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(11/09/09 5:22am)
After UNC’s 107-59 exhibition win against Belmont Abbey, coach Roy Williams had a minor slipup.“… And Tyler — Tyler Zeller — well, I guess he’s the only Tyler I’ve got now,” Williams said.Williams’ confusion can be forgiven. Zeller’s stat line (7-11, 17 points and six rebounds) was eerily similar to the ones departed All-American and National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough used to throw up regularly.And while Zeller said he felt like a freshman again in the locker room, his play — and his body — are a far cry from the tentative freshman who spent much of last season sidelined with injuries.Instead, Zeller had obviously bulked up and was assertive on offense. Gone were the fadeaway jumpers he favored last season, replaced by authoritative dunks and layups from the lower block.It helps that Zeller was facing a Belmont Abbey team that didn’t have a player taller than 6 foot, 8 inches.Senior Deon Thompson, sophomore Ed Davis and Zeller combined for 23-32 shooting on the night, and as a team, UNC racked up 76 points in the paint. Williams was dead on the mark when he said the game was a “glorified practice,” as the undermanned Crusaders couldn’t handle UNC.And it remains to be seen if the powerful, dunking 7-footer will be the one who takes the court against more physically gifted opponents.But what is clear is that Zeller, along with UNC’s other big men, can run the floor. Tar Heel bigs streaked down the floor and got early position — often for easy buckets.“I’m almost positive I can get down the court and throw it into the post,” point guard Larry Drew II said. “So it just makes my job a lot easier.”Drew’s statement was reflected in his stat line. His eight assists were often to a forward streaking down the floor.And Zeller’s size is something that UNC has missed. The Tar Heels haven’t had a 7-foot starter since Brendan Haywood in 2000.While Williams may still get his current Tyler mixed up with the one who set so many records, Zeller seemed to have made his mark on his teammates after the game.“No. I know (Hansbrough)’s gone,” Thompson said. “I don’t get them mixed up.”But if Zeller’s performance continues, the comparisons to that other Tyler might well continue.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/07/09 3:15am)
Photo by Phong Dinh
(11/06/09 6:26pm)
UNC vs. Belmont Abbey exhibition
(11/06/09 5:18am)
Roy Williams has a good idea of who three of his starters might be Friday night for North Carolina’s exhibition game against Belmont Abbey.He just doesn’t know much else about what’s going to happen — and he loves it.“It’s the most exciting time of the year for me,” Williams said. “You have some questions and some apprehension. … Are we gonna be good enough?”Williams has been quick to point out his team’s lack of a proven point guard — sophomore Larry Drew averaged just 9.6 minutes per game — and an established outside shooting threat. The Tar Heels’ primary shooter, Will Graves, has a career scoring average of 2.9 points per game.Williams said forwards Deon Thompson and Ed Davis will probably start Friday, along with Marcus Ginyard.“Deon, Marcus, Ed, they’re pretty good basketball players,” Williams said. “But they’ve never been the focus. And again, that’s a huge difference.”Never mind that UNC is No. 6 in the AP preseason poll, and the Tar Heels have one of the most talented freshman classes in the nation.So regardless of the looming questions, UNC retains high expectations — and the players are comfortable with them.“I don’t know if anyone on the team is as worried as everybody else is,” Ginyard said. “I feel very good about our point guard position. I’m very excited for Larry to have that chance to get out there.”Heading into the exhibition against Belmont Abbey, North Carolina looks to be in good health. Williams said Davis missed two days of practice with a shoulder injury, and Graves has struggled with back pain. But both should play Friday.Book was ‘Hard Work’Williams also discussed his autobiography, “Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court.” The book was released Tuesday and Williams is scattering eight book signings through off-periods before and during the season.“I’m pleased with the way things turned out,” Williams said. “It was a lot easier on me than it possibly could have been, but it was a huge undertaking. I shared some things I never thought I’d share with anybody.”Williams originally agreed to 12 to 15 hours of interview time to work on the book, but ended up spending more than 60 hours with co-author Tim Crothers. Williams took additional time to edit the book. “I wanted to spend the time and make sure there’s nothing in the book that anybody can disagree with,” Williams said. “Because it’s all the truth. It’s all what happened.”But Williams was still apprehensive about the process and what he had to give up during the summer.“I put a lot more work into it than I thought, a lot more time,” Williams said. “I hurt my golf game a great deal. To decide whether it was worth it or not, I’d have to think about those bets that I lost.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/05/09 5:39am)
