The Daily Tar Heel
URL: http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2011/02/039huge_blow039
Current Date: Thu, 24 May 2012 02:59:32 -0400
In 'huge blow,' Larry Drew II leaves UNC
Williams said he 'didn't see it coming'
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Roy Williams said losing Larry Drew II is a “huge blow” to the team in the middle of the ACC season. Three Tar Heels have transferred from UNC in the last year.
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Click here for a video of the press conference.
When Roy Williams spoke with Larry Drew Sr. at 9 a.m. Friday morning, there was no changing his mind.
The father of point guard Larry Drew II told North Carolina’s basketball coach that his son would no longer be a Tar Heel, giving no indication of where he may transfer.
“At that point, he told me that Larry was leaving,” said Williams, who had a long, private discussion with Drew Sr. “Basically there was no arbitrating. There was no trying to see if we could rectify anything. That was the decision that was made.
“It’s a huge blow to our team. No, I didn’t see it coming.”
The move to leave UNC comes after two and a half years with a program where he won a national title and lost in the NIT finals before being benched midway through this season. Drew’s play received harsh criticism from the UNC fanbase while freshman Kendall Marshall waited on the bench.
Williams replaced Drew with Marshall against Clemson on Jan. 18 and the Tar Heels haven’t lost since.
“When there was the lineup change he took it great,” Marshall said. “He was still helping me out from the bench as much as he was doing when he was on the court.”
In the three games after taking a spot on the bench, Drew elevated his game with 18 assists and just two turnovers. His defensive was just as impressive as he garnered two team defensive player of the game awards in contests coming off the bench.
Williams said it was “evidently” the right time to bench Drew with hindsight being 20/20.
Drew’s decision comes two days before UNC’s match against Florida State and less than a week before the Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. His departure left Williams’ game plan on Sunday with a gaping hole.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day and a game plan wasn’t built in five hours,” Williams said.
“You have to start all over.”
Not only is the timing poor for UNC, but also for Drew. Unless the guard transfers to a non-Division I school, he’ll have to sit out all of next season.
“If it was up to me — and I’m sure 99 percent of the people in the world — we would have liked to see him stay until the end of the season,” Marshall said. “Larry is a grown man and he makes his own choices.”
Drew gave no indication to any of his teammates or coaches that he would leave. Tyler Zeller found out through a friend texting him, and Marshall through Facebook.
Zeller said teammate Justin Watts, Drew’s roommate, had no idea he had left. Watts went to class thinking Drew was still at UNC.
“The reason it shocked me so much is I feel like he had accepted his role,” Zeller said. “He knew what his role on this team was and he did a great job doing it.
“It’s disturbing because it’s the middle of the season. It’s a week before Duke so it makes it difficult.”
Marshall said there has been no contact between the two since he heard the news. He was seemingly unwilling to reach out to his former teammate any time soon.
“That’s not one of my main concerns right now,” Marshall said. “My main concern is focusing on the people we have in the locker room.”
Admittedly, Williams does not have much experience with transfers. In 23 years of coaching, he’s had only six transfers before Drew. But three of those have come within the last year, with David and Travis Wear’s unplanned departure just as much of a shock to the program as Drew’s.
The turnover from last year’s team continues on top of the Wear twins, Ed Davis’ early entry to the NBA draft and Will Graves’ dismissal from the team in October.
Marshall said the initial impact of the decision has worn off and he has been able to lighten the mood with other Tar Heels.
“I’ve been joking around with my teammates, telling them to keep oxygen and water next to the bench,” he said. “I’m prepared for it. I’m ready.”
Zeller, on the other hand, wasn’t able to joke. After three seasons with Drew—sometimes taking his back against the critics—and having already dealt with two other friends transferring from UNC, Zeller took it personally.
“I mean a little bit,” he said. “He’s a great teammate and he’s been here with me through everything. But at the same time, he has been through it all with us. He left us a little stranded.”
