University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: UNC Basketball Mailbag February 10
February 10, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2004
By Adam Lucas
After doing the Carolina basketball mailbag for two years, it becomes fairly apparent what the week's most popular question will be. Maybe it's a big win, or a key stat, or a player performing better or worse than expected.
But sometimes we don't get the questions we expect. So, this week, we decided to just make one up. After a flood of emails following the Wake Forest game in December, the ride home from Winston on Saturday was spent preparing for a deluge of emails on one particular topic. But they never came, so we've composed one ourselves.
I noticed that the Tar Heels made 20 of 22 free throws against Wake Forest on Saturday. In my opinion, that pretty much won them the game. Roy Williams must be the greatest free throw coach of all time, and I am sure Carolina spent ALL their practice time on free throws this week. I am a high school/middle school/rec league coach and would like to see if Roy would come talk to our team about how to make free throws, because I certainly do not know how to teach it better than he does!
Adam Lucas, Chapel Hill
Adam, thanks for writing. Actually, the Heels didn't practice free throws any more than usual this past week. As Roy Williams said frequently when the charity tosses weren't falling regularly earlier this season, it's something that usually gets worse the more you think about it.
What has happened to Justin Bohlander? I try to read the Durham Herald each day and watch every game - but I have not heard a word about him, nor have I seen him lately. Is he injured? If so, for how much longer will he be out? The Heels still desperately need a big man in the post position to help May and Sanders. PLEASE tell me that Bohlander is soon to join the Heels on the floor.
Bob Ireland, Hillsborough
You haven't seen him because he hasn't been earning many game minutes. He needs to add some strength in order to compete in the paint at the ACC level. He also missed a boxout--something that has been a point of emphasis for Roy Williams--in the game at Maryland, something that helped curtail his playing time.
Expectations got a little bit out of whack for Justin earlier this season when he played a few minutes in November and December, but keep in mind that he is a walk-on, and any contributions from that slot are a bonus, not a necessity.
As I listened to the UNC victory over Wake yesterday on radio while watching on TV and tuning out Billy Packer, I noticed that Jones Angell was "subbing" for Mick. I enjoyed Jones, Woody and Phil, but never heard any explanation for where Mick was. Where was Mick?
Wayne Killian, Wilmington
Mick was doing a television game for Fox Sports. As you noted, Jones Angell was a stellar substitute, but if you're having Mick withdrawal, don't worry--he'll be back for tonight's broadcast against Georgia Tech. Jones, of course, will be in the studio eagerly awaiting your calls on the postgame wrap-up show.
After watching yet another classic Duke vs. UNC overtime game (and being heartbroken by it), I was wondering if when the ACC expands to 11 teams next year and 12 the year after, will we be cheated out of the home and home regular season series with Duke. This is without question the best rivalry in sports and I'm sure I wouldn't be the only Tar Heel fan disappointed to see these teams play only once in a season. Do you know what the ACC has in mind for scheduling a twelve team conference schedule and will we still get to see two regular season Duke vs. UNC games a year?
Harold Spooner, Chicago IL
You will get to see two Duke-Carolina games per year even if the ACC expands to 24 teams. The league will go to a divisional format in football, but won't use the same setup for hoops. Instead, each team will have two "primary partners" that they will always play twice each season. Carolina's have already been set as Duke and NC State, meaning that for as long as this scheduling philosophy is used, the Heels will have a home-and-home series with the Devils and Wolfpack.
Expansion does mean that there will come a year when Carolina won't play two games against traditional rivals such as Wake Forest and Maryland--an unfortunate consequence of adding more teams.
Do you think Jackie Manuel should get a chance to start? With the way he is playing defense, I feel he should get that chance.
Stacey Williams, Fayetteville, NC
Jackie Manuel is playing the best defense seen in Chapel Hill since perhaps the Derrick Phelps era. Watching him twirl through endless screens in pursuit of J.J. Redick on Thursday night--eventually harassing Redick into a 3-of-12 performance--was a defensive clinic.
