Joseph Forte

Photo by: Robert Crawford

Position:
Guard
Height:
6-4
Weight:
185
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Greenbelt, MD

Enters his sophomore season looking to improve on an outstanding freshman campaign • Is a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, which are given to the National Player of the Year • Preseason first-team All-America, as named by Dick Vitale/ESPN • Joins Troy Murphy (Notre Dame), Terrence Morris (Maryland), Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State) and Shane Battier (Duke) on the first team • Set a number of UNC freshman scoring records and was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA South Regional • Scored 28 points in the regional championship against Tulsa to lead the Tar Heels to the Final Four • Showed remarkable poise and savvy as a young player, leading his team in scoring the entire season • The 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year • Joined Georgia Tech guard Kenny Anderson (1990) as the only players to win ACC Rookie of the Year and NCAA regional MVP honors in the same season • Displayed a knack for hitting key shots in late-game situations • Has a smooth, long-range jumper and the athleticism to drive to the basket • Improved each game as a ballhandler and defender, although he must continue to work in those areas • Started for the U.S. Men’s Select Team in an exhibition game played on Sept. 2, 2000, against the U.S. Olympic Team.

FRESHMAN SEASON (1999-2000)
The 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year • Won the Jimmie Dempsey Award, given to UNC’s overall statistical leader • Led Carolina in scoring (16.7 ppg) and steals (54), was second in assists (94) and third in rebounds (5.5 rpg) • A second-team All-ACC honoree and unanimous selection to the ACC’s All-Freshman team • Named First-Team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News and Second-Team Freshman All-America by Basketball Times • Also was named National Freshman of the Year by the Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club • Carolina’s leading scorer at 16.7 points per game • Was named Most Valuable Player of the Maui Invitational after he helped lead the Tar Heels to three wins and the title • Was sixth in the ACC in scoring average and tops among freshmen • Was 10th in the ACC in field goal percentage at .459 • The first UNC freshman to lead the team in scoring since freshmen became eligible to play in 1972-73 • Led Carolina in scoring or tied for the team lead in 14 games • Scored 600 points and shattered the school record for points by a freshman formerly held by Sam Perkins (550 points in 1980-81) • Averaged more points than any freshman in UNC history (topping the previous high of 16.4 by Phil Ford in 1974-75). Scored in double figures in all but four games and topped 20 points nine times • Scored 24 in his collegiate debut against Southern California, 21 in the Maui championship game vs. Purdue, 27 at Virginia, 20 vs. Duke, 24 at home vs. Wake Forest, 26 at Maryland, 24 at Duke, 22 vs. Tennessee and a season-high 28 vs. Tulsa • Scored more points in his freshman debut than any Tar Heel in history (24 points vs. Southern California)

Was third on the team in rebounds at 5.5 per game • Had six or more boards in 16 games with a season-high 11 at Virginia • Also had nine boards (five offensive) against Maryland on Jan. 27.

Ranked second on the team in assists with 94 and had a season-high six against top-ranked Cincinnati.

Connected on at least one three-point field goal in 30 of the 36 games with a high of six at home vs. Wake Forest on Feb. 12.

Connected on a big three-point field goal late in the game at Miami after the Hurricanes had cut UNC’s 16-point lead down to six • Led the Tar Heels with 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting against Clemson in the ACC opener • Scored 18 points against NC State (Jan. 8) on 6 of 9 shooting from the floor • Hit a pair of 3FGs, was 4 for 4 from the FT line and added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals • Had 13 points, five assists and four steals against UCLA • His steal, dunk and three-pointer brought UNC back from an 11-point second-half deficit to within 62-60 • Scored 27 points on 11 of 16 shooting at Virginia • Recorded his first career double-double against the Cavaliers (27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals) • The 27 points were the most by a UNC freshman since Antawn Jamison had 31 at Maryland in 1995-96 • Hit a key three-pointer to start the second half in the win over Maryland (UNC was down by seven at the break) • Had 11 second-half points in the 70-53 win at Georgia Tech • Hit a three-pointer with 0:05 left in regulation to force overtime on Feb. 3 versus No. 3 Duke • Had 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in his first game versus Duke.

Had 16 points in the win at NC State on Feb. 9, with 12 of those points in the second half • Led all scorers with 24 points against Wake Forest on Feb. 12 • Missed his first two three-point attempts, then hit six in a row• Named the ACC’s Rookie of the Week for the second time on Feb. 14 after the wins over NC State and Wake Forest. Named the ACC’s Rookie of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Feb. 28 • He started the week by scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds in UNC’s 70-67 win at Florida State on Feb. 23 • He also tallied four assists, including one on Jason Capel’s go-ahead three-point play with under a minute to play • Then he scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting (and had two blocks and two steals) at Maryland on Feb. 26, in a game played just minutes from his hometown of Greenbelt, Md.

