University of North Carolina Athletics
Forte Is Carolina's Rising Star
March 1, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2000
By Ryan McDonough
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Carolina freshman guard Joseph Forte is one of the most talented all-around players in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but you wouldn't know it from talking to him. Quiet and unassuming off the court, the lanky shooting guard is a menace to opposing teams on it.
Prior to the Maryland game, Forte was second in Carolina history in scoring average by a freshman at 15.9 points per game, just behind current assistant coach Phil Ford. While Forte's instant success may come as a surprise to some, the eighteen-year-old is not stunned by his accomplishments. After all, he is used to having success wherever he plays.
He played at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, for the legendary Morgan Wootten.
Forte was the most valuable player in four tournaments in high school and was named a first-team All-America by USA Today his senior year. As a junior, Forte led DeMatha to 34 wins and just one loss, a record that earned them a No. 3 national ranking.
However, Forte's success may not have been possible without the help of his mother. Wanda Hightower decided before Joseph reached high school that it would be best for her son to move from Atlanta to the Washington, D.C. area so he could play for coach Wootten at DeMatha.
Forte burst onto the collegiate scene by averaging over 20 points per game as he led the Tar Heels to the Maui Invitational title and won the tournament's MVP award. Forte scored 24 points against Southern Cal in his debut, the most points a Carolina freshman has ever scored in his first game.
"I wanted to make a good first impression," remarks Forte. "I couldn't have picked a better first impression than that."
Forte has carried that momentum throughout the season and is on pace to become the first Carolina freshman to lead the Tar Heels in scoring since freshmen became eligible to play in the 1972-73 season.
According to Forte, his early success continues to help his confidence when he is struggling. "I always feed off that," he says. "I always think about that whenever I'm getting down."
Upon being told that he was the second-leading scorer of all-time for Carolina freshman, Forte just smiles and takes it in stride.
"It's a tremendous accomplishment," said the ever-humble Forte. He acknowledged that the third through fifth spots on the all-time freshman scoring list were occupied by Antawn Jamison, Sam Perkins, and J.R. Reid. "(It's difficult) trying to maintain it, there's a lot of expectations," he remarked."
The generally stoic Forte had to think for awhile when asked if he ever been nervous in his Carolina career. He admits that he gets excited about playing in big games, even if his outward demeanor would lead fans to believe he is unemotional.
"I was nervous before my first couple of practices," he says. "And I was excited about my first start in college and all the attention that I got, I may not show it (emotion) on the court, but when I got off it I was excited."
Unlike many players his age, Forte has a solid understanding of the game and knows his strengths and weaknesses. The shooting guard knows some aspects of his game will need improvement before he is ready for the next level. Forte does so many things well that it may be difficult to find a weakness, but he claims he has picked out one thing in particular.
"My weakness is probably dribbling without a cause," he says. "Sometimes I get caught in midair without anywhere to pass the ball."
Although he could have listed a number of strengths, the modest Forte just named one.
"My strength is my short jumper, getting in the middle of the lane and hitting that consistently."
Although he scored in double figures in 24 of his first 27 college games, Forte maintains that keeping a level head is the key to his consistent performance. "I understand that every night's not going to be a 20-point night or a 30-point night. You've just got to take the game as it comes."
The three-point shot Forte hit at the buzzer against Duke completed one of the most impressive comebacks in Carolina history. The Tar Heels overcame a 17-point deficit in the final fifteen minutes of regulation before eventually losing in overtime.
Forte described the play in his own words. "The play was designed for the 2 man coming around and shooting the ball off the screen. I just wanted to give my team another chance to win."
Forte has a clear idea of what he would like to achieve at Carolina. Nothing less than a national title would satisfy the goals he has set for his team.
"(Our goal is) definitely to win a national championship," Forte says before pausing briefly, "I want us to win four. My goal personally is to go down as one of the best ever to have come here. There have been so many good players here, it takes a lot to stand out."
Forte said that the possibility of his name eventually being mentioned in the same sentence as Carolina greats Michael Jordan and James Worthy is what drives him to work hard.
"That's what its all about," he says. "That's why I go out there and try to succeed."
The All-ACC candidate's poise and class are perhaps most apparent off the court. He is what basketball scouts describe as a "can't miss" prospect, but when asked what he would do if he were fortunate enough to make it to the NBA, Forte has a characteristically humble answer.
"Probably take care of my mother and my brother," he says. "Everything else would be secondary."