With that said, and although we don't think Roy Williams consults the Mailbag before making lineup decisions, we'd leave Jackie in his role as sixth man for now. For whatever reason, some players perform better as a starter, such as Shammond Williams during the 1997-98 season. It's a measure of Coach Williams's understanding of his players' personalities that he realized very early on that Melvin Scott would be more comfortable in the starting lineup, and with Scott shooting the ball extremely well, it would be dangerous to tinker with any part of his routine. In addition to Scott's offensive prowess, another advantage of bringing Manuel off the bench is the energy boost he provides the team, as when he ignited a 6-0 run in less than a minute against the Blue Devils.
Is it possible that a team could finish less than .500 in the conference and with less than 20 wins and still make the tournament on the strength of its RPI ranking when there are so many other ACC teams represented?
Brooklynne Travis, Bozeman, MT
Yes, it's possible. In fact, the two circumstances you mentioned are directly related--it's exactly because the ACC expects to get so many bids that it will be easier for a 7-9 team to make it to the NCAA Tournament. It's a safe bet that the league will have at least six entrants. If that's the case, then a potential seventh team would have 12 games against NCAA participants even before factoring in nonconference play. With that said, this is the time of year when leagues always speculate wildly about the number of bids they'll receive, something that rarely comes true on Selection Sunday. If you're a Carolina fan, you don't want the Heels to be that potential seventh team, because that will mean a very nervous viewing of the selection show.
There's no hard and fast rule making a .500 conference record a requirement for NCAA play. In fact, a 6-10 Florida State team made the field in 1998 and won their first-round game.
The Tar Heels have arguably the best starting five in college basketball. Is it me or are the Tar Heels running themselves out of games? I can't believe they "run-and-gun" when they should be protecting the ball and looking for the best shot, not to mention slow the game down and get their legs back. Was Coach Williams coaching this style at Kansas? For some reason, I do not remember Kansas running and gunning. If Coach Roy does not have the "horses", why doesn't he change the style of play?
Jay Radaker, Monongahela, PA
First, it depends on what you mean by the "best" starting five. If you mean individual talent, then you might be able to make a case for Carolina. But you also need to factor in things like experience, postseason production, and other intangibles, and with no players having participated in the NCAA Tournament, the Heels wouldn't be at the top of that list.
Since his days at Owen High School, Roy Williams has coached an uptempo style. He's coached deep teams, shallow teams, and in-between teams. For that reason, he's not going to radically adjust his style for one team, because he's trying to build a program, not just one team. He will, however, make occasional tweaks, such as the point zone that you saw in Saturday's win over Wake Forest. It frustrated the Deacons, and just as importantly, it allowed Carolina's defenders to get slightly more rest than the frenetic man-to-man.
Also, keep in mind that the only way the Heels get those leads that they eventually might lose is by running. This team isn't yet that comfortable in halfcourt offensive sets, so the best way for them to create scoring opportunities is by running the court and trying to get baskets in transition.
Woody Durham mentioned to Roy Williams on the pre-game show before the Clemson game that they had taken a 4 1/2 hr bus trip rather than chartering a jet. They also didn't participate in the shoot around. Could it be that these two items factored into the loss to Clemson?
Tina Mason, Charlotte, NC
This has been mentioned in several emails, so we wanted to clear it up. There seems to have been a slight misunderstanding of that interview. The Tar Heels did bus to Clemson, but they left Chapel Hill on Friday after practice--not Saturday morning, as some fans seem to think. Clemson presents the most travel problems of any ACC school, because it doesn't have an airport that can accommodate jets. For that reason, teams have to fly to Greenville and then bus to Clemson, and by the time you've gone through all the hassle of air travel and then taken a 30-minute bus ride, it's almost slower than simply taking a bus from Chapel Hill.
Incidentally, if you're keeping a record of the Heels' travel arrangements, they also took a bus to Saturday's game at Wake (leaving Friday evening) and grabbed a charter jet to Atlanta last night. They'll return immediately after tonight's 9:00 game to allow the players to attend class on Wednesday morning.
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 Tar Heel Monthly, will answer your questions on personnel, strategy, opponents and anything on your mind about the Tar Heels other than recruiting specifics. You can email your questions to Adam--please make sure to include your first and last names and hometown.