In practice Tuesday leading up to North Carolina’s exhibition, coach Sylvia Hatchell called a halt.She laid into Cetera DeGraffenreid, imploring the junior point guard to take a leadership role on the team.“All she said was being vocal, more vocal on offense and defense,” DeGraffenreid said during North Carolina’s media day Wednesday.The Tar Heels’ floor general is the first in line to fill the void in leadership left by the departure of UNC’s leading scorer, Rashanda McCants, and the indefinite loss of forward Jessica Breland to Hodgkin lymphoma.That leaves DeGraffenreid (11.9 ppg) and Italee Lucas (13.9 ppg) as the two best returning scorers for a young Tar Heel squad that, despite a 28-7 final record, was bounced in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.But that squad looks to be one of the nation’s most talented, garnering preseason favorite honors in the ACC, and a No. 5 ranking in the preseason AP poll.But while UNC is long on talent, experience is lacking. Nine of the 15 players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores.“You let them play in the big games and get experience,” Hatchell said of her young core. “And make some mistakes because it’s going to pay off in the long run.”UNC is also long on length. Only DeGraffenreid, Lucas and sophomore She’la White are shorter than 5-feet 10-inches, and UNC has four other guards listed at 5-feet 10-inches or taller, including Krista Gross and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, the No. 1 shooting guard recruit in the nation according to ESPN.The Tar Heels also field an über-tall front line. UNC has seven players on the roster taller than six feet.Ruffin-Pratt drew praise from Hatchell on media day. The preseason ACC rookie of the year could start for UNC, Hatchell said.Alongside her, Waltiea Rolle has the team buzzing after running a mile in 6:14 — something Hatchell loves to see in a post player.“This is a high-energy team,” Hatchell said. “You’ll see them. They’re exciting and fun. We’re having to teach a lot but they’re learning fast.”The game against Francis Marion holds special significance for Hatchell. She coached there for 11 years before coming to UNC in 1986.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(11/03/09 5:39am)
Roy Williams has two national titles and almost 600 wins to his name. And now, he’s got a book as well.“Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court,” the autobiography of North Carolina’s head basketball coach, was released today. The book reveals the long road to success for one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history.Williams discusses growing up with an alcoholic father and his mother’s struggles to make ends meet as a single mother in rural western North Carolina, as well as his coaching progression — one that includes decisions to turn down the UNC head coaching job in 2000 and later accept it in 2003.“Hark Work” created buzz in October when excerpts from the book ran in The (Raleigh) News & Observer.The excerpts described a confrontation between Williams and his alcoholic father. When his father came home drunk, the 14-year-old Williams pulled his father off his mother, put a glass bottle under his father’s chin and threatened to kill him if he didn’t leave.Later in the book, Williams recants the emotional process of reconciliation between he and his father.Williams gives a behind-the-scenes account of both his 2000 decline of UNC’s head coaching position and his 2003 acceptance of the offer following Matt Doherty’s resignation.Also discussed in detail is Williams’ reasoning for returning to his alma mater to coach and the influence that being near his family held. With both his father and sister in failing health, Williams said he wanted to be closer to home.Writing the book with Williams is Tim Crothers, a lecturer at the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication, former senior writer for Sports Illustrated and author of “The Man Watching,” a biography of UNC women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance.“I think we’re all curious about what the reaction is going to be,” Crothers said. “I don’t think anyone picking up this book will expect coach Williams to be this candid. There are very personal details about his life and his childhood.”Williams and Crothers will have two local book signings this week. The first is tonight at Fearrington Village. The next is Thursday at the Bulls Head Bookshop at 7:30 p.m. How to get a copy
(10/30/09 6:50pm)
Down 24-13 to North Carolina with 4:53 left in the third quarter, Florida State needed some help.
