University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Bahamas Basketball Notebook
September 1, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Sept. 1, 2005
By Adam Lucas
Carolina started their national championship title defense a little early. The Tar Heels hit the practice floor for the first time on Tuesday and have practiced every day since. They'll get in another workout Friday before heading for the Bahamas, where they'll play a local club team on Saturday at 11 a.m. and another local club team Sunday at noon. The team will return to campus in time for classes on Monday (yes, UNC has classes on Labor Day). The games will not be broadcast on television or on the Tar Heel Sports Network. TarHeelBlue.com will have full postgame coverage from both games...Michael Copeland, a Winston-Salem Reynolds product, has been cleared for Division I competition, added to the roster and will travel with the team to the Bahamas. He had been unable to participate in practice earlier this week until he received NCAA approval...One of the most memorable scenes from the 2005 championship DVD was the footage of David Noel trying to escape rampaging fish in Maui as his teammates delightedly threw bread into the water to feed the fish. He says he may give snorkeling another shot in the Bahamas. "Maybe this year it'll be OK because we don't have the silly guys on our team," he said. "They won't be throwing bread in the water, so I might try it one more time. If that happens again I will never go in the water again."...
Damion Grant, who could provide minutes in the paint, is working his way into game shape and hopes to play this weekend...Freshman guard Marcus Ginyard has a wrist injury that will keep him from playing this weekend. He may have surgery on Tuesday and should have a better idea of his recovery time after consulting with the doctors...With the injury to Ginyard and losses from last year's team, the Heels are having trouble fielding a full practice.
Quentin Thomas had the luxury of a reserve role last year behind Raymond Felton, but he'll be thrust into a much more prominent position this year. "The biggest issue for me last year was confidence," Thomas said. "I have to make the easy play. I found out over the summer that the more easy plays you make, the more confidence you build and then you're able to do other stuff. A lot of times last year I'd just try to get to a certain spot and run the play." Thomas spent the second session of summer school at home in Oakland, where he played in frequent pickup games and hit the weight room almost every day...Height isn't a strength for the Tar Heels, which means Noel is likely to go back inside to the paint, where he spent much of his first two years in Chapel Hill. He was effective as a perimeter player last year, so Roy Williams has experimented with new offensive sets during pre-exhibition practices. "We're doing some little things to try changing up our offense a little bit," Noel said. "We've tried a little 4-around-1 deal. That will keep me on the wing a little bit because most 4's (power forward) are going to have some trouble guarding me."...
Fans will see a tremendous improvement in the Smith Center this season. New flat-panel video boards are replacing the old boards in each corner of the arena. The new boards are almost twice the size of the old boards and feature the latest video technology available anywhere...The 2005 championship book has rolled off the printer and will be bound and begin shipping within three weeks. The behind-the-scenes tome was expanded to over 260 pages to make room for the nearly 300 full-color photographs and exclusive interviews that pepper the pages. Fans can order online or buy the book in person beginning at the home football game against Wisconsin on September 17. Stores on Franklin Street such as Chapel Hill Sportswear will also be selling the book when it begins shipping.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and 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 Going Home Again, click here.
