University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: UNC Basketball Mailbag
November 24, 2008 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Nov. 24, 2008
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By Adam Lucas
Aloha, which is a fancy Hawaiian word that is literally translated as, "I want to make sure you know that I am in Maui, where it is sunny and 80." Yep, I'm here in Maui hanging with Soulja Boy and the rest of the Tar Heels. Too bad this isn't a video Mailbag, or I'd show you how I do the Soulja Boy dance.
What? Basketball questions? Oh yeah, we've got some of those, too. We're coming at you a day early this week because there will be a lot happening on the site on Tuesday with Chaminade postgame and pregame for Tuesday's game against always-tough TBA.
With 1,950 all-time wins and another big year expected in 2008-09, (year 99) it is reasonable to expect the basketball program to win its 2,000 game in its 100th year of existence. That in itself is a remarkable record of consistency that has not been mentioned as of yet - 20 wins per year, every year, for 100 years. That being said, are you aware of any plans in the works for a book commemorating this special event? My suggestion for a title would be "Tradition - 100 years of Carolina basketball." There are books out there for "other schools" but none can match the rich history and long proven success of UNC. Also, would you think such a book should be released in honor of the upcoming 100th season or released to include the 100th season?
Andy Fishel
Winston-Salem, NC
Either Andy needs to stop sneaking into meetings at the Ernie Williamson Athletic Center or Rick Steinbacher needs to stop signing his emails "Andy Fishel." The 2009-10 season does indeed mark the 100th season of Carolina Basketball. The first meeting of a group passionate about Tar Heel hoops that wanted to make sure that season commemorated the special season in the right way--for players, coaches, and fans alike--began meeting during the 2007-08 season. Those meetings have increased in frequency this season, and there are numerous special events/activities planned for next year.
To directly answer your question, there will indeed be a book. It's going to be coffee table-style, in the vein of Led By Their Dreams, the 2005 championship commemorative book. All the great UNC basketball photos you know and love will be there, and so will be some you may not have seen before but are sure to be instant classics. I'm working on the text right now, and we're hopeful that the book will be more than just a Carolina basketball history book--although there's certainly that element to a book designed to tell the story of 100 amazing seasons. We don't have a title yet, but I'm sure there is a meeting in the future, and I'm going to personally put Andy's suggestion on the table. After long discussions, we decided to release the book after the 100th season, so that the special events and activities that happen during that season can be included. There will also be a 100 years of Carolina basketball DVD that will be a must-have for all Tar Heel basketball fans.
Hopefully, the 100th season will be more than just an occasion for you to buy a book and DVD (but you should buy a book and DVD--and buy multiple copies for you and all your friends). It will also be an experience. Roy Williams is already planning a comprehensive Carolina Basketball reunion, which will take place during the season and will include a special ceremony at a weekend home game. An in-season reunion naturally means the possible exclusion of alums currently in the NBA, so plans are also in the works for a one-of-a-kind reunion for NBA players at the Smith Center in the fall of 2009. And Jerod Haase is working with Nike to create some special on-court uniform acknowledgements of 100 years of the best program in the country. More details about all of this will be made available to the public in the spring of 2009. For now, mark Labor Day weekend on your Tar Heel basketball calendar as a weekend in Chapel Hill you won't want to miss, and get ready for what will hopefully be a season-long tribute to the program we know and love.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems as though our Tar Heels don't perform as well on gameday if it's raining or there are other bad weather conditions the day of the game. I've noticed this with our football and men's basketball teams. This is not something that I just recently noticed as I remember in the 1985 NCAA tournament ( I was eleven years old) on the Sunday we lost to Villanova it was stormy that afternoon and it was hailing outside. In fact, if it's stormy or precipitating on gameday and someone asks me how I think the Tar Heels will do in the game I'll say probably not to good. While I don't want to seem negative or superstitious it just seems our winning percentage is not as good on bad weather days. Can you confirm or put to rest my suspicions? Is this something that our statisticians even record?
Toby Thigpen
eulaville, N.C.
Toby, I have noticed that when it's cold in the arena, the Tar Heels tend to win (for reference, see Carolina's win at Tallahassee in the Bill Guthridge era, when the Tallahassee Civic Center was undergoing renovation and a gaping hole was visible in the side of the building, letting in the outside elements). I have also noticed that when it's windy, the Tar Heels tend to lose (for reference, see most any Final Four game in a Dome other than the Superdome, where the New Orleans engineers have apparently solved the wind currents that take Carolina jumpers astray in places like the Hoosier Dome and Alamo Dome).
