| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
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Friday, Oct. 13
North Carolina began its 1999-00 campaign with great promise, considered by most to be the best team in the ACC, only to limp
through the regular season.
Injuries, a brutal schedule and some lackluster performances caused many to doubt the Tar Heels as they headed into the NCAA
Tournament.
The Heels' response was to blitz Missouri, completely shut down Stanford, come from behind to beat Tennessee, and outlast an outstanding Tulsa team to reach the Final Four. The result that most observers thought
should happen actually did, when nobody thought it would.
Carolina never gave up, and coach Bill Guthridge never gave up on the players.
Matt Doherty was the last man standing in the Tar Heel line of succession, and after the painfully public selection process, Carolina ultimately found the right man for the job. Doherty is now home in Chapel Hill, where he
played for Dean Smith, and will bring a new and different attitude to
Carolinas basketball, one that was clearly missing last season.
It may sound strange to say that, considering that Carolina has gone to the Final
Four six times over the past 10 years, but the Heels' standards have always
been high.
The Heels will be more athletic, more aggressive, but will have an inexperienced point guard. One thing to write down now: Matt Doherty will challenge the powers that be in the ACC (Mike Krzyzewski and Duke), and
will get right in the face of anyone challenging Carolina.
There will be a new brand of fight in this year's Tar Heels, and it will be fun to watch the fireworks.
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Frontcourt
North Carolina is once again very big, and very strong up front. The Tar Heels' size starts in the middle with 7-foot senior Brendan Haywood.
While Haywood (13.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 blk) disappointed some during the regular season, it only showed how high expectations are around him. All Haywood did was set an ACC record and lead the nation in field goal percentage (69.7 percent), and he did
it without a healthy Kris Lang to take pressure off him.
Haywood is a dominant force in the low post when he gets deep position, but is often
criticized because he is not Olajuwon-esque in his movements. Because of
the infamous Weber State game, and a few other high-profile outings in which
he did not perform his best, Haywood has been labeled as soft. Such criticism
is unwarranted, and Haywood silenced some critics with his solid
performances in the NCAA Tournament.
Haywood may lack high-level consistency, but that is not unusual in a player at his stage of
development. Haywood is a lottery pick with a solid jump hook and short
turnaround shot. He takes it up strong to dunk and is an outstanding
shot-blocker.
One area where new head coach Matt Doherty will improve Haywood is in his stamina and his consistency. Doherty will do this by challenging him daily.
Lang, a junior forward, began last season with an illness that saw him lose over 20 pounds. He battled the
illness and the fatigue that went with it, while also having to contend with
painful shin splints and various other nagging injuries. There is no way
that Lang was anywhere near full strength, and it showed.
Lang should be back at full strength in 2000-01, which makes him one of the best big men
in the ACC. Lang is aggressive, hard nosed, and has a great feel on the
offensive end. In the post, Lang has the best jump hook in the ACC, and he
can shoot it with either hand.
If he can develop a face-up jumper to go with his back-to-the-basket moves, he could be nearly unstoppable when he
gets good position. Look for Lang's averages of 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds a game to go up. He shot 51 percent from the field last season.
Lang is a player to be respected, not only for his skills, but for his willingness to play in pain
and to do what is best for the team. When healthy, he runs well, plays good
position defense and plays hard all the time.
With Haywood and a healthy Lang, Carolina will have the inside game to play with anyone.
Jason Capel, a 6-8 wing forward, is Carolina's most versatile player. He has also fought injuries, but remains the Tar Heels' most fundamentally sound player. Capel (12.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is polished, can play the perimeter or post up, and has a good understanding of the game. He is sound, with good court sense and is a capable three point shooter (38 percent) and passer. Capel will have the ball in his hands more without Ed Cota to dominate the ball, and when he is fouled he hits his free throws.
Brian Bersticker missed the majority of last season with a broken foot, and he was playing very
well when he went down. Bersticker should be counted upon to provide solid
minutes off the bench, and at 6-11 with good hands, shooting touch and
mobility, he will be tough for other teams to match as a third big man.
Julius Peppers, a 6-5 power forward that stars for the Tar Heel football team, should be able to find minutes again in 2001. Peppers (4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 57 percent FGs) is very strong, very aggressive and takes the ball to the
basket hard. He does not always make sound basketball plays, but can be very
tough off the bench and give the Heels a different look.
|  | | Brendan Haywood needs to raise his game a notch higher to meet the expectations placed on the senior center. |
Will Johnson is a good rebounder, but will get squeezed by a crunch for minutes. The same goes for Orlando Melendez, who, despite his athletic ability, will find it difficult to find playing time
Backcourt
Cota is gone, and that leaves a gaping hole at the point guard position. Without Cota's high dribble and great penetrating
ability, Carolina will have to make some adjustments and become a team that
does not rely upon a primary ball-handler.
That could prove to be a good thing, as the point-guard situation could wind up bringing the team
together.
The Tar Heels focal point will be sophomore Joseph Forte, the first freshman to ever lead Carolina in scoring, and he seemed to do so with such ease. Forte (16.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 46 percent FGs) is athletic, well-schooled and a
great shooter who can glide to the basket. He reminds some of Allan Houston because of his deep range and pull-up ability, and he is an absolute pleasure to watch.
Forte was the ACC Rookie of the Year, MVP of the NCAA South Regional and was Carolina's best perimeter defender. Forte garnered a team-high 54 steals, and even though he made some freshman mistakes on the defensive end, he showed a tenacity and will that belied his cool demeanor.
Forte could see some time at the point, although that would not be his strong suit. Clearly, however, Forte is one of the top five
guards in the nation.
Freshman Adam Boone, the Minnesota High School Player of the Year, could emerge as the main guy playing the point for Carolina,
although sophomore Jonathan Holmes will get a look. Holmes is
smart and a good decision-maker who will seldom hurt a team with errors.
However, Boone is the better prospect.
Boone is an unselfish player that is a true point guard. He handles the ball very well, passes, and can run a team. Plus, Boone can run all day. He ran 2.1 miles in only 12 minutes. Boone is not considered to be an explosive athlete, but he is a very good one that held his own over the summer against the likes of Khalid El-Amin and Bobby Jackson, and on an AAU Select Team that toured
Europe.
Freshman Brian Morrison will see time at the off-guard position, and could play some point, although that is unlikely. Morrison is a very athletic guard who can shoot it and attack the basket. He is a terrific
leaper who is acrobatic in the air and provides speed and quickness,
something that Carolina has lacked over the past few years.
Ronald Curry, the starting quarterback who sat out last season with a ruptured Achilles, can also play some point, but he is more likely to play the off-guard position. Curry is one of the best athletes on the Carolina team, and is a
very good and physical defender.
Max Owens, a 6-5 swingman, returns and is a capable scorer that has had problems finding a good fit with any
particular unit. Owens can score and he is a decent defender, but he has
tended to go off on his own in the past. He can create drives with a good
first step, is a good catch and shoot player, but his handle has been
suspect in the past.
Michael Brooker can shoot, but will find it hard to make the rotation.
Bottom Line
Deeper and more talented, the Tar Heels will be a national force if the murky point guard situation clears
early. The key will be Carolina's defense and the health of Lang and Capel. The Tar Heels still have not gotten back to the pressure defense they want, including traps and scrambling, to get scoring off their defense. If the defense emerges along with the point, Carolina can beat anyone. | |
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