University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Thursday Night Detroit Notebook
April 2, 2009 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
April 2, 2009
By Adam Lucas
DETROIT--Wayne Ellington seems like the logical Tar Heel to have Villanova connections. And while the Philadelphia native does have some ties to several Wildcats, including some summer workout sessions together, the Carolina player who has been sending friendly text messages to Villanova players this week is Ty Lawson.
The Tar Heel point guard played on a team at the Andrews Air Force Base youth center with Wildcat forward Dante Cunningham. This story is a must-read on that topic. That duo also joined forced on the DC Blue Devils, one of the powerhouse AAU teams on the east coast.
One of the Blue Devils' most formidable rivals was the Boo Williams squad that was keyed by future Villanova star Scottie Reynolds. Lawson and Reynolds were roommates at LeBron James Camp and also at the McDonald's All-Star Game. "Scottie was a good friend," Lawson said on Thursday. "He's a tough guy to stop, so I want to make him do things he doesn't normally like to do."
And what are the tricks Lawson might know about Reynolds?
"Scottie likes to shoot," Lawson said. "He likes to pump fake and jump into you and get fouled."
"Ty is a cool dude," Reynolds said. "He's very laid back...We have matched up against each other, we've played against each other and we have worked out with each other. I have good respect for what he has done this year, coming back from injury and him kind of taking over that team and getting them to where he has taken them."
Philly fan: At Thursday's individual interview sessions in the cavernous Ford Field--the "backstage" areas feel more like a shopping mall than an arena--Ellington was a favorite of the Philadelphia media in town to cover the Wildcats.
The Tar Heel junior's explanation of what basketball means to his hometown: "Philadelphia is a great place to play. If you're not from the city, you can't understand it. Basketball there is very competitive. It's hard-nosed. Everybody goes after each other and there are no friends. That's what makes a lot of people better. When you step into a tough situation, it's not anything new to you."
Two of Villanova's starters, Shane Clark and Reggie Redding, are from Philadelphia. All five members of the starting lineup are from within 150 miles of Philadelphia.
Awards and rewards: Lawson was announced as the winner of the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's best point guard. He'll pick up his trophy Monday morning here in Detroit. That trophy will have company in the Tar Heel trophy case, as it's the same award won by Raymond Felton in 2005.
Briefly: Great quote from Tyler Hansbrough discussing the reception he received in ACC arenas: "People in the ACC don't like me very much. There's a reason for that, I think. We dominate the ACC pretty much."...Lawson accurately summed up the city of Detroit by saying, "Detroit is a working man's city, and we're here to work."...The Tar Heel hotel is just a mile from the Detroit River, so it's a safe bet there will be some spitting happening later this weekend...The Wildcats don't have a player taller than 6-8, but they've outrebounded opponents by 4.6 rebounds per game...No thanks to Villanova's Dwayne Anderson for making everyone feel old. When asked his first memory as a child watching the Final Four, he singled out the 2002 Maryland team that won the national title. Come on, Dwayne. Next you're going to tell us you didn't realize there used to be a time when cell phones were better known as "bag phones" and were connected to a large black bag and battery...Now is a good time to send in your Mailbag questions for use in Saturday's pregame show.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