(10/27/09 4:57am)
As T.J. Yates walked off the field at Kenan Stadium following North Carolina’s 30-27 loss to Florida State, the home crowd let him know how they felt.Fans screamed, and a small object flew from the stands and hit Yates in the helmet.Yates couldn’t tell if it was a pen or coin, but there’s little doubt UNC’s junior signal caller has drawn a heap of criticism during the Tar Heels’ recent 1-3 skid to the bottom of the ACC standings.“Fans are upset that we’re not producing on the field,” Yates said. “I wouldn’t take it to that extreme, but I understand the frustration.“You can’t take that stuff personal. It’s just fans being fans, getting excited and angry for games.”And while the quarterback position tends to draw a hefty share of both blame and praise, throwing objects from the stands is an especially emphatic statement of displeasure.But the sentiments expressed by an angry fan at Kenan Stadium aren’t shared by Yates’ teammates. The team overwhelmingly voted him and offensive tackle Kyle Jolly as permanent offensive captains last week, coach Butch Davis said.“I think it’s a show of leadership; it’s a show of work ethic,” Davis said. “For most of their career, most of those guys have been two- or three-year starters, and I think that’s a nice honor.”But votes of confidence can only go so far against UNC’s next opponent, Virginia Tech. For the second straight week, the Tar Heels will take the field with a spotlight of national television and a Thursday night game.This time it will be an away game against the nation’s No. 13th-ranked Hokies in raucous Blacksburg, Va.“They have a huge scheme defense, which we’re not used to seeing,” Yates said. “It’s hard to run certain plays against them. They play eight in the box, but they also play cover two behind it.“There’s things that have worked well in the past for us against Virginia Tech that we’re going to get back to,” he said.And UNC’s 4-3 record leaves slim margin for error. The Tar Heels need to win three of their last five games to become bowl-eligible, as they sit in last place in the ACC at 0-3.But Yates, at least, needs no motivation beyond last year’s contest against Virginia Tech. In that game, Yates led an upstart North Carolina team to a 17-3 lead before going down with an injury. The Hokies came back and won, 20-17.The Tar Heels fell to Virginia Tech 17-10 in Blacksburg, Va., in 2007 — marking two years that UNC has played close games, albeit losses, against the Hokies.“I’ve thought our coaches had a very good scheme offensively going into the games, and we’ve been able to move the ball offensively against them,” Yates said. “We’ve just got to stick to what we’ve done the last two years against them, and we’ll be fine.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/26/09 4:31am)
Twelve seconds.That’s all Florida State needed to march 98 yards on the ACC’s top-ranked pass defense Thursday night.Pinned against their own 2-yard line, the Seminoles decided to air it out and test the vaunted UNC defensive unit.FSU quarterback Christian Ponder lofted a perfect pass to Rod Owens — who streaked past North Carolina’s secondary for the longest passing touchdown ever in Kenan Stadium.Bright lights and ESPN cameras aside, North Carolina had another opportunity to flex potential muscles — the Tar Heels brought the No. 1 defense in the ACC to bear against Ponder and the No. 1 offense in the conference.With that intriguing statistical matchup, it was apparent that something had to give.And Ponder’s 98-yard score was an emphatic statement that he would not be giving anything to the Tar Heels.“We talked all week long about Christian Ponder and how good of an athlete he was,” coach Butch Davis said. “His ability to throw the football … he completed his last 16 passes in a row at the end of the ball game.”Ponder racked up 395 passing yards, and three touchdowns for the game.He completed 33 of his 40 passes — a completion rate of almost 83 percent. Florida State’s passing game picked up even more in the second half, where the Seminoles put up 24 points.“They knew they couldn’t run the ball on us,” said senior defensive end E.J. Wilson. “So they just started throwing the ball and finding gaps in the secondary.”Even more important is the zero interceptions Ponder tossed — limiting North Carolina’s ball-hawking defense.The statistics are especially baffling given the experience of UNC’s defensive backs. Cornerback Kendric Burney and safety Deunta Williams have started 32 games each (a team-high). Both Burney and Williams have started every game of their collegiate careers. Defensive backs Charles Brown and Da’Norris Searcy started 16 and eight games, respectively.Before Thursday night’s game, those players were members of a secondary that gave up just 125.2 yards per game and had the best defensive passing efficiency in the ACC.But those veterans couldn’t stop Ponder from finding open receivers — often at the worst times in the game.On Florida State’s game-winning drive, Ponder marched the Seminoles 63 yards and completed all three of his passing attempts — including a 34-yard laser to a wide-open Jarmon Fortson, putting the Seminoles in scoring position deep inside North Carolina territory.“We didn’t hold our composure like we are supposed to,” Burney said. “I don’t really know what went wrong.”Whatever went wrong, the Seminoles shook the image of UNC’s impregnable defense, and it’s something that will be in the limelight next Thursday when the Tar Heels travel to Virginia Tech for another high-profile nationally televised game.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/22/09 6:09am)
Powell and David give their predictions for today's football game against FSU.