Led Carolina with 19 points and had a career-high six steals (all in the first half) in the March 1 overtime win over Georgia Tech • His driving shot off the glass gave Carolina the lead for good with 51 seconds to play • Paced Carolina with 24 points on 11 of 20 shooting at Duke on March 4 • Also had six rebounds and five assists in his first game at Duke.

Topped UNC with 17 points in the NCAA second-round upset of No. 1 seed (and No. 3 ranked) Stanford • Broke a 47-47 tie when he hit back-to-back three-pointers with 4:16 and 3:31 to play in the second half, giving Carolina a lead it would not relinquish • Those two three-pointers were part of eight straight points he scored in a span of 1:44 late in the game.

Again led all scorers with 22 points in the Sweet 16 win over Tennessee • After missing his opening attempt, he made his next five field goal attempts and scored 11 of Carolina’s first 18 points • He did not attempt a field goal in the second half against the Vols until he hit a jumper with 8:38 to play that cut UT’s lead to 55-51 • His next shot was perhaps the biggest of the season for UNC as he drained a three-pointer with 4:27 to play cut UT’s lead to 64-60 • That basket began a 13-0 run by UNC.

Had a season-high 28 points in the 59-55 win over Tulsa in the South Regional final • Made 10 of 17 shots from the floor, 7 of 8 free throws and shared the team lead with eight rebounds.

Was named MVP of the NCAA South Regional after averaging 25.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in wins over Tennessee and Tulsa • Scored 22 points and grabbed five boards in the win over the Volunteers • Became the 12th Tar Heel, but the first UNC freshman, to earn NCAA regional MVP honors.

Scored 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half, in the NCAA Final Four vs. Florida • With the Gators leading 40-38, he scored 10 consecutive Tar Heel points (four jumpers, including two 3FGs to give UNC a 48-42 lead with 15:49 to play. Scored 95 points in five NCAA Tournament games, trailing only Morris Peterson of Michigan State (105 points in six games) as the leading scorer among all players in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

PREP
Earned first-team All-America honors by USA Today as a senior at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattasville, Md. • Played for legendary prep coach Morgan Wootten • Averaged 22.1 points, 8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a senior • Also averaged 19.2 points as a junior and 11.9 points as a sophomore • DeMatha finished his junior season 34-1 and was ranked No. 3 in the nation • Earned MVP honors at four tournaments • Played in the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany as a junior • His younger brother, Jason, was a teammate in 1998-99 • Enjoys playing chess, skating and surfing the Net • Born Joseph Xavier Forte on March 23, 1981, in Atlanta • Son of Ms. Wanda Hightower.

Forte Personality File

College Major:
Business
Post-school ambition:
To play in the NBA
Hobbies:
Chess, skating, internet surfing
Person who has had the greatest influence on my athletic career:
My mother
Athlete I most admire:
Vince Carter
Favorite book:
Thinking Big
Favorite food:
Chicken tenders
Favorite TV shows:
Martin, ESPN
Favorite movies:
Saving Private Ryan, Kings of Comedy, Schindler’s List
Favorite vacation spot:
Patterson, N.J.
Favorite musical performer:
Jay-Z
My greatest sports moment:
Going to the Final Four
Interesting fact about myself:
I’m scared of heights
My favorite basketball player when I was growing up was:
Michael Jordan
Favorite Carolina player (not including current teammates):
Ed Cota
What I like most about UNC:
The family atmosphere
My favorite sport other than college basketball is:
Ping Pong
The one thing I would change about college basketball is:
Less travel
If I could do one thing better it would be:
Push myself harder
Person in history I’d most like to meet:
Tupac Shakur
Most interesting thing I did this summer:
Work with kids at basketball camps
My best friend on another team:
Dahntay Jones (Duke), Austin Rowland (Delaware)
Full given name:
Joseph Xavier Forte
Birthdate and place of birth:
March 23, 1981, in Atlanta, Ga.
Mother’s name:
Wanda Hightower
High school coach’s name:
Morgan Wootten

