Decimated by defections

Roy Williams knew when he accepted the North Carolina coaching job that he’d have to rebuild.

He just didn’t think he’d have to do it twice.

But with Raymond Felton, Sean May and Marvin Williams announcing Friday their intentions to enter the NBA Draft, the veteran coach now faces a restoration project at least as daunting as the one he faced in 2003.

“It would be easier, there’s no question, if the exact same team came back, if these guys all came back,” Roy Williams said, almost wistful in his tone. “They might be the best team that’s ever played here. But at the same time, it’s college basketball.”

And in college basketball, talented players who win often find their value too high to resist the jump.

But it’s those left behind who ultimately pay the price, and in the case of next season’s Tar Heels, those left behind might struggle simply to return to the NCAA Tournament the team dominated this year.

David Noel now becomes not only the team’s leading returning scorer (3.9 points per game), but also the only player who played more than two minutes in the NCAA championship game against Illinois.

Rising junior Reyshawn Terry, who showed flashes of shooting ability last season, suddenly becomes a critical component of North Carolina’s title defense. He scored 2.3 points per game while averaging only 4.5 minutes of playing time.

“I talked with David and Reyshawn Terry, and I told them, ‘This is your guys’ team now,’” May said. “Dave has to emerge as the leader of this team.”

The Tar Heels also will have to get leadership — and production — from sophomore Quentin Thomas. The point guard looked lost at times during his rookie season, most notably against Villanova in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen round.

With Raymond Felton in foul trouble, Thomas entered the game midway through the second half — a stint that lasted less than 30 seconds. He dribbled into the lane, collided with a Villanova defender and was whistled for an offensive foul.

“‘Q’ is going to have to step up and be a leader and take on the role that Raymond’s leaving behind,” May said.

If the Tar Heels are to make any noise next season, however, it’ll have to come from the four — or five — players who won’t don their first UNC jersey until October.

Roy Williams has signed one of the nation’s most talented classes of recruits in Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard, Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough.

“The incoming freshmen are going to have to grow up really quickly,” Williams said. “We’re going to depend on them. They’re going to know that right up front.”

Hansbrough will have the first opportunity to make an impact, as the departure of May, Marvin Williams and the graduating Jawad Williams leaves a gaping hole in the UNC frontcourt. He scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Game in March.

In addition, Roy Williams reportedly is pursuing Uche Echefu, a 6-foot-9 forward from Rockville, Md., to help fill the void in the paint.

But if Echefu — or any of Williams’ other late targets — does not opt to attend North Carolina, the Tar Heels will have to rely heavily on rising senior Byron Sanders. The former Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi has made 12 starts in his career, all during his freshman season after May suffered a broken foot. He averaged only 3.0 minutes and 0.8 points per game this season.

The potentially critical role of the talented freshman class might inspire memories of the 2002-03 season — the season in which Felton, May and Rashad McCants carried an otherwise subpar team to the third round of the National Invitation Tournament.

But there’s one important difference between that North Carolina team and the one that will take the Smith Center court next season: Roy Williams.

“Don’t count this team out next year,” Felton said.

“This guy over here, he just won a national championship. He can coach the game of basketball.”

But for Williams to keep a team as depleted as this one in the top half of the ACC, it might take his greatest coaching effort yet.

“It’s hard to imagine playing four freshmen and a couple other guys and whatever and being successful in this league,” Roy Williams said.

“It’s almost unheard of.”

Then again, Williams supposedly couldn’t win a national title, either.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.