University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Defense Will Be Key To Hoops Success
October 11, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 10, 2002
By Adam Lucas
North Carolina's biggest improvement on the basketball court this season might be evident by only a couple of percentage points on the stats sheet, but it might be the difference between just a .500 season and making the NCAA Tournament.
In the admittedly small sample size of Matt Doherty-coached teams, his squads have always played solid defense. In his one year at Notre Dame, the Irish rode gritty defense (along with the hot shooting of Troy Murphy) to several surprising upsets, and ended the year limiting opponents to just 41 percent from the field. In Doherty's first year in Chapel Hill, the Heels allowed foes a meager 39.1 percent from the field, a stat Doherty latched onto as one of the primary reasons for that year's 18-game winning streak.
Last year, Carolina finished last in the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage defense (45.2 percent). Combine that with finishing last in rebounding defense, giving up 37.6 rebounds per game, and last in steals and turnover margin, and you've got an ugly situation. Opponents scored on the Tar Heels in seemingly every which way -- set plays, in-bounds plays, in transition, and any other way they could find to put the ball in the basket.
So while plenty of attention will be paid to how this year's six freshmen and three sophomores develop offensively, how they prevent the other team from putting the ball in the hoop is more important than how they find the cylinder themselves.
"We weren't quick enough to get out and create tempo with our defense last year," Doherty said this summer. "We're going to try and do that this year...we hope we can pressure people with our defense and create some turnovers."
Much of Carolina's defensive success in 2000-01 wasn't due to creating turnovers, but to the imposing size of Brendan Haywood in the paint and good size in general all over the court. Tar Heel fans will get their first glimpse of this year's group of talent, including the much-hyped freshmen, tomorrow evening at Midnight With The Tar Heels at Carmichael Auditorium.
They will see that there are a handful of players on this team with the frame to be a defensive force, including freshman walk-on David Noel, freshman Rashad McCants and sophomore Jackie Manuel. All three players have the long arms and quick feet coaches look for in a stopper, plus the athleticism and versatility to guard a variety of players. At the point guard position, Raymond Felton is deceptively strong -- he's not necessarily a powerlifter, but he had enough strength to hang with the bulked-up Shammond Williams in pickup games this summer.
What the Heels don't have, at least until freshmen Byron Sanders and Damion Grant develop, is a Haywood-type shot blocker who can also body up on opposing centers. Sean May, who hasn't played a game in a Carolina uniform, is the most experienced bulky big man on the roster, and his perimeter skills prevent him from being called a true post player.
"That's not that important," Jawad Williams said Thursday afternoon. "We're a lot quicker than most teams, and we'll use that to try and keep the ball out of the post. If they do get it down there, then we have some leapers who should block some shots."
The goal, then, will be to use that quickness to create some easy offensive baskets off of turnovers instead of waiting for set plays to develop. There will be a lot of talk this year about the inexperience of freshmen, but even a college freshman can tell you that it's easier to sink a layup than a contested 17-footer.
What they can't tell you is what play Wake Forest is likely to run when they need a second-half basket, or which way Julius Hodge likes to go when the shot clock is expiring.
"A lot of defense on this level is mentality and experience," senior Will Johnson said. "You have to know what plays are coming at you, where you'll get isolated, and where the screens will be."
Beginning Friday night at midnight, the coaching staff has exactly 37 days to instill that knowledge before Carolina opens the season November 18 against Penn State. It's not as flashy on the stat sheet as three-point percentage or assists, but it may wind up determining the fate of this year's team.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
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