(10/21/09 4:47am)
In Thursday night’s matchup between North Carolina and Florida State, something’s got to give.North Carolina has the worst offense in the ACC, while at the same time boasting the best scoring defense in the conference.Florida State has the best offense in the ACC, but the Seminole defense has given up more yards than any other team in the conference.That’s a tongue-twister, but it also exemplifies the conflict between the Tar Heels and FSU.The stingiest defense in the conference, UNC will be tested by the ACC’s leading passer in Christian Ponder.Ponder leads the ACC with almost 300 passing yards per game and has nine touchdowns to his name already.Even more importantly, Ponder has thrown only one interception on the season.“He’s very accurate throwing the football,” Davis said of the opposing signal caller. “And he’s got an awful lot of poise. He’s got a real presence out there that he clearly knows what he wants to try to do.”But North Carolina has defended the pass exceptionally well all season. The Tar Heels have allowed just one passing touchdown and 125.2 passing yards per game.And while UNC has struggled to convert turnovers for most of the season, the Tar Heels have yet to face a pass-first team like FSU. That could play into the hands of North Carolina’s experienced secondary. Last season against Jimmy Clausen and Notre Dame, the Tar Heels gave up 383 yards and two touchdowns — but sacked Clausen four times, picked him off twice and held on for the win, 29-24.It’s also important to note that in that game, against a high-powered Notre Dame offense, UNC fielded a backup quarterback in Cam Sexton and an offense that had struggled to gain traction as a running game — similar problems to 2009.As far as the present offensive squad goes, Davis said his squad is finally rounding into shape after struggling to put up points and keep players healthy.It will help that tackle Kyle Jolly and other members of the battered offensive line have had an off week to recuperate.“If you’re going three-and-out, turning the ball over, you don’t have a chance to experiment, and get out there and find a play that works and get a chance to run it again,” Davis said. “Consistency and continuity are things that we’ve talked an awful lot about on offense.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/21/09 4:37am)
When television cameras start rolling for North Carolina’s first Thursday night home game against Florida State, the University and the football program will have the national spotlight.What remains to be seen is exactly what they will do with it.Thursday night’s game provides an opportunity for UNC to either solidify its reputation as a football program or affirm what detractors have said for years.ESPN’s coverage will extend beyond the game and showcase the town and campus — either picturesque streets or traffic jams, depending on how well the school’s plans work out.“Thursday night games are an awesome opportunity for a university and the institution, not just the football program,” UNC head coach Butch Davis said. “You get basically a four-hour infomercial where you get to talk about the University of North Carolina.”The “infomercial” comes just weeks after the athletic department released plans for an ambitious renovation of Kenan Stadium, estimated to cost more than $70 million.UNC is putting the renovations front and center with a mock suite similar to those that will be in the “Blue Zone” of Kenan Stadium. The athletic department plans to use the stage of a prime-time game to continue to sell the University.“It’s tremendous recognition, and people want to be a part of that,” athletic director Dick Baddour said of Thursday night’s contest. “It’s a statement about the movement of the program.”So it’s no surprise there is intense focus on UNC’s performance Thursday, both with regard to the logistical setup and the game itself.Administrators have taken precautions to minimize logistical problems — but they can’t do anything about what happens on the field.And Davis and his team know exactly how important this game is.In 16 matchups with Florida State, UNC has gone 1-14-1. And despite FSU’s 2-4 start to this season, beating the Seminoles would be an important benchmark.“It’ll be a big step for the program, knowing that we can go out there with the powerhouses of the ACC and even in the nation and actually compete and win games,” said senior defensive end E.J. Wilson. “It’s something we haven’t been able to do here in the last couple of years.”If the program takes that step, it can pay dividends — especially in the world of recruiting.Davis drew criticism earlier this season for missing out on several in-state recruits while rival program N.C. State signed three of the top 10 prospects in The Charlotte Observer’s top 25.But any struggles could well be assuaged by a win Thursday on such a high-profile stage.