Morrison's Vertical Shows Up

But Sunday night against Georgia Tech at the Smith Center, North Carolina guard Brian Morrison finally proved that he does, in fact, have ups.

"I heard about a kid we had recruited -- the white kid with the vertical," said forward Kris Lang. "I've been wondering where he was."

Lang will have to wonder no longer. With 1:16 left before halftime, Morrison drove to the basket and leapt over Yellow Jacket center Robert Brooks to slam down his first collegiate dunk and give UNC a one-point lead.

And he drew a foul.

"I knew I'd get fouled," Morrison said. "I knew it was going to happen. But afterward, I don't think my adrenaline has ever been that high. To have my first collegiate dunk with 18,000 people watching is amazing.

"It was a moment I'll always think of."

Morrison had more than one shining moment in the Tar Heels' 83-77 win against the Yellow Jackets.

Morrison went 6 of 9 from outside the 3-point arc and scored a career-high 21 points. His hand became especially hot with 10:41 remaining in the second half. The sophomore knocked three consecutive treys in 2 minutes, 11 seconds to spur a 14-point UNC run.

"When he gets in his own, it's on," said freshman forward Jawad Williams. "There are days in practice that he hits 20 straight."

That kind of consistency has been lacking when Morrision actually takes to the court on game days. His shooting, at best, has been sporadic, and his passes are frustratingly spastic.

He said UNC coach Matt Doherty often berates him for his poor shooting decisions. Morrison often pulls up when he's still two or three steps behind the

3-point line. But fortunately for the Tar Heels, when Morrison looked to the hoop Sunday, it was all net.

"When your shot is on, you can just feel it," Morrison said. "But I'm not sure Coach felt the same. But I wanted the ball, and I just let it go. I know he was happy we made our shots."

Morrison's play did make an impression on his coach. Doherty said he thought Morrison would be holding his head high after Sunday's performance.

But for the typically streaky shooting guard, confidence is not an issue.

"I've always known I could do this," Morrison said. "It was just a matter of time before I proved myself."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.