University of North Carolina Athletics
Holmes and Boone Look Forward to Next Year
March 27, 2002 | Men's Basketball
March 27, 2002
y Adam Lucas, Basketball America
Tom Coverdale and Jonathan Holmes played basketball together from the time they were 10 years old. Most of the games usually included imagining that they were in the NCAA Final Four, making the game-winning shot.
Now, they've both done it.
Holmes played in the Final Four with the Tar Heels in 2000, and Coverdale, a junior at Indiana who was Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1998, will get the experience this year when the Hoosiers take on Oklahoma Saturday night.
?I talked to some of my friends at home and they said Bloomington is obviously very excited,' Holmes said of his hometown. ?It's exciting to see them have success like that because they're good friends of mine, but at the same time we'd like to be there.'
Holmes, a six-foot point guard, saw action in 14 games this year and will be one of only two seniors for Carolina in 2002-03. He'll have to compete for playing time at a position that will be at least three deep, with Melvin Scott also able to provide some minutes at the point if necessary.
In getting ready for his final season in Chapel Hill, Holmes says the Tar Heels don't need any motivation other than checking the record book.
?I don't think we need much more motivation than what happened last year,' he said. ?We need to get things turned around, and it's going to start with this core group of the six of us. We have to show the new guys the ropes and provide great leadership.'
One player who improved his leadership during the past season was another competitor for point guard minutes, Adam Boone. The rising junior from Minnetonka ended the season shooting 43 percent from three-point range, the best mark of anyone in the Tar Heel rotation. He also put together a solid second half of the season after drawing some criticism earlier in the year.
Boone had eight assists and one turnover in the Senior Day win over Clemson, and developed a reliable running short jumper in the second half of the season.
He knows there will be intense competition for a spot in the lineup next year.
?Everybody is going to have to contribute, no matter how big or small that might be,' he said. ?More than anything, I just want to have team success. Whatever the coach wants me to do, whether he wants me to play more or whatever, I'll do that. As long as the team wins, I'm happy, and that's a genuine answer. I want to win more than eight games.'
