University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: MBB Asked and Answered
December 17, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2002
We've essentially got a two-part Asked and Answered for you this week. The first part covers some of the questions we've received recently about this year's team. The second part features reader questions about the current whereabouts of some of their favorite Tar Heel alums.
Last season, the first couple of games the Heels appeared to play good defense. Then they quit playing defense for the rest of the year. Doherty confessed he had no clue as to why they were not playing good defense. This year the same thing seems to be happening. The first five games, they played outstanding defense against some very good teams. The last two games, they did not bring their defense with them. The other teams were doing pretty much what they wanted to do. Tell me that what I have just said ain't so.
Max Price
OK, what you have just said ain't so. We looked for an interview to support your contention that Matt Doherty said he "had no clue" as to the defensive shortcomings last year. In contrast, we think the third-year head coach had a very good idea as to what the problems were. "We weren't quick enough to get out and create tempo with our defense," Doherty said in a postseason interview with Tar Heel Monthly. That's a pretty good clue.
As for this year, Carolina not only ran into two very good teams in their past two games; they also ran into two tall teams that knew exactly how to exploit Carolina's biggest weaknesses and, in the case of Kentucky, also took advantage of some untimely foul trouble. The Heels (who currently rank fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage defense at 40.6%, a stat that's always skewed in the early season due to the creampuff schedules played by some schools) need to play better defense than they did against UK, there's no question about that. But it's a little early to call the poor defense a trend. If Vermont shoots 60 percent from the field on Thursday night then we'll need to revisit this issue.
How is McCants doing?
Trey Small, Timberlake, NC
Is it my imagination or is the coach preventing Rashad McCants from being a prime time player? During the Preseason NIT, it appeared that Rashad was on the bench during a long stretch.
Kelvin Thorne
Rashad McCants (who leads the Carolina regulars in three major categories-scoring at 20.1 points per game, field goal percentage at 63.9 percent, and three-point percentage at 48.1 percent) sat out a couple practices last week, but he should be full-speed for Thursday night's game against Vermont, a team that is better than many Carolina fans seem to believe. The Catamounts return four starters from last year's 21-8 squad.
As for Matt Doherty somehow "holding McCants down," it's just your imagination, which might be running away with you. Like any freshman, McCants sometimes needs to sit on the bench to think about his shot selection or some other aspect of his game. If anything, Doherty's three full seasons as a head coach have proven that he likes to allow his big scorers to put up big numbers. In his one season at Notre Dame, Troy Murphy was among the nation's leading scorers at 22.7 points per game and led the Irish in scoring in 31 of their 37 games. In Doherty's first season at Carolina, Joseph Forte averaged 20.9 points per game, the 17th-highest figure in Tar Heel history.
Why is their no "tournament of champions" or whatever it is called in Charlotte this December? I have attended most of these since its inception, and have not heard or read an explanation for it not being held this year. Raycom sports sent out an order form for the Continental Tire Bowl, with a cryptic comment about the basketball tournament not being held this year due to "circumstances beyond their control." Can you shed some light on this? Will it return next year?
Jack McKnight, Fairview, NC
Attendance had steadily declined for the two-game Charlotte affair, with attendance last year not even reaching half of the Charlotte Coliseum's capacity. The event had also been unable to attract the marquee opponents that regularly dotted the slate in the early years of the tournament. The Tar Heels still consider Charlotte a "Carolina town" and would like to find a regular opponent for that venue, but nothing was able to be worked out for this year.
Why is Vitale used so often on TV for Carolina games? His squeaky, squawky soprano voice is impossible to understand most of the time. Is he a relative of someone who controls the TV contract? He is the biggest downer connected with Tar Heel basketball. My wife and I usually tune out the sound when he is on. Unfortunately, we can't get the radio broadcasts out here in the Pacific Northwest, the way we used to in Chapel Hill.
