University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heel Rundown: January 16
January 16, 2014 | General
Basketball
A look back at how a loaded 1997 team that included Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter managed to start 0-3 in the ACC. Can you imagine the outrage if a team today went on a midseason Europe trip right before the ACC opener and then came home and started 0-3?...Freshman Nate Britt has been thrown into the fire as a rookie...This sounds kind of boring on the face, but actually was an interesting piece: the best college venues for NBA scouts to watch games. Some good tidbits about various programs...The week off could be beneficial for a Carolina team with plenty to work on.
Tar Heels in the NBA
22 points and 11 assists for Ty Lawson in Denver's win over Golden State...Harrison Barnes had 15 points and six rebounds in a losing cause...Good matchup of UNC big men: Ed Davis had 14 points and nine rebounds and got the win, while John Henson had eight points and 13 rebounds...Kendall Marshall had 10 points and 13 assists in his return to Phoenix, which had to be somewhat satisfying...Brandan Wright had 13 points in 13 reserve minutes, and Vince Carter and Wayne Ellington added six apiece...Six points in nine minutes for Tyler Zeller, who was hampered by foul trouble...
Someone has come forward to say those Michael Jordan recruiting letters from Dean Smith that are up for auction are duplicates. Who? Oh, just Deloris Jordan, Michael's mom. Bonus points to the story for somehow managing to spell "Guthridge" as "Gunthrie."...This is the most P.J. Hairston has spoken to the media in a while, and there are some interesting quotes there...
Football
Some good stuff on Jeff Saturday (scroll all the way down) in this profile of the centers who have played with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady...An early 2014 Coastal forecast has the Tar Heels among the top division contenders...ESPN.com picked the UNC-Duke game as the ACC game of the year...Interesting stat on Robert Quinn's selection as Defensive Player of the Year:
Robert Quinn voted NFL defensive player of the year by Pro Football Writers of America. 10th winner from an ACC school of past 22 yrs.
— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) January 15, 2014
The latest GoHeelsTV early enrollee feature is on M.J. Stewart. Some impressive highlights in this piece:
Olympic sports
A preview of tonight's women's basketball game against Clemson. It's Throwback Thursday at Carmichael...Great news from Sylvia Hatchell, who is in remission...Really good feature on one of the outstanding Tar Heel women's hoops freshmen, Stephanie Mavunga...Major League Lacrosse holds the draft before the college season, which seems a little different. Three Tar Heels were selected, including at least one who had no idea he'd be picked.
Today's games
The No. 9 women's basketball Tar Heels host Clemson at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
Today in Tar Heel history
January 16, 1999: In the last UNC-NC State game at rickety historic Reynolds Coliseum, Carolina took a 59-56 win in front of the largest crowd in Reynolds history. The Tar Heel defense, keyed by Brendan Haywood (three blocks), held the Wolfpack scoreless for seven minutes of the second half, and a potential game-tying halfcourt heave by Tim Wells bounced off the rim at the buzzer. Haywood also added 16 points for the winners.
Long read
Missed it when it aired originally, but this CBS Sunday Morning "Note to Self" from Chris Herren is powerful. And if you haven't read Fall River Dreams, it might be one of the best basketball books ever and provides a great background for Herren's story.
