University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: UNC Basketball Mailbag December 21
December 21, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2004
By Adam Lucas
Sure, it's the holiday season and we're supposed to be jovial. But the Grinch paid a visit to the Mailbag this week with some unwelcome news...
Could you please tell me what has happened to Brad Daugherty? To use a Roy Williams tone, he was the best doggone color guy around. Is he still with ESPN? If so, where has he been at the season's opening? If not, could you please let me know where he is and if he is going to be calling a game anytime soon? If he is, my TV will be tuned in to that channel; I don't care who's playing.
Jimmy Miller, Harrisonburg, VA
Readers who frequented the Mailbag last season will remember that Daugherty was also our favorite analyst. His joy for the game was a welcome change from some of the more sour commentators who feel they're not doing their job if they're not complaining.
Like Jimmy, we missed big Brad. But when we talked to him last week, he gave us the bad news: "I'm not doing any basketball for ESPN this year," he said. "I came to the end of my contract with them and I couldn't put forth the time they needed me to put forth. I did have some interesting offers, but I have retired from doing TV at this point. I had a great time working with ESPN but as of right now I'm taking it easy and I've got a couple of small businesses that require a lot of time."
Needless to say, he'll be missed on the airwaves. But don't worry--being retired from the analyst business doesn't mean he's not watching his favorite team.
"I've been able to focus on putting my energy into watching the Heels play," he said. "Defensively, they look really good. Coach Williams has done a great job getting those guys prepared to play defensively and if they continue to play together, anything could happen."
I really love the "old style" jerseys worn by the Tar Heels during the Dean Smith era. Is there any discussion about wearing them again?
Marty Rogers
Whew, after that bit of bad news above, it's a nice change to give Carolina fans some news that we think might be exclusive to this site. You'll see the old uniforms (the V-necks and the shorts with the Tar Heel foot logo on the side) on Feb. 16, 2005, when the Heels host Virginia at 7 p.m. The Cavaliers will be wearing their early-80s uniforms (from the Ralph Sampson era), fans will be encouraged to wear 80s clothes (we knew we were keeping that Members Only jacket in the closet for some reason!), the PA system and band will play 80s music, and ESPN will broadcast the game using their 1980s graphics. The network debuted the concept of the "retro game" last year with a 1970s-themed broadcast and it was a huge hit.
Hopefully, someone can track down Rick Carlisle and Michael Jordan and persuade Carlisle to let Jordan steal the ball from him and jam home a one-handed dunk as part of a pregame ceremony (kids, ask your parents about the UNC-Virginia game at Carmichael on Feb. 10, 1983).
I noticed on Sunday that we have yet to hang banners in the rafters for the 2004 NCAA tournament or the 2003 NIT run. I can understand not hanging an NIT banner after so much NCAA success. Is there any method to when new banners get hung?
Jordan Whichard, Chapel Hill
We took your question to the man who probably has the most knowledge about the Smith Center of any human being alive--Smith Center supervisor Clayton Womble. It turns out that the 2004 NCAA banner has indeed been made and is ready to hang. Clayton couldn't promise us he'd have it up by the Vermont game, but said it will be in the rafters in the very near future. That's not the only building improvement coming in the near future. The Maryland game on Jan. 8 will mark the debut of the Smith Center's LED boards, popularly known as ribbon boards, which will be located on the façade of the upper deck and at the scorer's table. At many arenas, those boards are have a slim two-foot visual opening. At Carolina, however, the boards will have a 3.5-foot visual opening, providing a much better experience for fans and more room on the boards to provide stats and other game nuggets.
On a side note, once the 2004 NCAA banner goes up it's going to be time to consider a question that's been years in the making: when the Smith Center rafters are full (and they will be after the '04 banner is hung), where do future banners go? Should they be consolidated? Arranged in a different way? Put in a different place? If you've got a good idea, let us know.
Having watched all of Carolina's games either in person or on TV, I've noticed that the Heels seem to give up quite a few open perimeter shots, particularly from 3-point range. In particular, the Iowa and Kentucky games, and the first half of the Loyola game come to mind.
Obviously in a game that's quickly out of reach (Loyola), giving up open looks at the 3 isn't a big deal, but in closer games (like Kentucky), it could become an issue, especially when the team is making those shots. When it comes to tournament time, anything can happen, and leaving players open for 3-pointers could come back and hurt them. Maybe I'm just nit-picking, or over-estimating the significance since the team plays pretty solid interior defense, but has Coach Williams or any one else on the team noticed this and/or commented on it?
Chris Parsons, Carrboro
Yes, you're probably nit-picking. But that's what fans (and coaches) are supposed to do.
The stats say Carolina is allowing opponents to make 36.3 percent of their three-pointers, which ranks eighth in the ACC and is a slight drop from last year's opponent accuracy of 35.2 percent. But how can that be possible if everyone agrees the Tar Heels are playing better defense?
