University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Looking Good In Preseason
October 17, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2002
By Adam Lucas
Carolina's women's basketball team had run almost to the point of exhaustion during Wednesday afternoon's practice at Carmichael Auditorium, but the players weren't too tired to celebrate when coach Sylvia Hatchell rewarded them with a couple days off for fall break.
The Tar Heels will scatter to their respective homes for a quick interlude, and when they return to Chapel Hill they'll get back intensive practice for the season opener on November 22 against Davidson. The break will give Hatchell a chance to evaluate what she has seen over the first few days of practice, much of which has been encouraging.
"A couple of our practices have been outstanding," said Hatchell. "I really like this team. We're going to be up and down the floor, fast-breaking, and athletic. I think we're going to be a lot of fun to watch."
Even the practices are fun to watch. Hatchell has assembled a team with numerous interchangeable parts and impressive athleticism for 2002-03. Four starters return from last year's Sweet 16 squad, and the Heels go a legitimate nine deep behind senior All-America candidate Coretta Brown, the most accurate three-point shooter in school history.
Brown blossomed last year when the coaches shifted Nikki Teasley, the only loss from last year's team, to the starting point guard spot midway through the season. Although the senior from Georgia is comfortable playing the point, early practice time has been devoted to finding someone to consistently handle the ball to allow Brown to roam the wing.
"Right now we're running Leah [Metcalf] and La'Tangela [Atkinson] at point guard, and I have talked to Jessica Sell about playing her some at point guard, too," Hatchell said. "If we need to, we can put Coretta there, but we want to keep her on the wing if we can."
Atkinson has been everything Hatchell hoped in the early practices. A freshman from Bishopville, S.C., the 6-1 rookie is versatile enough to play three different positions. She also possesses rare defensive skills that are so impressive they had Hatchell invoking some exalted names on Wednesday afternoon.
"She is so deceptive on defense," Hatchell said. "She reminds me of Marion Jones in that way. It's amazing how she can get her hands on the ball. She comes out of nowhere and all of a sudden she has it."
This year's edition of the Tar Heels should be defensive ball-hawkers, with athletic players like Atkinson on the wing backed up by shot-blockers Candace Sutton, Chrystal Baptist, and Kenya McBee in the paint.
Once the players reassemble from their quick vacation this weekend, there will be a heightened sense of urgency to work out any possible kinks. In the first month of the season, the Tar Heels could play four teams that made the NCAA Final Eight last year. They have a guaranteed dates with Old Dominion at home on Dec. 8 and South Carolina in Myrtle Beach on December 20, and could face the two teams that played for the 2002 national title, Oklahoma and Connecticut, an the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawaii over Thanksgiving weekend. The Tar Heels are bracketed to face the Sooners in the semifinals if both teams advance and could play UConn in a potential championship game.
Despite the formidable competition, the squad's senior leader says she is counting the days until the plane leaves Chapel Hill for the islands.
"Come on, it's Hawaii," Brown said. "If Coach wanted us to get ready and leave early next week, I would be ready to go. There's going to be great competition, we get to hang out as a team, and it's in Hawaii. What else can you say?"
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.
