University of North Carolina Athletics
Williams Makes ACC Debut Today vs. Wake
December 20, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2003
AARON BEARD
Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Roy Williams spent 10 seasons as an assistant under Dean Smith at North Carolina, so he knows what to expect as he prepares for his first Atlantic Coast Conference game as coach of the Tar Heels.
Williams, in his first season at his alma mater after leaving Kansas, makes his ACC debut Saturday at home when No. 4 North Carolina faces No. 14 Wake Forest.
"When you get into the family, it's another notch up," Williams said. "The intensity level's up, the excitement's up. There's nothing like playing in your own league. I hope we understand that. The coach does, I can tell you that."
Williams also knows the Tar Heels (6-0) haven't had much success recently against the Demon Deacons (6-0), losing the last four meetings under former coach Matt Doherty. Three of those losses came by double-digit margins.
No Tar Heel on this season's roster has beaten Wake Forest, a fact Williams mentioned to his team this week.
"I haven't won against Wake since I've been here," junior forward Jackie Manuel said. "He didn't have to remind me."
The game is the first ACC matchup of the 2003-04 season and one of three this month. League play hits full speed during the second weekend of January, and the early start is something both coaches would have preferred to avoid.
"It's too early, but they didn't ask me," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. "It's early for (North Carolina), too, though. Both clubs are in the same situation."
Williams said he would rather have the conference opener later so that forward David Noel has time to return to a thin lineup.
Noel has been sidelined all season due to a torn ligament in his right thumb. He returned to practice this week, but Williams said Thursday it was unclear whether the 6-foot-6 sophomore would be ready for Saturday's game.
In addition, Manuel is recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the Tar Heels' 64-53 win against Akron on Sunday.
Having both players available would be a boost for the Tar Heels, who are facing a deeper Wake Forest squad.
"We realize that we have not a very deep bench," Williams said. "Sometimes when another team has no depth, you really want to make sure that you run them even more. But we're going to try to run the dickens out of everybody anyway."
oth teams were coming off surprisingly tough nonconference games. The Tar Heels shot 38 percent and played what Williams called "pathetic" defense in the win against the Zips, while the Demon Deacons blew a 17-point second half lead before making a late run in a 78-66 win against SMU on Monday.
The Demon Deacons use a three-guard lineup of Justin Gray, Chris Paul and Taron Downey, who have combined to average 36 points.
"We don't worry about how big you are. It's how big you play," Prosser said. "When one of them hasn't played well, usually two of the other ones have."
The game features a matchup of two of the ACC's best post players. Eric Williams (6-9, 275 pounds) leads the Demon Deacons with 17.2 points per game, while North Carolina's Sean May (6-8, 266) is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds.