As for the weather outside, it's frightful. Whoops, sorry, too much early Christmas music. What I meant to write was that no record is kept of the outside weather for basketball games.
Now that Butch Davis has transformed (for the better) the UNC football jerseys, any chance we'll see an all navy blue Tar Heel basketball uniform any time this season or any season in the future? That other school 8 miles away has three uniforms -- seems like we could too. Navy blue uniform with Carolina blue letters and numbers wouldn't look bad.
Matt Waters
Lillington, N.C.
I've got a great idea--what about all navy with an interlocking NC on the front? Hey, why did this firebomb just come through my window? Just kidding about the navy/NC combination. On the scale of things fans care about, uniforms seem to rate behind only free throw shooting percentage and the use of timeouts in terms of importance. There are no plans on the drawing board for a navy Carolina basketball uniform. Considering Roy Williams's love for the tradition of Tar Heel hoops--remember, it was the head coach who requested/demanded the return of a more pronounced V-neck to this year's jerseys--it's safe to assume navy will remain on the gridiron for the foreseeable future. But, as mentioned above, you will see some special uniforms on occasion during the 100th year of Carolina basketball.
First there was the "Down goes Frasor" from last season. Then there was the pre-season interview with Hansbrough, (I especially got a chuckle about Tyler drinking from a green bottle and not using plastic water bottles to try to help the environment, then Bobby asks him how many mile per gallon he gets in his truck ... priceless). Now we have a blown wide open layup. I was a little surprised not to hear any ribbing of Bobby in the post game show. Were there any noteworthy joking criticisms of the missed freebie? What other Tar Heels, past or present, come to mind when thinking of class clowns?
John Dwiggins
Don't worry, that play has been filed away for later use by Frasor's cohorts. As for other class clowns, you'd have to include Mike Copeland, who is one of the genuine nice guys in UNC basketball history and always seems to be doing something entertaining.
Brownlow's Down Low
With Ed Davis's double-double in his UNC debut, I was wondering how many other UNC freshman have debuted with a double-double?
Isaac Adams
Marathon, NY
Lauren writes:
Sean May was the last freshman to do it; he actually began his career with back-to-back double-doubles (17 and 10 against Penn State and 19 and 10 against Rutgers). He had one more double-double before going out ten games into the season. Before May, Pete Chilcutt was the last freshman to do it; he had 14 points and 13 rebounds in Carolina's overtime win against Syracuse.No big surprise here - both Sam Perkins and James Worthy began their Carolina careers with double-doubles. Perkins had 20 and ten rebounds; he had nine double-doubles that season. James Worthy had 12 points and ten rebounds. He had five double-doubles in 14 games before missing the rest of his freshman year with a broken ankle.
Surprised Tyler Hansbrough wasn't among them? He did have 21 points against Gardner-Webb but it took until his third game against UC-Santa Barbara to notch his first double-double when he had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Brandan Wright, whom Davis has often been compared to by his teammates, didn't record his first double-double until Gonzaga (the fourth game) and it was his only double-double of the year.
There are some Tar Heels who have come close. Rashad McCants had 28 points and seven rebounds against Penn State. Raymond Felton also narrowly missed a double-double in the same game with nine points and ten assists. Jawad Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds. Jason Capel had seven points and ten rebounds. Rick Fox had 15 points and seven rebounds against Syracuse. J.R. Reid began his college career by scoring in double figures his first five games and getting a double-double in his second game.
Some were late bloomers. Brendan Haywood didn't have double-digit points or rebounds in any game his freshman year. Eric Montross had just six points and six rebounds in his collegiate debut but could have cracked double figures if not for his 2-of-8 performance from the foul line. He did not have a double-double his entire freshman season.
Even the great Antawn Jamison had just five points in his collegiate debut, although he did have ten rebounds. He had his first double-double seven games in. Rasheed Wallace had six points and three rebounds in his freshman debut but had a double-double in his second game against Cincinnati with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse had 15 points and six rebounds in his first game. His first double-double came in the sixth game when he had 19 and 12 boards.
Carolina's all-time leading scorer Phil Ford had nine points and three assists in his first game. He would go on to have one double-double and 24 double-digit scoring games. Michael Jordan had 12 points and two rebounds in his first game against Kansas. He had his first double-double in game No. 8 against Santa Clara (21 and 10).
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
