University of North Carolina Athletics
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: Seniors ready for final season
August 7, 2003 | Football
Aug. 7, 2003
By Adam Lucas, Tar Heel Monthly
Carolina's football locker room is arranged by jersey number. Number 1 (Derrele Mitchell) is right next to number 2 (Derrick Johnson). Number 98 (Kendall High) suits up next to number 97 (Mickey Rice).
So freshman running back Ronnie McGill never lacks for any commentary while he's in the locker room. McGill was assigned number 25, which puts him right next to loquacious Dexter Reid. It didn't take long for the rookie to learn the primary fact about lockering next to Reid: "As long as Dexter is around, I don't have to worry about saying anything," McGill says.
ut he's not tuning out the motormouthed senior from Norfolk. Instead, he's trying to soak up some knowledge from one of Carolina's acknowledged senior leaders. On a team expecting heavy contributions from underclassmen, Reid is joined by fellow defensive back Michael Waddell and offensive lineman Jeb Terry as three of the seniors most likely to make the largest contributions in 2003.
"I can't believe I'm a senior," Reid said. "Sam [Aiken] told me last year it was going to come fast. My last high school game seems like it was yesterday."
"I can't believe it's the fifth year," Terry said after Wednesday's practice, the first of his final season in Chapel Hill. "I never even imagined this point. I looked back a little bit before practice started, but I'm mostly looking forward."
Not everyone has forgotten. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2002 season, Reid went into a Kenan Football Center computer lab and printed out a number "3" as large as could be accommodated by a regular sheet of paper. Then he printed out a number "9." And if you look in his locker today, you'll see those numbers taped to the inside, a personal reminder of Carolina's dismal 3-9 record last season.
Reid is quick to note that since he and his fellow fifth-year seniors joined the program, the Tar Heels have a combined 20-27 record. That's something he plans to change in 2003, a fact he made clear during summer workouts.
"I'm not going through that again," Reid said. "I just want to win. I don't want friends this year. This summer, I took my being loud to another degree, to the point that certain people might not have liked the way I was doing it. But in the long run I think my teammates respect me more. Bottom line: I just want to win."
If the Tar Heels are going to live up to Reid's goal, it would help if senior cornerback Michael Waddell returned to form after a disappointing junior campaign that ended in a broken leg. After losing some confidence, Waddell also lost his starting position, as Cedrick Holt and Chris Hawkins got most of the repetitions with the first-team defense on Wednesday.
ut Waddell officially signaled the beginning of what is likely to be a battle that spans the entire training camp with a stellar first practice.
"In a word, he was outstanding," Bunting said. "He practiced extremely well with the second unit, and he wants to earn his way back ... He was breaking on balls, knocking balls down, and he was playing with the urgency I expect him to have."
It's the urgency - which was also exhibited by senior tailback Willie Parker, who is roundly described as being in the best shape of his Carolina career and should push McGill, Chad Scott, and Jacque Lewis for the starting tailback spot - that can only come as a career rounds its final turn.
"Hey, we don't have time to think about the past right now," Terry said. "We've got a lot of things to do this year."
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.