“If we can come in and beat a team such as Florida State … and things like that, that’ll help a lot in recruiting,” Wilson said. “Because guys are going to say, ‘Maybe I want to go up there and change it up a little bit and see what UNC has to offer.’”By the same token, a loss in front of the nation could set the program back.If North Carolina falters, much of the momentum generated by Davis’ hiring, last year’s bowl game and the proposed renovations could stall — in player and donor recruitment.But Baddour said the school will not focus on a potential loss.“It is a game, and it’s not a season,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for a statement game, but I don’t think the whole east-end project is built on having a Thursday night game. I think we could be successful, but, nonetheless, I think it’s a wonderful opportunity.”For better or for worse, exactly what UNC has to offer will be on full display Thursday night.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/20/09 4:14am)
In the weeks leading up to the start of the 2009-10 men’s basketball season, Roy Williams did a series of double takes.North Carolina’s head coach looked at three magazines that published preseason rankings, and in each one, there North Carolina sat: No. 4 in one, No. 4 again and No. 5 in another.Williams didn’t know what to think.“It’s unbelievable to me,” Williams said. “That was where I would expect us to be picked in our league, and that’s where we were picked in the nation.”That’s a North Carolina team that lost four starters — its top four scorers from last year’s national championship squad.The leading returning scorer is Deon Thompson, with just 10.6 points per game.After UNC won the national championship in 2005, the national media predicted that the Tar Heels would experience a massive championship hangover the next season.In that season, the Tar Heels had even fewer returning — an unproven Reyshawn Terry, a David Noel who had never shown scoring potential, and some freshman named Tyler Hansbrough.Picked sixth in the ACC to start the season, the Tar Heels went on to share the ACC regular season title. With that memory still fresh, many publications are putting expectations on UNC that Williams wouldn’t.“I told our kids it’s probably because we made everybody look so bad in 2006 that they don’t want to get caught that way again,” Williams said Maybe ol’ Roy’s just mad he won’t get to use the low expectations of the national media as a motivational technique.“It’s really hard to beat that drum when you go in there Saturday morning and say, ‘Alright guys, nobody thinks we’re going to be any good. We lost four starters,’” Williams said. “And some freshman says, ‘Coach I thought we were ranked fourth in the nation?’ “I used that card a little bit in 2006, but can’t use that card anymore.”And while Williams plays down his team’s considerable talent, that talent overshadows his dismay at the high expectations.“I mean, people respect us regardless because we’re North Carolina, and just the program has that respect,” Larry Drew II said. “And I mean we’re young this year, but we’re still going to go out and play Carolina basketball, and we’re going to compete.”Thompson returns as a double-figure scorer, Tyler Zeller is back as a seven-footer who showed real promise before breaking his wrist early in the season and Ed Davis spurned a possible lottery pick in last year’s NBA draft to come back for his sophomore season.Marcus Ginyard, a lockdown defender and senior who redshirted last season with a stress fracture, returns for his final year.And there’s also a talented five-player freshman class of shooting guards Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald and three long and capable forwards in John Henson and twins David and Travis Wear.All told, things look surprisingly similar to 2006 — except with the tremendous talent of Davis in the post thrown in.And it helps for certain that Ginyard is still around. The fifth-year player was one of the freshmen in 2005.“There’s no doubt, to hear from someone who’s been through pretty much exactly what they’re going to go through, it probably makes it a little easier for them to see some of the things that we’re going to try to tell them and try to get in their heads” Ginyard said. “And to see that coming from someone they know has been through it is always good.” But at any rate, it is probably safe to say that North Carolina won’t be underestimated by any opponent this season.
