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Eric Montross, leader of North Carolina's 1993 championship team, diagnosed with cancer

5 APR 1993:  University of North Carolina center Eric Montross (00) jumps up for the shot as University of Michigan forward Chris Webber (4) tries to block during the NCAA Photos via Getty Images National Basketball Championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. North Carolina defeated Michigan 77-71 for the championship title.
Eric Montross helped lead North Carolina to the 1993 NCAA championship over Michigan. (Getty Images)

Former North Carolina All-America center Eric Montross has been diagnosed with cancer.

UNC basketball shared a statement from his family on Saturday announcing that Montross was undergoing treatment at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center in Chapel Hill. The statement didn't specify what type of cancer Montross has nor his health condition.

“Our family is of course deeply concerned, but we have spent nearly three decades in the fight against children’s cancer and know well the incredible advancements that are being made in oncology treatments, as well as the power of love, prayer, support and positivity,” the statement reads. “We are all touched by the responses our entire family has received since the news became public.

“Your support is more than appreciated; it is welcomed as a necessary part of beating cancer one day at a time. Our family is dealing with Eric’s diagnosis head-on — the only way we know how. And we are all in this fight together.

Montross, 51, played four seasons for Dean Smith at North Carolina from 1990-94. He earned All-America honors in 1993 and 1994. A 7-foot center, Montross anchored the post for North Carolina's national championship team that beat Michigan in the 1993 title game. He averaged 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 61.5% from the field during Carolina's championship season.

The Boston Celtics selected Montross with the No. 9 pick of the 1994 draft. He played eight NBA seasons for six different teams.

Montross has remained an active member of the North Carolina community, working as a radio analyst on the Tar Heel Sports Network and as a senior director for the Rams Club, the athletic department's fund-raising arm. His 00 jersey is honored in the rafters at the Dean Smith Center.