University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: MBB Asked & Answered
April 17, 2003 | Men's Basketball
April 17, 2003
By Adam Lucas
We're dusting off the Asked & Answered column in order to field a few of the more popular queries in the wake of Matt Doherty's resignation and the hiring of Roy Williams. It's been quite enjoyable to answer your questions this season and correspond with numerous Tar Heel fans. After this edition, although the site will have regular updates with former players who are in town this summer, this particular segment will go on hiatus until our special summer edition, which will try to tie up any loose ends as the Heels go into the 2003-04 season. And then, before you know it, it'll be time for the weekly version to return in November.
Do you think Roy gave too much attention to Kansas during the press conference?
Chris Barker, Rochester, NY
It would probably depend on how you define "too much." In our estimation, Roy Williams talked as much about Kansas as you would expect from someone who just finished 15 years of his life at that institution. If he could just switch his feelings on and off and express no remorse about leaving the Jayhawks behind, he wouldn't be someone that would interest Carolina. Part of what makes him a top-echelon coach are the bonds that he forms with his team, and that's something that Tar Heel fans will love about him as he begins to build his legacy in Chapel Hill.
Although the new head Heel talked about the Jayhawks Monday night, it didn't take him long to get acquainted with his new team. Much of his Tuesday was devoted to supervising four-man workouts with the returning players in accordance with NCAA rules.
I have attached a photo of several Carolina players at the press conference that announced Matt Doherty's resignation. Could this picture be why these players are having so many problems? This is just a disgrace.
Scott Canipe
If you're a Carolina fan and you have an email address, then someone has probably forwarded you a well-traveled email that compares a shot of several 2003 players with a posed shot from the 1986 media guide that features Brad Daugherty, Steve Hale, James Daye, and Warren Martin. The clear implication is that Daugherty & Co. are how Carolina basketball "used to be," while the current state of Tar Heel basketball is somehow less classy based on the appearance of a few players at a press conference.
To be perfectly clear, that statement is absolutely ridiculous.
First, a word about the circumstances. The Daugherty photo was a posed shot that was set up weeks in advance. It was well known that it would be appearing in the media guide and the players had time to plan accordingly. Conversely, the press conference two weeks ago at which the resignation of Matt Doherty was announced was set up with a minimum of notice. Comparing the two is like comparing a candid shot from your 21st birthday party with your high school prom photo and wondering why you look better in one than in the other.
Several players were already at the Smith Center working out with strength coach Thomas McKinney when they were told that a press conference would take place in about an hour. Even inside of that hour, the players still weren't sure if they were supposed to attend, because all they had been told was that a team meeting would take place. They had no time to change clothes, so they had to go with whatever they were wearing.
And yes, that is what 18-22 year-olds wear in the year 2003. They don't dress like you did when you were a college student, just like you didn't dress like your parents. Remember all the fights you used to have with your mom and dad about whether or not you were going out of the house dressed like that? Those disagreements weren't just limited to your house. They go on everywhere, and just because you don't own a pair of Timberland boots doesn't mean Rashad McCants can't wear them. Odds are, you and Rashad don't hang out in the same circles.
To somehow imply that their dress reveals what kind of individuals they are is dangerous at best and insulting at worst. This team has an exceptional mix of intriguing personalities, from the loquacious Melvin Scott to the introspective Jawad Williams to the understated Raymond Felton to the straight-talking David Noel. Any Carolina fan lucky enough to spend some time with any of the players on the roster knows that what kind of shirt they wear has absolutely nothing to do with what kind of human being they are. We've gotten some far-out questions this year for this column, but to us (and this is not an indictment of the person who asked it, because we got this question worded much more strongly from several sad individuals) this one is the most ludicrous.
Maybe I missed it, but did Coach Williams ever say if Phil Ford will be on the bench next season as an assistant coach? He mentioned he is there to bridge the gap but never said if Coach Ford will sit along side the team. Can you help me out?
Chris Maddox, USAF
Williams didn't say definitively, because that is still being determined. He did indicate, however, that Steve Robinson and Joe Holladay would be a part of the new Tar Heel staff if they do not get head coaching jobs elsewhere.
If you're wondering which coach would work with which players in practice, one of the coaches provided a glimpse into how things worked this season in Lawrence. "I worked with the perimeter players and Coach Williams and Coach Holladay worked with the post players," Steve Robinson said. "It will be his decision. I've been a head coach, so I've worked with all areas. I told him wherever he needs me, just put me there."
When is Carolina's first home game and when can I get tickets?
Michael Whitcomb, Greenville, SC
With all the excitement surrounding the new staff, this has been a very popular question. Last year, the schedule was released on August 14, so it will be well into the dog days of summer before anyone knows exactly when and where Roy Williams will coach his first game for the Tar Heels. Based on existing contracts, however, you can expect a road game at Kentucky (the last of a four-game series) and home matchups with Connecticut (the third in a four-game series) and Old Dominion.
The Atlantic Coast Conference should also be exceptionally competitive, as at least four teams--Duke, Wake Forest, Carolina, and NC State--could be top-20 squads.
We've mentioned this before, but one way to have a shot at tickets for even the very best games is to join the Rams Club. There's a perception out there that you have to give thousands of dollars to get tickets, but even donors at the Ram giving level ($150/year) are eligible to participate in the ticket exchange program. This season, every order through the ticket exchange program was filled except for the Duke game, for which only a couple of requests were unable to be honored.
I have nothing to do with Carolina, never even been to Chapel Hill, and the only thing I have had to do with the University of Kansas and Coach Williams is as a University of Missouri fan watching that rivalry year after year between the Mizzou Tigers and KU.
ut here's an interesting perspective...through the past 15 years of doing the public address announcing for Mizzou basketball games, Coach Williams is the only coach I've ever known who would walk down the scorer's table and thank the volunteer crew that handles the tasks of scoreboard and clock operation, public address announcing, etc. Year after year I have watched Coach Williams take the time to acknowledge even the smallest guy in the overall production of a college basketball game and I have to tell you he really made a positive impact on a lot of people. I'm not sure, but I think Coach Williams understands that spreading the gospel about a basketball program and a University is best executed one person at a time!
I'll miss that "thank you", handshake and smile next March when Mizzou hosts Kansas...but I'll bet the PA announcers in Durham, Winston-Salem, Atlanta, Charlottesville, Raleigh, etc. will experience what a true class act Carolina has hired to represent its University.
I truly enjoyed your article. Good luck next season, Tar Heel fans have much to look forward to...and be proud of!
Randy Wright, Columbia, Missouri
There wasn't a question in this email, but we wanted to share it with our readers to give them a little insight into the personality of the new Tar Heel head coach. Keep in mind that the Kansas-Missouri rivalry is quite heated, and it's fairly difficult for most Mizzou fans to find anything nice to say about the Jayhawks. Mr. Wright offered this testimonial on an unsolicited basis, which might tell you more about Roy Williams than any columnist could.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, including our upcoming issue with Roy Williams on the cover and our issue to be delivered in May that will profile the new coaching staff, click here.