(10/20/09 3:56am)
It was supposed to be the big game of the 2008-09 North Carolina women’s basketball schedule.In the preseason, the story ran in the last basketball preview section: UNC vs. Connecticut. The powerhouse Huskies were coming to the Smith Center to take on North Carolina, the program that hadn’t lost an ACC Tournament game in four years.And as the game inched closer, the hype built.UNC sat at 17-0, ranked No. 2 in the nation. UConn was 17-0 as well and brought the No. 1 overall ranking into the game.And if there was any doubt as to the Huskies’ dominance before the game, there sure wasn’t any after UConn’s epic thrashing of the Tar Heels, 88-58.“They came into our house and showed us how to play,” coach Sylvia Hatchell said after the game.After that game, UNC’s season went quickly downhill. The Tar Heels lost the next two games at Georgia Tech and at Maryland, and bowed out in just the second round of the NCAA Tournament.After going undefeated through the first half of its season, UNC finished the final 18 games with an 11-7 record.“We didn’t get the leadership,” Hatchell said. “As times got tougher, our leadership didn’t get tougher and step up, and I was disappointed in that. Usually, as we get closer to tournament time, we’re a better team. We always do well tournament time, but I was disappointed in some of our losses.”And this season, UNC again will face Connecticut — this time in Storrs, Conn. — at the start of January, in a matchup that could define its season.A chance for a season-long redemption with a young North Carolina team is exactly what Hatchell wants. UNC will be facing lowered expectations after its two leading scorers from last year’s team either graduated (Rashanda McCants) or will miss most of the season recovering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Jessica Breland).But as a whole, North Carolina will have a to find its place in the shifting landscape of the ACC.The once-dominant big three of Duke, UNC and Maryland all lost substantial contributors, and upstart Florida State carved out its spot, finishing second overall last season.“In the past it’s been us, Maryland and Duke, and a little bit of a gap there,” Hatchell said. “Last year, Florida State and Georgia Tech closed that gap, but this year, there is no gap. And I just don’t think there’s much distance between any of the teams.”Even with a young and unproven team, it’s apparent that UNC will have ample chances to re-establish itself at the top of the ACC. The matchup against UConn will go a long way toward proving just how legitimate North Carolina’s run at the conference title will be.
(10/20/09 3:13am)
In describing North Carolina’s pregame practice schedule, coach Butch Davis sounded confused.“From a football perspective you can make some adjustments in the things that you do,” Davis said. “You can call Sunday Tuesday, you can call Monday Wednesday if you want to. But the classes don’t change and so we’ve had to make an adjustment with our practice schedule.”Davis wasn’t mixing up days of the week; rather, he was explaining the transition that UNC has to endure to play a Thursday night game — like the Tar Heels will this week against Florida State.Kenan Stadium has never hosted a Thursday night game, and for this week, Davis and the Tar Heels have had to make adjustments to prepare for the national spotlight.Among other things, the Tar Heel practice schedule has been moved up.“Thursday night games, as good as they are, they are interruptive,” Davis said. “(The players) are going to miss some class time on Wednesday.”And the adjustments aren’t lost on the players themselves.“It’s just telling your mind that it’s a Tuesday practice, it’s not a Sunday practice,” senior defensive end E.J. Wilson said. “It’s a whole mind-set thing. As far as physical it’s nothing different.”And while the different format might necessitate some adaptation, UNC has used its bye week to rest and recuperate the Tar Heels’ battered offensive line.“All the guys who have been nicked up, we pretty much held them out of practice this last week,” Davis said. “The most prudent part, they got a chance to watch some film and do some walkthroughs … but the actual physical practice of it, we held those guys out most of the week and they didn’t return until (Sunday).”Offensive linemen Kyle Jolly and Jonathan Cooper are back to full strength and listed on the depth chart, but UNC did lose two important pieces during the weekend.Tailback Jamal Womble and quarterback/tailback A.J. Blue both went down for the season with injuries after surgery on Friday, according to a press release from the athletic department.To plug those holes, UNC will turn to freshman tailback Hunter Furr, who saw some snaps during UNC’s rout of Georgia Southern.“He’s played in every single game so far on special teams. He’s covered punts, covered kickoffs and he’s done some really good things,” Davis said.Davis also mentioned that UNC could use Anthony Elzy or Johnny White at tailback. Elzy is currently a fullback, but he started several games at tailback in 2007. White, a wide receiver, also started at tailback in 2007.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/20/09 1:41am)
