University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: UNC Basketball Mailbag Jan. 2
January 2, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2007
By Adam Lucas
Remember way back in October when all Carolina fans were very concerned about how the Tar Heels would handle their depth at the point guard position? It's funny how those things work out. Here's a preemptive point guard injury update:
Quentin Thomas: Dressed for the first time Sunday against Dayton. Continues to make progress. The team did not practice on Monday, so he'll know more about how his foot is feeling after today's session.
Bobby Frasor: No news released to the public since this update.
Ty Lawson: Wore a soft sleeve on his wrist at Monday's holiday clinic after he woke up with it feeling a little stiff. That was just a precautionary measure and he will be reexamined this morning. No need to make this your first worry of 2007 unless he receives unexpected bad news.
If you want to see for yourself which point guards suit up tomorrow night, you can still buy Penn tickets through the box office. That's the last game this year that officially has tickets available (although with classes not starting until Jan. 10, even if you don't have tickets to the Florida State game it might be worth trying to grab some outside).
Some good news for Fayetteville-area Mailbag readers: Lennie Rosenbluth and Joe Quigg (and me) will sign copies of The Best Game Ever one week from today (Jan. 9) at the Fayetteville Barnes and Noble at 6:30 p.m. It's one of just two signings Rosenbluth will attend, so it's a good chance to meet and get a signature from one of Carolina's true greats (and you also might spot him at all home games through Jan. 10, as he's in town soaking up some Tar Heel hoops).
We've received some questions from fans unable to make it to Sunday's game against Dayton about how they can experience the halftime ceremony honoring Sean May, Rashad McCants, and Raymond Felton. There are quotes from the players involved in this story. But even better, you can watch the halftime ceremonies and enjoy the video produced by Jones Angell and Justin Burnett by clicking here. It's well worth watching even if you saw the game live.
Most Carolina fans look forward to a new basketball season because it offers a fresh chance for another championship run. Others like it because they get to see the freshman. However, being the shoe collector that I am, I have always enjoyed seeing the new "kicks" that the boys in blue are wearing this year. I know that having that famous #23 in the rafters has something to do with the constant supply of Air Jordan sneakers that squeak up and down the court. I was wondering when did the team make the switch from Converse to Nike/Air Jordan? What kinds of shoes are offered to the players? How do the players make their decision? And I also want to know which shoes stand out the most for everyone at the mailbag?
Max Rozier
Fayetteville, NC
This is a more popular Mailbag question than you might think. Fans love to know exactly which shoes the Tar Heels are wearing, and there's a frequent dialogue about whether all the players should be required to wear the same shoe.
I consider myself a bit of a uniform junkie--a Mailbag reader recently pointed me in the direction of the the Uni Watch blog, which always makes for interesting (if a little too detailed at times) reading. It's too bad Uni Watch wasn't around when Bradley University shamelessly copied Carolina's argyle, which forever caused me to root against Bradley. Along those same lines, the Carolina trademark office might want to check out the Louisiana soccer playoffs.
Oh yeah, you asked about shoes. Carolina switched from Converse to Nike after the 1993 season. At the time, it was enormous news because the Tar Heels had long worn Converse. But Dean Smith let his players have some input when the last Converse agreement expired, and they favored Nike. The first contract between the two parties was for $4.5 million over 5 years. It was renewed in July 1997 for $11.6 million over 5 years, and renewed again in October 2001 for $28.34 million over 8 years. That figure of nearly $30 million is approximately 64 percent shoes, apparel, and other equipment. Obviously, Nike is very important to Carolina. But when you look at some of the other deals signed by similar institutions, it's obvious that Carolina is also very important to Nike.
Officially, the basketball program wears Jordan Brand apparel and shoes. That company, an offshoot of Nike, provides copious amounts of shoes and gear to the Tar Heels. The days of players getting two pairs of shoes per season are long over. One thing hasn't changed, though--players still find a pair they like and stick with them until they wear a hole in the sole. Wes Miller, for example, latched onto the Jordan Work'm last year and still has last year's pair--complete with holes--in his locker. He now has a new pair of the same model that he's sporting in games.
The player who generates the most shoe-related questions is Danny Green. He's wearing an Air Jordan retro XIII in a special navy colorway. That's the same shoe frequently worn by David Noel last year. "They gave us these last year," Green said. "I never really wore them. I only wore them off the court a couple times. I figured since I had been holding out for a year I'd wear them. Since I've been doing OK in them, I've been wearing them every game. They're still in pretty good shape."
If Green ever decides to make a change (as he noted, a player changing shoes often has as much to do with a poor performance as with comfort) he will have plenty of options. Players usually have alternate pairs in their locker.
At some point later this year, you can probably expect to see a couple Tar Heels sporting the new Air Jordan XXII when it's released in February. Hopefully, they'll send Carolina a blue version rather than the red/camouflage version. Another new release coming later this season is a re-release of the Jordan III in Carolina blue. The Mailbag heartily endorses at least one Tar Heel choosing to wear that classic shoe.
As for my personal favorites over the years, it's hard to go wrong with the patent leather Jordan XI worn by several players, including Joseph Forte.
Carolina never wore this shoe, but I was always partial to the Nike Flight 89. That's the shoe worn by Georgia Tech's Lethal Weapon III team, among others. A few years ago Nike released some new colors of the Flight 89, including a Carolina blue model with patent leather.
Got a favorite Carolina shoe? Let us know and we'll mention a few in a future Mailbag. Bonus points if you can provide a photo of the shoe in question. If someone doesn't mention the Carolina blue Chuck Taylors, I'll be very disappointed.