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25 comments
He should have went to Williams himself and talked to him about his decision instead of letting Daddy do it for him.
Punk move to leave in Feb, but we will miss his defense. Thanks LD2, Good Luck
I agree James, what a man to have his daddy do the talking for him. That was a real coward of a move to leave your team stranded in the middle of the season with some of their biggest games coming. I ask for what, it’s not like he’s going to be able to play anywhere as of now. It would have been nice to show some sort of appreciation and consideration for his team and fans for sticking by him at his best and worst. What a positive influence to children he is setting: “When times get hard, let’s quit and see who will let me slack and get away with it.”
He was definitely under a lot of pressure to live up to Ty Lawson’s legacy. That would be tough for anyone. So, I can sympathize just a bit…but only a bit.
Bottom line is that he just isn’t an ACC-caliber point guard. As far as having his dad do the talking, that’s not surprising: LDII has come from wealth and privilege, so he’s not gonna do the heavy lifting on this one.
Overall, maybe it will make the team chemistry better. Perhaps he was subtly dividing the locker room. Bad move on his part. He will have one year of eligibility left- and where’s he gonna play and have opportunities like he did at UNC.
I think, in the long run, we’ll be better off. I like Kendall and Tyler’s take on it: they now have to move on without a guy who made a selfish decision and deserted a team.
Larry Withdrew just made one of the worst mistakes of his life. He will be forever known as the player who quit his team in the middle of a season. If you’re unhappy, quit at the end of the season, not in the middle when your teammates and coaches are counting on you and have no way to replace you. Sneaking out shows that he has a lot to learn about being a man. Good riddance.
Thanks for nothing Drew.
Mike: that’s classic! Larry Withdrew… I called him Larry Draw because, like a draw, you neither win nor lose with Larry.
and we wonder why he went home during the summer instead of staying in Chapel Hill to learn against the old ones….drew is a Mommy’s boy
I concur wholeheartedly he does not know the true quality of being a man, nor does he care about being a team player (a strong quality needed throughout life). All he knows is how to quit, and apparently so does his father. There is no way as a parent under these kinds of circumstance should he have encouraged his son to quit. He should have told him to work hard and earn his starting position back or leave at the end of the season, in my opinion both he and his father are cowards. Oh well they didn’t deserve to be a Carolina Tarheel Blue. So long, farewell, good-bye, we’re better off without you.
I think it is time to start making these players pay back their scholarships if they leave their team without notice and especially in the middle of the season. For Larry to leave his team high and dry because he wants to go in a different direction. Larry, you let your team, coaches, and school down…you must be a really spoiled brat but I guess it is all about you!
Playing time is secondary to TEAM success; you will miss us, Larry II, when the TEAM is in the sweet sixteen and you are contemplating playing DII ball or waiting to sit the pine for a year at a mid-major. Best of luck… Truly a shame that you chose to go…
Bet my money that Larry Boo Hoo Senior called this play. All will agree young Larry was progressing and contributing, and when he wasn’t throwing the ball away, was fun to watch. I understand the impact his father has had on his life, and much of it is good. But here Dad exhibited poor judgment, and little Larry went along. Both will regret it, as will the program and fans.
Sad small minded move. The numbers after his name turn out to be letters “I” “I”
Dear Larry Poo Poo,
Do you think your daddy can call into work for me tomorrow? I really don’t feel like going in.
You see, I am a janitor at UNC and was tasked with cleaning up the mess that your balls left after they fell off this morning when you pulled what will probably prove to be your most famous stunt EVER.
You’re all but forgotten. As the great Jay Z. once sang, “On to the next one…”
Go Heels!!!!!!!
I have 2 kids, one UNCCH grad another in school, I have taught them both to honor obligations unless physically or morally unable. I also made/make them handle their own business with me being the backup/sounding board. Larry Drews Dad is the bad guy here. As was the Wear twins. I hope all do well in their next steps in life. Coach Williams to quote my favorite singer. Breath in, breath out, Move on.
