University of North Carolina Athletics
More Than Just a Dunker
October 2, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 2, 2003
TarHeelBlue.com continues an exclusive series focusing on the returning 2003-04 Tar Heel basketball players. Today, we focus on sophomore David Noel. Check back each Thursday for updates on a different returning player.
By Adam Lucas, Tar Heel Monthly
David Noel can do a 360-degree dunk. David Noel can dunk from the free throw line.
This summer, he tried to combine them. The stellar Tar Heel sophomore threw down a 360-degree jam from just inside the foul line, the first time he had ever made that particular dunk.
"I kind of threw it in," he says with a smile. "But it went in, so I counted it since I had never done that one before."
His overall game has undergone similar improvements since his arrival in Chapel Hill last summer. After a sluggish start to his freshman season, he was invaluable in the final three months of the campaign, finishing as Carolina's leading field goal percentage shooter and playing stellar post defense--as an undersized 6-foot-6 center--on a series of talented big men late in the year.
Still, what earned him the most recognition were his high-flying dunks, including a two-handed 360 against North Carolina A&T and a one-handed thunder dunk over a Duke's Casey Sanders in Cameron Indoor Stadium. This year, Noel wants to establish himself as more than just a dunker.
"I want to establish myself as a defender," he says. "Fans mostly look at offense, but if people just remember me as someone who locks people down on defense, that would be fine with me."
The Durham native has the versatility to guard players at a variety of positions, and he spent the summer improving his offensive game so that he can demonstrate the same flexibility on offense.
Noel and Raymond Felton took a trip to Florida to work out with Tracy McGrady's trainer--McGrady, also a former Durham resident, is a hometown acquaintance--where he worked on being aggressive and attacking the basket.
Working with a trainer and strength coach Thomas McKinney has also added weight to his chiseled frame. Noel began last season at 215 pounds but now weighs 232.
After averaging 5.9 points per game last year, he has made some refinements to his jumpshot. After hoisting close to 1,000 jumpers a day during the summer, he corrected a flaw that involved jumping too high to get more arc on the ball. Now, he gets the same amount of arc but with less lift from his legs.
"I also worked on creating shots for myself," Noel says. "Things like step-backs, crossover dribbles, and coming off screens and shooting. I want to be able to get into space to get myself open."
Although he has made plenty of adjustments to his game on the court, the biggest difference from last year will come away from the Smith Center. Due to NCAA scholarship restrictions, Noel agreed to spend last year as a walk-on before going on scholarship as a sophomore.
That arrangement allowed him to play the sport he loves for the Tar Heels, but it also created some financial hardships.
"I had my money set aside for school, and the other guys had their money set aside for doing whatever they wanted with it," he says. "There were plenty of times I wanted to do stuff but I couldn't. It really taught me responsibility."
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.
