University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: It's Up To You, Raymond
January 28, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2004
By Adam Lucas
It's up to you, Raymond.
The Tar Heel point guard has been asked to be almost everything since he arrived in Chapel Hill in August of 2002. Be a scorer. Be a passer. Be a freshman All-America. Be the ACC Player of the Year. Be nice to old ladies. Be Phil Ford. Be what fans expect you to be, which is everything.
Scrap all that, Raymond. Be those things if you get time, if you have the inclination.
What this team needs is for you to be a defender and a leader. It's not going to get you any accolades, not going to get you on SportsCenter.
It will, however, win Carolina some games.
That's what happened Wednesday night against NC State. The Tar Heels played a dismal first half, allowing the Pack to shoot nearly 60 percent from the field. State wasn't throwing in difficult shots--more often than not, they were simply dropping in layups. Heads were turning, assignments were missed, screens weren't called. The first 20 minutes was a perfect example of how Roy Williams doesn't want his team to play defense.
His halftime message was simple: "It's up to you guys." And he's right. This team may talk more about defensive intensity than any team in Carolina history. When they actually exhibit some, they can be formidable.
But it took the smallest guy on the team to remind them what they could accomplish. When Jawad Williams went out with an injury at the 17:03 mark and the Pack holding a 42-39 advantage, Felton began encouraging his teammates. A fist bump with Melvin Scott, some boisterous clapping. These are not the things that make the average fan get excited.
Then Felton got that look in his eye. You know the one. It's the one he had last year when Duke's Dahntay Jones sent him sprawling to the floor in the Smith Center, the one that means he's tired of losing. He even gets it in pickup games when his opponent has been doing too much talking. No trash talk. Just that look.
State's Mike O'Donnell gets the business end of that look. He's the one who has to bring the ball up against Felton, the one who has to deal with ball pressure that wasn't there in the first half. Eventually, after a David Noel layup and Felton dunk, the Carolina point guard makes life so difficult for O'Donnell and Engin Atsur that State just turns the ball-handling over to Julius Hodge in order to keep Felton out of the center of their offense.
All year Roy Williams has begged, cajoled, and pleaded for his team to play that type of defense. But it wasn't until they saw their leader on the floor do it that it kicked in.
"It started with me and once I did it the team followed," Felton said. "Everybody played great defense as a team. It wasn't an adjustment. It was just deciding to guard people and be scrappy on defense."
That's exactly what it was. At one point in the second half David Noel went sprawling over the endline to try and save a loose ball. He bounced it off the leg of a Tar Heel and the ball caromed out of bounds again. It was clearly heading out of bounds and was going to be State's ball, but here came Felton flying headfirst towards the first row of seats in the corner of the Smith Center.
He was too late, but it was the kind of effort that made Roy Williams spring from his seat and pointedly clap his hands in appreciation for the attempt.
State's shooting percentage dipped under 46 percent in the second half, and they committed 13 turnovers in the final 20 minutes. What were layups in the first half turned into contested shots in the second half, and the Heels pressured Hodge into six turnovers. State's offense is hard to guard and creates numerous problems, but it's a lot easier to guard when they're having to initiate it 40 feet from the basket rather than 20.
In case you haven't noticed, we've gotten this far and haven't even mentioned that Felton was also Carolina's leading scorer, finishing with 14 points. It hasn't been mentioned because it isn't that crucial.
The Heels have other players who can score. They don't have anyone else who can lead by single-handedly applying the pressure that takes opposing offenses out of their rhythm.
It's up to you, Raymond.
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.