The fine young men you have will step up as they have all year. GO HEELS
If you look at facebook and all the hate groups that were created about Drew II, I would quit too.
It’s sad that this young man has been brought up to be a self-centered, selfish individual. His decision shows what a life of wealth and privilege can result in – lack of a character and responsibility for ones own actions. Basketball aside, LD II will never be a true success in anything if he continues to quit and run to Daddy every time a difficult situation comes up. Too bad- for him, his team and his parents who’ll have to take care of him for the next 40 years. I hope he grows up, but it’s not likely.
I never had the opportunity to play college basketball; but I did play in high school. I was on the bench more than in the game — being number 8 or 9. But for me I got to know a great group of friends. For me it was all about the team. There is no “I” in team. We had great deal of fellowship in practice and games and became very close off the court as well.
It is not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.
In Mr. Drew’s case he has played badly. Unfortunatly for him, he will realize what a terrible decision this is and it will be too late to do anything about it.
It will haunt him for the rest of his days.
No More California Recruits!!!
Stevenson, Wears, Drew- all saps.
Lets stick with the east coast boys with values and strength of character. Or mid-west guys with good sense of loyalty and stability. Or even northeasterners with crazy talent and maturity.
Sorry, California, you just cant produce tar heel- caliber players.
I think this is very sad. Drew did a lot for our team and was treated horrible! To cheer for your own player not to start is disgusting. I truly forgot I was at the Dean Dome when that happened against Clemson. Surely the Carolina Way does not include such disrespect for anyone, especially a guy wearing UNC blue. That moment was no less distasteful, but made more unfathomable by the fact that Drew is truly a very skilled player. He was a very good point guard who somehow got blamed for everything that ever went wrong on the court. The rest of this season may be a testimony to how important Drew was. He is fast, a good shot, good at defense. We needed him and not just off the bench but as our starting and more experienced point guard. No matter what your opinion on Drew is, we should strive to never treat another player this way. I hope Drew does great where ever he goes and I hope Marshall has a fantastic rest of the season and keeps us on this winning streak.
I’m with our worthy opponents, the Tarheels, on this one. To leave mid-season is disappointing and puerile. I actually sympathized with Ol’ Roy during his press conference. You are much better off without a guy who has helicopter parents, a legend in his own mind. See you Wednesday!
L Drew Who??? KM’s 16 dimes is all we needed to see
“Zeller said teammate Justin Watts, Drew’s roommate, had no idea he had left. Watts went to class thinking Drew was still at UNC.”
wow, if that’s the type of person he is, good riddance. and kendall played incredible today, so we’re in good hands!
“He is fast, a good shot, good at defense.” Kelsey…with all due repect, I’m gonna guess by the time of your post (1:27 am) that you were either sleep deprived or hammered out of your mind (or both). Fast? Well yes he was fast…just not WITH the ball. Kinda of important for a UNC point guard to be fast WITH the ball. A good shot? Seriously…did you watch him play? He had one of the worst three point FG % of any UNC guard ever. He missed more layups last year than anyone on the team…c’mon… A good shot? Whatever. Good at defense? He was a good defender…we are not talking Jackie Manuel good…just good…in other words, average. Please don’t try to use his perfromance to justify why we should be sad he’s gone. Nobody likes to see a kid get run out of town but in the continum of these sort of things, LD II falls way on the side of “he deserved it”. Oh, and for all the people who are ponting to his 19 assists in his last few games…go back and watch replays…a good portion of those assists are to Reggie and Leslie for three pointers. In other owrds…passes most of us could make. Oh, and 19 in two games doesn’t look so good when KM drops 16 in one game. Larry who?
Stay classy, LD2. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/03/ex-unc-guard-larry-drew-takes-shots-at-tar-heels-in-birthday-rap/1
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