G. E. Lenski, Hansville, Washington
ecause Vitale only does the biggest and best games on the college basketball landscape, it's a compliment--no matter how you feel about his announcing style--to the Tar Heels whenever he's doing a Carolina game. Like any announcer, there are differing opinions on the value he brings to a game. At minimum, you have to love him for the enthusiasm he brings to a game, unlike some other announcers who act as though doing a game is a chore. We recently asked Tar Heel alum Brad Daugherty, now an ESPN cohort of Vitale's, for his thoughts on the high-profile announcer. "He really cares about college sports," Daugherty said. "We are getting paid to do what we love to do, and he never takes that for granted. He gives his best effort in every game, and he is passionate about the game. I can't fault him at all for that. The thing that's most recognizable about him is that he really is the way that he seems. He just loves the game of basketball."
Do you know what's on the blue cards that Coach Doherty keeps in his pocket? Every time he whips them out during a timeout I find myself wondering.
Amy Ross, Raleigh
The blue index cards contain offensive and defensive sets that Doherty wants to make sure to utilize against that particular team. They're gleaned from the scouting reports put together by the coaching staff on each opponent and are intended to highlight what the staff feels are weaknesses they think they can exploit.
What happened to Adam Boone? I don't see him on the roster.
Brian Coatney, Hopkinsville, KY
oone transferred to the University of Minnesota. He's sitting out this season as part of NCAA transfer guidelines.
What are Kris Lang and Jason Capel doing these days?
Nicholas Rupp, Greenville, NC
Capel is playing for the Fayetteville Patriots in the NBDL, a team coached by his father, Jeff. He's started all 13 games and is in the top 20 in the league in scoring (12.1 ppg) and free-throw percentage (90.7%).
Lang is playing with Anwil Wloclawek, the current first-place squad in the PLK Polish League. He's averaging nearly 11 points per game and shooting well over 50 percent from the field.
Whatever happened to Brian Reese?
Myron D. Greene, Charlotte, NC
Reese got his degree in African Studies and is currently a counselor with the Boys and Girls Club near his hometown of the Bronx, New York. He also has enjoyed a professional career that took him around the globe, including stops in Finland, Belgium, and England. He last played professionally with the Brooklyn Kings of the USBL.
What Carolina alumni have entered the coaching ranks?
Tim Ammer, Cincinnati, Ohio
It might be easier to list the alums who haven't entered the coaching ranks, as Carolina enjoys a long list of former players who are now coaching. Any supposedly complete list is bound to have some omissions, but some of the current college head coach members of the coaching family include: Curtis Hunter (NC A&T), Roy Williams (Kansas), Jeff Lebo (Tennessee-Chattanooga), Buzz Peterson (Tennessee), Tony Shaver (Hampden-Sydney), and Butch Estes (Guilford College). Rick Duckett (South Carolina), Scott Cherry (Tennessee Tech), Brad Frederick (Vanderbilt), Michael Brooker (Tennessee-Chattanooga volunteer assistant) and Pat Sullivan (UNC-Wilmington women's team) are all college assistant coaches.
Larry Brown (Philadelphia) and George Karl (Milwaukee) are NBA head coaches, while Dave Hanners (Philadelphia), John Kuester (Philadelphia), Mike O'Koren (New Jersey), and Bob McAdoo (Miami) are NBA assistants.
All right Mr. Asked and Answered, here is one for you. What has happened to one of my favorite Tar Heels and UNC basketball program poet laureate, big ol' Ed Geth?
Erik L. Friese, Charlotte, NC
Any question that calls us "Mr." is bound to be answered. Geth is an educator (no, he's not a poetry teacher) in the Durham County area. He can frequently be sighted at Carolina home games and was a somewhat regular attendee at this summer's pickup games.
Several years ago we had a scholarship given to a 7' 6" center. Whatever happened to him?
John Nelson
Neil Fingleton played in one game for the Tar Heels before transferring to Holy Cross, in part because he missed the Boston area. The affable Brit has almost finished sitting out his NCAA-mandated one year and will be eligible for the Crusaders' December 22 game against UNC-Asheville.
Adam Lucas will answer your questions about the Carolina men's basketball program this season in an exclusive column published each Tuesday. Lucas, editor of the Tar Heel Monthly, will answer your questions on personnel, strategy, opponents and anything on your mind about the Tar Heels. Please send your questions to Adam at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com, and include your first and last names and your hometown.
