University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: May's Injury, Loss To Gaels Ruins Night
December 27, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2002
By Adam Lucas
NEW YORK--The ever-expressive face of Rashad McCants told a Carolina fan anything they would want to know on Friday evening. Or rather, wouldn't want to know.
Asked how the loss of Sean May would affect the team--the freshman big man is out six to eight weeks with a broken fifth metatarsal in his left foot--McCants just shook his head. He cast his head back and leaned back in his chair. Started to answer, then caught his breath. Rolled his head around again. You could see the words rushing through his mind, most of them not approved by George Carlin and most of which will also be uttered by Tar Heel fans across the state Saturday morning when they wake up to the news of the loss of their sole legitimate post threat.
And finally: "It's something we have to work through. He's a big part of our team. Even bigger than you guys know. Our big men are going to have to step it up, and they will."
That's a brave face to put on it. But after a 65-56 loss to Iona in Madison Square Garden in which the Tar Heels played without Melvin Scott (violation of team rule), Jawad Williams (stomach virus), and May for most of the second half, being brave didn't seem like the first option.
They did play a game Friday night, although most of the outcome was washed away by the terrible news of May's injury. Carolina started out hot, jumping to a 15-8 lead, but that was the end of the highlights. The remainder of the game, which with seven minutes left featured a lineup of Jonathan Holmes, Byron Sanders, Will Johnson, David Noel, and Rashad McCants, was downright ugly.
UNC shot 32.1% from the field for the game and committed 23 turnovers against a scrappy bunch of Gaels. Loose balls that were easily gathered by floor-burning Tar Heels on the last trip to New York this time went to Iona. The backbreaker came with 14 minutes left, as a loose ball rolled harmlessly between three Carolina players and ended up in enemy hands, resulting in a three-pointer and a seemingly insurmountable 40-34 Iona lead. Filling in for May, Sanders (four points, one rebound) struggled to provide a defensive presence in the paint as Iona shot 57.7% in the second half after their 31 percent first-half effort. The bulky body of Damion Grant might have been able to aid in that battle, but he is still fighting knee problems and conditioning issues.
Matt Doherty's team appeared to show a spark on a couple of occasions, but it quickly was snuffed out due to lack of oxygen. The Heels simply didn't have the personnel to make one of their trademark runs. At times, it looked eerily similar to last season, with big plays physically not possible.
That might have been a point of contention after the game had Doherty not immediately revealed the seriousness of May's injury. The rookie from Bloomington, who posted a double-double in his first two collegiate games, had limped noticeably in the first half. Shortly into the second half, he felt a pop and went down.
The injury was the culmination of a practice injury following the Kentucky game. The effects were evident in the box scores--just six points and six rebounds against Vermont and seven points and ten rebounds at Florida State. It turned out that May had been playing with a stress fracture, and after examining the injury Friday night at the team hotel, Carolina doctors told him that in the worst-case scenario, it could break at any time. As it happened, any time was less than 24 hours away.
"That was no way for that kid to play basketball," an emotional Matt Doherty said of May's struggles after the game. "He's wondering the entire time in the back of his head is his foot going to break or not."
As it turns out, it's a good thing the Heels cut down the net the last time they were here after the Preseason NIT win over Stanford. At the rate things are going, they may eventually need to use the scraps for bandages.
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.
