University of North Carolina Athletics
Mick: Matt and Coaching
February 14, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2001
Beneath the glad-handing, the public speaking, the press conferences and the TV and radio shows beats the true heart of the coaching profession: the manipulation of human nature.
*** New on the job and with an all new staff, the young head coach doesn't try to get too close to the players too soon. He bides his time knowing that the relationships must evolve naturally, even though every cell in his body is in a hurry to belong.
*** Players think they are giving all they can. The young head coach says, "Give more."
*** Struggling with his free throws, a center steps to the line for two big ones. The last voice he hears before releasing the ball is the young head coach reminding him to shoot them like he did back in high school. Swish. Swish.
*** Prior to a crucial game, an elite scorer is shown video of his indifferent defense against the same team last year. He yanks down 16 rebounds.
*** Another player not known for his defense starts reading and hearing that the young head coach thinks he is an excellent defender. His defense improves.
*** Fighting for his team's fair share in an enemy gym, the young head coach flirts with a technical foul. A veteran official has had enough and tells him to behave. The young head coach nods his head and calms down, and later whispers to that same ref, "This coaching thing is gonna kill me." Both men smile. "This young head coach doesn't just talk, he LISTENS," thinks the veteran official.
Why has Matt Doherty been successful? Part of it is plain old luck. He inherited a talented team. Curry and Peppers slid over from football and added depth, toughness and athleticism. Capel's miss bounced right to Haywood for the winning putback against then 4th ranked Wake Forest in his second ever ACC game. The team has stayed healthy.
Part of it is dedication. "Captain D" and his staff plan their work and work their plan. They are on the job early and stay late, days off are rare, and the wives unselfishly work super-human hours at home to try and free their husbands for the time demands of coaching.
ut a big part of the formula is Matt Doherty's care and feeding of human nature. He understands that you love all your players the same but you don't COACH them all the same. He doesn't just look over his hood ornament to make sure he is centered in his lane, he looks ahead for the twists and turns that the road surely holds. And he knows where the player's buttons are and how to push them for he himself is an adult in whom the ember of adolescence still glows.
asketball is a tournament sport and many Tar Heel fans are already talking Bracketville. That, too, is human nature, I suppose.
ut before you look at March, don't forget to savor what December, January and February have been like.
Even by Chapel Hill standards, teams like this, and seasons like this, don't come along very often.
