University of North Carolina Athletics
Three Tar Heels Among 10 Hall of Fame Finalists
April 12, 2000 | Men's Basketball
April 12, 2000
Former North Carolina Tar Heels Bobby Jones, Robert McAdoo and James Worthy are among 10 finalists under consideration for enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame. An individual needs 18 of 24 votes from the Hall's Honors Committee to be inducted. The committee will announce this year's recipients during the week of May 22-25 in New York.
Other finalists include Arizona head coach Lute Olson, DeMatha Catholic High School head coach Morgan Wooten (who coached current Tar Heel freshman Joseph Forte), Mount St. Mary's head coach Jim Phelan, Isiah Thomas, Sidney Moncrief, wheelchair basketball pioneer Junius Kellogg and Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton.
obby Jones was one of the most complete players in ACC history. He excelled at all areas of the game. As a sophomore, he rotated in and out of the lineup with Dennis Wuycik and Bill Chamberlain, averaging 10.2 points per game and hitting 66.8 of his field goals, still the ACC single-season record. Jones posted one of the best all-around seasons in Carolina history as a junior, averaging 15.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He led the ACC in field goal percentage three times and stands fourth in UNC history in career field goal percentage at 60.8 percent.
As a senior in 1974, Jones provided two of the most famous moments in Tar Heel lore. In a game at Duke, he stole a Blue Devil inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the floor for a layup at the buzzer to give Carolina a 73-71 victory. In the rematch at Carmichael Auditorium, Jones scored four points in an amazing Tar Heel rally from eight points down with 17 seconds left in regulation. He scored 24 points for the game and UNC won in overtime, 96-92.
Jones earned a position on the 1972 Olympic Team after just his sophomore season, and he later earned All-America honors as a senior. He went on to be named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight consecutive years, won the NBA Sixth Man Award in 1983 and was a member of the world champion Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. He is generally regarded as one of the best defensive players in NBA history.
McAdoo was the only junior college transfer ever awarded a scholarship by Dean Smith. He only played at Carolina one season, but he was a key performer on one of the best teams in school history. A Greensboro, N.C. native, he came to Carolina from Vincennes Junior College and immediately stepped into the pivot and helped Carolina to a 26-5 record in 1971-72. The Tar Heels won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.
McAdoo was the leading scorer (19.5 points per game) and rebounder (10.1 boards per contest) on a well-balanced squad that featured five players who scored in double figures. He was an All-ACC selection and an all-tournament choice at the ACC Tournament, the NCAA East Regional and the Final Four. He was also the MVP of the ACC Tournament. For a big man, he was an excellent shooter and his long-range scoring ability cleared out the lane for Wuycik, Chamberlain and Jones.
McAdoo had such a tremendous season that Smith suggested he make himself eligible for the NBA draft, the first UNC player to enter the draft with college eligibility remaining. The move paid off as McAdoo was the NBA Rookie of the Year for the Buffalo Braves in 1973 and the league's MVP in 1975. A five-time all-star as a professional, McAdoo was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers during the world championship seasons of 1982 and 1985 and is now an assistant coach with the Miami Heat.
As Carolina conquered Georgetown to win the national championship in 1982, James Worthy led the way, scoring 28 points in the 63-62 victory over the Hoyas. That season, he was named MVP of the ACC Tournament, the NCAA East Regional and the NCAA Final Four. A first-team All-America choice in both 1981 and 1982, and a consensus selection the latter year, Worthy was named co-National Player of the Year by the Helms Foundation in 1982.
A starter from the beginning of his freshman year, he averaged 14.5 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per contest in an 84-game Tar Heel career. Worthy missed the second half of his freshman year with a broken ankle, but he came back to average 14.2 points per game and finish third in the ACC in rebounding as a sophomore. He helped Carolina reach the national championship game that season with his outstanding play as the Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament and NCAA West Regional crowns. That merely set the stage for his magnificent junior year when the Tar Heels won it all.
Worthy won the McKevlin Award as the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1982 and was named second-team All-ACC in 1981 and first team in 1982. After consulting with Coach Smith, Worthy passed up his final year of eligibility to become the first player selected in the 1982 NBA draft, chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers. He went on to become a seven-time All-Star in the NBA, playing on world championship teams with the Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1988 NBA Finals against Detroit. He was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996.
He retired from professional basketball in the fall of 1994. He is currently a basketball analyst for CBS Sports. In March, Worthy teamed with Dikc Enberg in broadcasting all four of Carolina's NCAA South Regional victories en route to the Final Four.