FORTE’S CAREER HIGHS
Points: 28 vs. Tulsa (3/26/00)
Field Goals: 11 on three occasions
Field Goal Attempts: 20 vs. Indiana (12/21/99) and Duke (3/4/00)
3-Point Field Goals: 6 vs. Wake Forest (2/12/00)
3-Point Field Attempts: 10 vs. Florida (4/1/00)
Free Throws: 7 vs. Tulsa (3/26/00)
Free Throw Attempts: 10 vs. Wake Forest (1/12/00)
Rebounds: 11 vs. Virginia (1/18/00)
Assists: 6 vs. Cincinnati (12/8/99)
Steals: 6 vs. Georgia Tech (3/1/00)

JOSEPH FORTE GAME-BY-GAME
1999-2000

Opponent	FGM-A	3FGM-A	FTM-A	O-D-REB	A	BLK	STL	PTS
vs. Southern California	9-12	4-4	2-2	0-5-5	3	0	1	24
vs. Georgetown	6-14	0-2	5-6	2-6-8	2	0	3	17
vs. Purdue	7-13	3-4	4-4	2-4-6	2	0	3	21
Michigan State	6-15	3-7	4-6	0-5-5	2	0	2	19
vs. College of Charleston	2-9	0-3	2-3	1-5-6	5	0	1	6
vs. UNLV	7-16	1-3	2-3	3-3-6	1	0	2	17
at Buffalo	8-13	3-4	0-0	3-3-6	4	0	1	19
vs. Cincinnati	7-14	1-5	2-3	2-2-4	6	0	1	17
Tennessee Tech	3-9	1-3	4-6	2-1-3	3	0	1	11
at Miami	5-12	2-4	2-3	1-5-6	1	0	1	14
vs. Indiana	7-20	1-5	2-2	4-3-7	2	1	2	17
at Louisville	7-15	2-4	0-1	1-3-4	2	0	0	16
Howard	6-8	0-1	2-2	0-4-4	2	1	2	14
Clemson	7-12	1-4	0-1	1-4-5	2	0	1	15
NC State	6-9	2-3	4-4	0-4-4	3	0	2	18
at Wake Forest	1-10	1-2	6-10	1-4-5	1	0	2	8
UCLA	6-16	1-6	0-1	0-4-4	5	2	4	13
at Virginia	11-16	2-5	3-6	4-7-11	5	0	2	27
Florida State	7-16	1-5	0-1	2-3-5	3	0	1	15
Maryland	2-9	1-3	2-2	5-4-9	3	0	1	7
at Georgia Tech	7-14	1-3	0-0	0-1-1	4	1	1	15
Duke	9-19	2-4	0-1	2-4-6	4	0	3	20
at Clemson	3-8	1-4	4-4	0-6-6	2	1	0	11
at NC State	4-13	2-5	6-7	2-3-5	1	0	1	16
Wake Forest	9-14	6-8	0-0	2-2-4	0	0	0	24
Virginia	5-13	0-3	3-3	2-4-6	4	0	1	13
at Florida State	4-10	0-4	6-7	0-5-5	4	0	0	14
at Maryland	11-16	2-5	2-2	0-1-1	1	2	2	26
Georgia Tech	7-19	1-6	4-4	3-2-5	0	1	6	19
at Duke	11-20	2-3	0-0	0-6-6	5	1	0	24
vs. Wake Forest (ACC)	3-14	1-5	1-4	3-4-7	4	2	2	8
vs. Missouri (NCAA)	6-19	1-3	0-0	5-3-8	2	1	3	13
vs. Stanford (NCAA)	6-14	2-4	3-4	0-5-5	1	0	0	17
vs. Tennessee (NCAA)	8-13	2-5	4-4	1-4-5	2	1	1	22
vs. Tulsa (NCAA)	10-17	1-7	7-8	2-6-8	1	0	1	28
vs. Florida (NCAA)	5-16	3-10	2-4	0-5-5	2	1	0	15

FORTE’S CAREER STATISTICS

Year	GP	FGM-A	Pct	3FGM-A	Pct	FTM-A	Pct	Off	Def	Reb	Avg	A	TO	B	S	Pts	Avg
1999-2000	36	228-497	.459	56-156	.359	88-117	.752	58	140	198	5.5	94	85	15	54	600	16.7

FORTE’S CAREER ACC STATISTICS

Year	GP	FGM-A	Pct	3FGM-A	Pct	FTM-A	Pct	Off	Def	Reb	Avg	A	TO	B	S	Pts	Avg
1999-2000	16	104-218	.477	24-67	.358	40-51	.784	26	60	86	5.4	42	42	6	23	272	17.0