One reason could be Carolina's increased reliance on their halfcourt trapping defenses (for a detailed look at Carolina's halfcourt defensive strategies, check the January 2005 issue of Tar Heel Monthly). That strategy is great for creating more turnovers--the Tar Heels are forcing 21.5 turnovers per game this year, compared to 18 per game last season--but also can lead to some open shots if opponents break the traps. If a defender is slow in rotating or misses his assignment, it's easy to find an unguarded man for a clear look at the basket.
It seems that perimeter defense always becomes a question during the course of a Carolina season. That's partly because the Tar Heels are usually so good that to beat them, an opponent has to have an above-average game from beyond the three-point stripe. In fact, it's likely to happen at some point this season, as an unheralded player will get hot and roast the Heels from long distance. But that doesn't mean Roy Williams has changed his emphasis on making every opposing shot be taken with a hand in their face.
When Reyshawn Terry came into the program last year he was highly touted, but in his has yet to show much on the court. Is he having difficulty picking up what Roy Williams wants to do or has he not developed as much as the coaching staff would have liked? What can you tell me about Reyshawn and his development and what his role with this team and future teams at UNC?
Tony Millard, Morton, IL
What's good news for the Carolina basketball program is bad news for Reyshawn Terry's minutes. Because of a lack of depth in recent years, he probably would've been required to play more significant minutes in his first two seasons. But this year, the Tar Heels have a reliable nine-man rotation.
Right now, Terry's on the outside of that rotation. But he's only a sophomore, and with the graduation of Melvin Scott, Jackie Manuel, and Jawad Williams, he's going to have his best chance at playing time as a junior. To get those minutes, he needs to continue to develop an understanding of Roy Williams's offensive and defensive principles. There's never been any doubt about Terry's physical skills. When his understanding of what's required on both ends of the floor catches up to his raw ability, he'll be a contributor.
With the addition of Marvin Williams this year, how are Melvin Scott in particular and some of the other guys on the bench reacting to the reduction of minutes from the minutes they played last year? I noticed in the box score that Scott only played 16 minutes and did not score.
Jody Groce, Charlotte
This is a fair question. College basketball players are by nature an extremely competitive bunch, and at the ACC level, all have become used to being superstars throughout their entire basketball career. So when a player sees his minutes decrease, it's not always an easy situation.
It's worth noting, first, that Melvin Scott isn't the only player to see his minutes go down this year. Raymond Felton is down over five minutes per game, David Noel, Sean May and Rashad McCants are down five minutes, and Jawad Williams is down almost three. The only player whose minutes have increased over last year is Jackie Manuel, who is seeing 22.4 minutes of action through nine games, up about a minute and a half over last year.
But the biggest decrease has been seen by Scott, who went from averaging 31.4 minutes per game last year to 14.8 this year. There are a variety of reasons for that drop: he battled a hip injury after the team came back from Maui, which cut his minutes dramatically against Southern Cal and Indiana. In years past he was getting some time as the backup to Felton at point guard, but this year those minutes have largely done to Quentin Thomas. Melvin also, quite simply, hasn't been very consistent with his shot, which is the primary weapon he brings to the Tar Heels. His best three-game stretch probably came in Maui, when he made 50 percent of his three-pointers (8 of 16) and averaged over 10 points a game.
Since then, however, he's made just 4 of 14 three pointers (28.6 percent) and averaged slightly over three points per game (again, keep in mind he was injured during part of that stretch).
Your question was about how he's handling that reduction, and so far the answer is very well. Scott is someone who has always said starting is important to him, but he's handled his move to the bench this year without a chirp. He constantly lightens the mood around the team, including last Friday when he brought his new Escalade into the locker room after practice (teammate Wes Miller almost caused a wreck, but disaster was averted). On a team with many serious, straight-faced players, he's consistently the most willing to crack a joke, something that's essential for a team still working on maintaining their chemistry. Sometimes, that attitude can be even more important than a three-pointer.
I attended the game at Virginia Tech on Sunday and right before Coach Williams cleared the bench, I saw Damion Grant walk back into the locker room. He looked fine to me before the game started, so I was wondering the reason for his early exit.
Adam Jones, Salem, VA
Damion saw how long it took to get to Blacksburg and wanted to get a head start on his trip back.
In all seriousness, it did look a little odd to see the big man ambling off the floor with the game still in progress. But as Roy Williams said after the game, "Don't worry, guys, it's not an Eric Snow kind of deal or anything like that."
Grant simply wasn't feeling well and wanted to make sure he didn't violate one of Williams's most important team rules: "We have a rule that if you're going to throw up, don't throw up on the coaches. Go to the locker room," the head coach said.
Adam Lucas will answer your questions about the Carolina men's basketball program this season in an exclusive column published each Tuesday on TarHeelBlue.com. Lucas, editor of previous Mailbags--please make sure to include your first and last names and hometown.
