University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Beautifully Effective
March 22, 2005 | Women's Basketball
March 22, 2005
By Adam Lucas
Under the direction of sophomore whiz kid Ivory Latta, North Carolina is capable of playing beautiful basketball. Latta, a 5-foot-6 (er, make that 5-foot-5...OK, fine, 5-foot-4) point guard, is capable of effortlessly zipping through opposing defenses, seizing upon the smallest window to deliver pinpoint passes to cap fast breaks. Back off her to play for the drive and she'll nail a three-pointer--as she did three times Tuesday night--from 20 feet or more.
It's been consistently accepted in women's basketball circles that you probably don't want to run with the Tar Heels. You want to slow them down, make them execute, get them into an ugly game and hope they fall apart.
So it's especially noteworthy that Carolina's 71-47 win over George Washington wasn't especially beautiful. It was brutal.
"It wasn't the best game we've ever played," Sylvia Hatchell said.
No, but it sure was effective. The Heels harassed the visitors into 25 percent shooting from the field, and by late in the second half the game was turning chippy as the Colonials' frustration grew. Three technical fouls were called in the game.
One of them was on UNC freshman LaToya Pringle, who became the poster child for Carolina's move into the round of 16. Pringle played just 13 minutes before fouling out, but when she left the floor after her fifth foul was greeted with a broad smile and a bear hug from Latta. It seemed fitting. Usually, Latta sets the tone. But on this night, it was Pringle, who blocked two early shots and finished with six blocks, four points, and a steal.
"I don't know what to say about that girl," Latta said. "All the blocks she had and the help side defense...Every time she gets in there she plays with a lot of heart. Why not give her a standing ovation? She played with a lot of heart tonight."
It's turning into a formidable combination, the mixture of considerable heart and athleticism demonstrated by the Heels during their current 15-game winning streak. There's Latta, whose quickness is best described this way: at the end of a half, most point guards dribble out the clock on the shooting side of midcourt before initiating the play with about 9 seconds to go.
Not Latta. With no 10-second rule in women's basketball, she dribbled out the first half clock in front of the Carolina bench, some 60 feet away from the basket, before zipping down the court when the clock ticked under 10. She still had plenty of time to take a shot.
There's Nikita Bell, who has harnessed the raw ability that has always been present and is playing like a senior leader who wants to leave Chapel Hill with some net clippings.
There's Camille Little, who hasn't scored the way she did as a freshman but has become a valuable defender--she took the initiative to watch extra tapes this weekend of George Washington and helped hold Anna Montanana to 1-of-9 shooting.
There's La'Tangela Atkinson, about whom Sylvia Hatchell once said, "She'd rather rebound than eat," and there's senior Leah Metcalf, who has made solid contributions off the bench.
The only thing that will keep Hatchell awake tonight is the status of freshman post Erlana Larkins, who had to be helped from the court with severe cramping and left the floor in a wheelchair. It's the same problem that troubled her in Tallahassee--the last time Carolina lost a game--and although she's expected to be back, it's worth remembering that she was less effective than usual (6 points in only 26 minutes) in the next game after her FSU episode.
The Heels need a full strength Larkins in their next game, one of those NCAA women's tournament specials--a road trip by the top seed to fifth-seeded Arizona State on the Sun Devils' home court.
It's the kind of matchup that traditionally might have created problems for the Tar Heels. Savvy is likely to be as important as shooting, toughness as important as talent.
It's unlikely to be beautiful. But as Hatchell folded her stat sheet after advancing to the Sweet 16, she almost let a smile slip across her face.
"This team," she said, "is pretty tough."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. His book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about the book, click here.
