "Dean Dome." May finished the game with 25 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while Felton added 22 points in the winning effort.

"I was just out there playing. I really wasn't paying attention to anything," May said. "I was just out there having fun, because that's what this was about. When you do stuff like that, you can lose yourself in the game and your play gets better. Just another night at the Dean Dome, right?"

Added Felton, "It was fun out there. We really weren't trying to be too serious out there, but at the same time you're trying to win the game."

While Felton and May were helping their teammates to do just that, it was a player who never got the opportunity to wear Tar Heel blue that might have been putting on the best show for the CarolinaPros. J.R. Smith, who signed a letter of intent to play at North Carolina but ended up going from high school straight to the pros, paced the CarolinaPros with 26 points, including 10 dunks that would have filled a highlight reel.

"He's got hops, man" Felton said. "Unfortunately he never got the chance to attend this school. He was going to come but had the opportunity to go to the NBA, so he took that chance."

Smith's decision not to come to UNC almost had him playing for the ACC All-Stars, but after some prodding from May, Stackhouse decided to put him with the Tar Heels alumni.

"Since he signed a letter of intent to play here, I said, 'Why not?'" Stackhouse said. "He was on the right track to come here, so we decided to let him wear the blue."

One thing that was blatantly clear on this night was just how important last year's National Championship was not only to the fans, but to all of the former UNC players. During introductions, it was Felton and May who received the loudest ovations in recognition of what they did last year in Chapel Hill.

"The fans here love us and support us and acknowledged what we did last year today for us," May said. "That meant a lot. I know that (the UNC alumni) appreciate it, too. They were on the phone all year calling us and were the first to call as soon as we won. Carolina is a family. I know a lot of people get tired of hearing that, but it truly is one big family. Everybody bleeds that blue. You love the game of basketball and you want to win. A lot of people want to come to Carolina because of that. That's what brought me here was the tradition.

"I didn't know the family was this strong, but for guys like Stack and Antawn to host something like this and bring everybody back once a year - that's really all you need. You get one great opportunity a year to have everybody back, see each other, share some stories and help build that family bond."

When looking back on it, the weekend couldn't have gone much better for the two Bobcats rookies who got a chance to go home again before kicking off their professional careers this season.

"This is what it's all about," Felton said. "This is Carolina and the Carolina family at its best. We're all together, no matter what. It's the epitome of a family. It was wonderful event. It gave us a chance to give back to the school, to the community and to charity. It was a chance to get out and have fun on the court in a big family reunion. I'm a part of a very special alumni group. To have all these guys come back and play in this game, it's just a special opportunity to be able to play with all of them."