During the early games we could see into the timeout huddles that Roy was doing a lot of teaching (and preaching). But at intervals during the time-out, he would give each of the assistants time to speak to the team. Do the assistants have designated assignments (offense, defense, etc.) to watch and then talk to the team about? Or are they bringing up other items that they are watching for? I can't imagine Roy doesn't have a plan for them, but just wondering what it is.
Al Ward, UNC Class of '76, son of '42, brother of '70, father of '05
Steve Robinson prefers a Cole Haan dress loafer in saddle tan...wait, wrong question.
Carolina's assistants do indeed have specific in-game assignments. Joe Holladay keeps track of team fouls and timeouts remaining. Steve Robinson keeps a record of Roy Williams's in-game comments that need to be brought up during the next timeout. And C.B. McGrath charts substitutions, which can also include minutes played. Each coach has the chance to speak during all timeouts.
The staff works together in similar fashion during practices. While Roy Williams bounces from drill to drill, Robinson works with the guards and Holladay stays with the big men. It's not uncommon for any of the coaches to insert a teaching point or note a missed assignment after Williams makes his comments in practice. One thing is constant, though: everyone in the gym always has complete attention on the coach that is speaking, and two coaches are never speaking at the same time. That would be a waste of time, and Williams is obsessed with wise use of time (during Monday's holiday clinic, he looked extremely pleased when the intro to the afternoon session ended at exactly 12:25, matching perfectly with the schedule on the day's itinerary).
I remember reading last year that Coach does not look at nor wishes to know the score at all during the first half. Is this true and if so what is the thought behind his strategy?
Jon Hoffman
It's true. Williams wants to spend the first 20 minutes focusing on how his team is playing without regard to how that play is being reflected on the scoreboard. He knows the scoreboard can sometimes lie--a team can play poorly but be ahead by 20 points, or they could play well and trail by 10 points.
In the second half, of course, he's much more attentive to the scoreboard. He frequently implores his players to be aware of time and score.
Brownlow's Down Low
I was wondering how many seasons UNC has achieved the No. 1 ranking in the polls and how each season played out?
Thomas Morris
Hillsborough, NC
Lauren writes: I'll start with the championship years, because the polls during some of those seasons would surprise you. In 1957, Kansas held the top spot through week seven (largely because of Wilt Chamberlain), but once Kansas dropped their first game, the undefeated Tar Heels slid into the top spot and stayed there for the final eight weeks. They went 32-0 and beat Kansas to win the national championship. In 1982, Carolina was the preseason No. 1 and held the ranking Week 1-8 and Week 14-15 - ten weeks total.
But in 1993, the 34-4 Tar Heels only held the No. 1 spot for Weeks 15-16. They were never ranked No. 2, and the highest they were ranked before Week 15 was No. 3. In 2005, the Tar Heels (33-4) never reached No. 1, largely because Illinois was 37-1 coming in to the national championship game. The Tar Heels were only No. 2 for six weeks.
Of Carolina's remaining 11 Final Four appearances (there was no poll in place in 1946), only two of those teams were ever ranked first during the season. It was not until 1995 that the Tar Heels (28-6) were recognized as the No. 1 team in the same year they reached a Final Four. They held the ranking for five weeks and lost in the semifinal to Arkansas. The 1998 Final Four team (34-4) also achieved the No. 1 ranking, and held it for eight weeks total.
Interestingly enough, during one of Carolina's best Final Four runs (1967-1969), the highest ranking any of these teams achieved was No. 2, largely due to UCLA's dominance. The 1966-67 (26-6) team was ranked as high as No. 2 for Weeks 8-10 before they lost to Dayton in the national semifinal, but won both the regular-season and tournament championship in the ACC. The 1967-68 squad (28-4) did not climb higher than third (Weeks 5-13) before losing to UCLA in the national championship. The 1968-69 team lost to Purdue in the semifinal, but did hang on the No. 2 ranking for 11 weeks.
Here are other Final Four teams that never achieved the No. 1 ranking and the highest ranking they did achieve:
(Lost to Florida State in Final Four; ACC Regular Season and Tournament champions)
(Lost to Marquette in the national title game; ACC Regular Season and Tournament champions)
(Lost to Indiana in national title game; ACC Tournament champions; 2nd in regular season)
(Lost to Kansas in Final Four; ACC Tournament Champions, 2nd in regular season)
(Lost to Arizona in Final Four; T-2nd in ACC regular season, Tournament champion)
(Lost to Florida in Final Four; T-3rd in ACC regular season)
Here are the other seasons Carolina achieved No. 1 and the season results:
(Lost to Maryland in ACC final; T-2nd in ACC Regular Season)
(Lost in first round of NCAA to Navy; ACC Regular Season Champion)
(Lost in first round of NCAA to San Francisco; ACC Regular Season Champion)
(Lost in Elite 8 to Georgia; ACC Regular Season Champion)
(Lost in 2nd round of NCAA to Indiana, ACC Regular Season Champion - 14-0)
(Lost to Louisville in Sweet 16, 3rd place in ACC regular season)
(Lost to Syracuse in Elite 8, ACC Regular Season Champion - 14-0)
(Lost in Elite 8 to Arizona, ACC Regular Season Champion)
(Lost in 2nd round of NCAA to BC, 28-7, 2nd place in ACC Regular Season, ACC Tournament Champion)
(Lost in 2nd round to Penn St., T-1st in ACC Regular Season)
The moral of the story is that since this isn't college football, the rankings don't really mean anything.
Adam Lucas's third book on Carolina basketball, The Best Game Ever, chronicles the 1957 national championship season and is available now. His previous books include Going Home Again, focusing on Roy Williams's return to Carolina, and Led By Their Dreams, a collaboration with Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers on the 2005 championship team.To submit a Mailbag question, click here.