In The Daily Tar Heel’s editor’s meeting before the start of the school year, I made a huge mistake.When my bosses asked the desk editors for our desk’s major issues for the year, I spoke up.“It’s the 100th season of basketball at UNC,” I said.Everybody in the room agreed that was, in fact, a pretty big deal.Unfortunately, that meant that the next question was “What are you gonna do for it?”I blacked out for the next part and don’t remember my exact response, but two weeks later the bosses came to me and said we were going to do a timeline documenting all 100 years of UNC basketball.You know, since we’re journalists and stuff, we like to occasionally document important histories and take a look at the big picture.Most of the time reporting is remarkably dull — stories that looked juicy turn to naught, and the ones that do turn out don’t ever really come together the way a writer’s mind envisions it.Endless hours of research and looking through old records feels like wading through molasses. You never seem to actually get anywhere, just more bogged down.But not so with the history of basketball at UNC. Imagine the same history that epic movies like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” or “Forrest Gump” encompass — except with basketball.There’s two world wars, the Civil Rights movement, racism, equality, guys in shinguards, guys with short shorts, guys with baggy shorts and a series of coaches with decreasing amounts of hair product as the years pass.There’s UNC’s only major NCAA sanction, national titles, moments of triumph and heartbreak, great teams, crappy teams.It’s reflective of our national history, and even more so, the history of this University — and as a result, completely fascinating.That type of history makes reporting easy. Every page is something cool and exciting. In this case, we stumbled onto a never-ending gold mine of old images, great moments, fantastic stories and legendary players.It started in 1910, when a student named Marvin Rich lobbied for an official team in this new sport, a fad that was sweeping the nation called “Basket-ball.” And now, Roy Williams is coaching the 100th men’s basketball team in the history of the University of North Carolina.By 3 a.m. last Friday when the timeline launched, it had ballooned to contain more than 200 photos from a wide variety of sources and about 13,000 words of text. When we finished the print version it was between 350 to 400 column inches. To give you a rough idea, this column is just more than 15 inches.And yeah, this whole column is, on some level, a giant pat-on-the-back to us. But it’s also more than that, it’s a perspective that you can have as you explore a program that arguably has had a more important role at North Carolina than anything else. It certainly is more enduring than anything save the University itself.So take some time to look through the DTH’s timeline (dailytarheel.com/100years) and get a dose of the history of a program that shaped the face of your University.Contact Powell Latimer at powell.latimer@gmail.com
(10/12/09 4:23am)
You might have noticed we missed something.In our coverage commemorating North Carolina’s 100 seasons of basketball, we’re running the game stories from national championship years — starting today with 1957.That also means that our coverage won’t quite match up with the banners hanging in the Smith Center.We decided just to stick with The Daily Tar Heel’s coverage of national championship games from the NCAA tournament.No NCAA tournament existed in 1924, when Jack Cobb and Cartwright Carmichael led UNC to a perfect 26-0 season.So we elected not to run the story from the Tar Heels’ Southern Conference tournament victory against Alabama in the tournament finals on March 4, 1924.It wasn’t intended to belittle the accomplishments of the 1924 Tar Heels. But since the national title was only awarded retroactively by the Helms Foundation, and there wasn’t any type of encompassing post-season tournament, it’s really hard for us to run the game story.While winning 26 games in a row is an impressive accomplishment in any context, collegiate basketball was different in 1924. Since many colleges in the area did not have basketball teams, the Tar Heels routinely played local YMCAs and club teams. The 1924 team won two games against the Durham Elks club team and one against the Charlotte YMCA.That being said, the 1924 Tar Heels were especially dominant. They routinely beat teams by more than 20 points. That includes a stretch at the tail end of the season where UNC beat South Carolina 53-19, William & Mary 54-16 and N.C. State 44-9.Cobb’s numberless jersey hangs among the rafters of the Smith Center as well. He was a three-time All-America who averaged 15 points per game. To put that in perspective, UNC averaged only 35 points per game during his career.But without a postseason tournament, it’s really hard to figure a real national champion. With restrictions on travel, teams across the country couldn’t play each other — a problem that persisted into the mid-1970s.Yet it can be safely assumed that the 1924 UNC team was one of the best of its time, and its accomplishments stand up against just about any other Tar Heel squad.So enjoy the rest of this week’s commemorative articles — some of the best writing ever to print in the DTH — and also enjoy the interactive timeline we’re putting online Friday documenting all 100 seasons of basketball at UNC.Contact Powell Latimer at powell.latimer@gmail.com.
(10/09/09 6:45am)
David faces off with field hockey goalkeeper Jackie Kintzer in a juggling competition during this week's Back at the Desk.
