Project Players

Dean Smith used to always have on his teams at least one "project player". These players were not that highly heralded coming out of high school but had some potential to turn into a valuable starter or a key reserve off the bench by the end of their four years. Warren Martin, Kevin Salvadori, and Hubert Davis come to mind. Warren Martin couldn't catch a pass without traveling when he was a Freshman but by the time he was a Senior, he was averaging about 10 points and a couple of blocked shots a game. This years team has several project players with tons of potential but probably shouldn't be starting and/or logging 20 to 30 minutes a game. J.P. Tokoto probably has the most upside of these projects. He is probably the most athletic player the Tarheels have had since Vince Carter. He glides up and down the court and he is definitely the highest flyer they have had since Vince Carter. He is working hard on expanding his basketball skill set and may already be the best passer on the team. Joel James is probably the biggest project. He is listed at 6'10" and 280 pounds but he only played 2 years of high school basketball before coming to UNC. He takes up a lot of space in the middle and also needs to work on his basketball skill set. The Point Guard position has always been the toughest to play at UNC and since Roy Williams started his tenure at UNC, the position has been amped up a little bit to run the Supersonic engine that is the Tarheel offense. Nate Britt was brought to UNC as an under study to Marcus Paige but got thrust into the starting role when Paige had to slide over and assume P.J. Hairston's position. Britt needs to develop an offensive game to go with running the show. All of these projects will probably all be good players by the time they finish their four years. The climate of college basketball has changed as the McDonald's All-Americans are only staying one year now. Teams need these project players to perform a lot sooner than usually expected and their learning curve gets very steep as a result.

Death, Taxes, And a Tarheel Victory Over Clemson

There are three sure things in life if you are a Tarheel basketball fan: Death, Taxes, and a victory against Clemson in Chapel Hill. The latest victory, an 80-61 victory last night, was the 57th in a row over Clemson in Chapel Hill, and was a very solid offensive showing against a Clemson team that was ranked 10th in the nation in total defense. James Michael McAdoo led the way with 22 points and played a great overall game and Marcus Paige chipped in with 15. Leslie McDonald had 12 points and Kennedy Meeks had 11 points and 3 blocked shots in his third start on the season. The 'Heels played with a "sense of urgency" is the phrase that Roy Williams kept using. The 'Heels played like their basketball season depended on it and at 12-7, every game might from this point on out. The 'Heels are 2-4 in the ACC and probably need to finish at 10-6 in the ACC and have a strong showing in the ACC Tournament to stand a chance at making the NCAA Tournament. They do have solid wins against Louisville and Michigan State in their resume and they will have several more opportunities against Top 25 teams.

Lineup Changes

Lineup changes made by Roy Williams last year helped to spring board UNC to a strong finish and he decided to make some changes to the 'Heels starting lineup before yesterday's win over Boston College. He went to a "small ball" lineup again. He inserted Jackson Simmons and Leslie McDonald into the starting lineup in place of Joel James and Nate Britt and the Tarheels emerged with their first ACC win of the year over Boston College 82-71. The Jackson Simmons experiment didn't lasdt long as he caught an errant elbow in the face from J.P. Tokoto and had to leave the game for an extended period. Simmons wasn't inserted into the lineup for his offense anyway, he was put there hoping to energize the Tarheels rebounding. Leslie McDonald was put into the lineup for his ability to score and shoot the ball and Marcus Paige was slid over into his more natural Point Guard position. The 'Heels placed 5 players in double figures led by Marcus Paige's 21 points and James Michael McAdoo with 17.

The Belk Bowl

The UNC Tarheels played one of their best overall games of the year in the season finale against Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl rolling to a 39-17 win. The 'Heels were outgained in total yards by Cincinnati but they were able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Special Teams were extra special in this game. Punt Returner Ryan Switzer tied an NCAA record with his 5th punt return for a TD and this one went for 86 yards. This punt return may have been his best of the season. He fielded the punt as Cincinnati Bearcats were all around on him and one of the Bearcats appeared to touch Switzer on the back as he went by. Switzer calmly fielded the punt and went up the middle of the field to the End Zone for his history making return. The return also made ESPN's Top Ten plays for the night. Kick Returner T.J. Logan had a 76 yard kickoff return for a TD that showed off his speed and elusiveness. This kick return came after a Brandon Ellerbe sack in the end zone thqat resulted in a Safety. The Defense had 5 sacks in the game and the 'Heels came from everywhere on the blitz. Cincinnati had only allowed 12 sacks on the season. Tre Boston picked off his 5th pass of the season to finish off the game. The Cincinnati Bearcats 9-3 record was a little misleading. They did not beat a team with a winning record. The 'Heels still had a dominant performance against a team they should have beat. That is something they did not do early in the season. The win gave the 'Heels a 7-6 record on the season after a 1-5 start and because of the 'Heels reliance on Freshmen and Sophomores, the future looks much brighter in Chapel Hill.