(10/08/09 3:59am)
Greg Elleby wasn’t supposed to be here. The junior spent two years playing defensive line for North Carolina but switched this offseason to the offensive line. The plan was for Elleby to learn the position and earn playing time as the season progressed.But now, five games into the season, Elleby already has three starts under his belt at a position he first played last spring.“I think he’s done very well in a short amount of time,” coach Butch Davis said. “You’d love for him to not have to have gotten the baptism of fire of going out there and having to start. You’d like to be able to put him in some comfortable situations and let him grow and develop.”Elleby’s story is indicative of the struggles of North Carolina’s offensive line.The unit returned three of five starters to open the season, and North Carolina started training camp with 16 offensive linemen.But injuries have taken a heavy toll on the unit, and UNC’s protection and running game have both suffered. The Tar Heels rank 10th in the ACC in rushing offense, eighth in passing offense and dead last in scoring offense.First, Aaron Stahl, who at the time was a redshirt senior, graduated and elected to forego his final year of eligibility.Then sophomore Kevin Bryant left the team after he was charged with misdemeanor assault.Add to that the injuries to Carl Gaskins (out for the season with a torn MCL), Lowell Dyer (out the last four games with a strained shoulder) and Jonathan Cooper (out the last two games with a sprained ankle). When Kyle Jolly left the field during the fourth quarter of UNC’s 16-3 loss to Virginia with a sprained ankle, the situation started to look downright precarious.The current North Carolina roster features 14 offensive linemen, of whom four are freshmen, and only 11 were available for action last week. Only four of UNC’s active linemen had seen game action before this season.All that adds up to make the UNC coaching staff look foresighted for switching Elleby to the offensive line.“I think a lot of the time that you do switch people, it’s born out of necessity, that there’s a need,” Davis said. “And clearly, obviously, the need has manifested itself throughout the course of this entire season that we were going to need some help on the offensive line.“It was very fortuitous, or we were very lucky.”Contact the Sports editor at sports@unc.edu.
(10/05/09 4:03am)
WINSTON-SALEM — Meghan Dawson knew it was coming.Heading into No. 2 North Carolina field hockey’s rivalry game at Wake Forest, the sophomore back knew the WFU strategy was a simple one — pick on her.“Wake was trying to make her handle the ball,” coach Karen Shelton said. “They picked her out as what we call the bunny, the weak player.”But Dawson was up to the challenge, as the “bunny” led UNC (11-0, 2-0 ACC) to its eighth straight shutout with a 3-0 win Saturday at Kentner Stadium.“It was fine,” Dawson said with a shrug. “We practice it in practice, so it was OK.”Every time Dawson received the ball in the backfield, Wake Forest sent defenders running at her, hoping to pressure her into a mistake.And in the second half, Wake Forest (7-3, 1-2) got its chance. An errant pass from Illse Davids found a Wake Forest attacker in a one-versus-one break against Dawson.Dawson didn’t even break a sweat, corralling the attacker long enough for the rest of the defense to get set.“She completely broke it down,” goalie Jackie Kintzer said. “She was calm, patient.”Kintzer had plenty of gratitude — and for good reason. Against a top-five opponent in Wake Forest, Kintzer had to face only six shots and made four saves.“They know I’m standing, so they try and counteract that by shooting anywhere they could as hard as they could,” Kintzer said. “I just had to be ready. The defense played well and gave me shots I could handle.”For the season, UNC has allowed only two goals and hasn’t been scored on since Sept. 4.“Defend to win — that’s one of our main points,” Dawson said. “We always try to defend. If it’s 1-0, we can win.”On the offensive side of the ball, UNC capitalized on three of its 12 penalty corners.The Tar Heels attempted a flashy double-fake play with their first penalty corner. The play fell apart, and UNC was quick to get back to basics.On UNC’s third penalty corner, senior captain Dani Forword ditched the trickery, took the penalty corner herself and ripped a rocket into the back of the Wake Forest net for UNC’s first goal.With UNC ahead, Wake Forest started to press offensively, and the Demon Deacons repeatedly missed passes and turned the ball over. A hefty chunk of those mistakes were the result of UNC’s high-pressure defense.“We like to take pride in that. We want to pressure people so they make mistakes,” Shelton said. “Some of those mistakes were unforced.”Jaclyn Radvany and Melanie Brill chipped in goals to increase the margin, and UNC walked away with the regular-season sweep of Wake Forest.It was fitting for UNC to continue its clean-sheet streak against the Deacons, who were the last to score against the Tar Heels more than a month ago.UNC will face Boston College on Saturday, and should it blank the Eagles, it will tie the ACC record for consecutive shutouts with nine.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.