Everyone has been coming up with a top ten list so I thought I would come up with my top ten list of my favorite Tarheel basketball players I have enjoyed watching since 1980. This is not necessarily the best players that North Carolina has had but the players I have enjoyed watching the most during that time frame.
1. Michael Jordan- Most basketball related lists begin with Michael Jordan and so does mine. I was fortunate enough to watch him play with the North Carolina Tarheels while he was in college and where he laid the foundation to become the best player in basketball history. He had the competitive drive in him and the will to win like no other player I had ever seen before. He is most well known for hitting what proved to be the game winning shot against Georgetown when he was a freshman but I remember the shot he hit against Tulane to send the game into overtime when he was a sophomore just as well. I was listening to Woody Durham's call on the radio when he hit that shot. As his career progressed there were so many moments- the dunk against Maryland at the end of the game, the steal and the dunk against Virginia in the big comeback game, blocking Chuck Driesell's shot to save the win for North Carolina against Maryland- and I could go on for days.
2. James Worthy- Worthy ended up missing half of his freshman season because of a broken foot so nobody got to see what he could really do until he was a sophomore. "Big Game James" may have acquired his nickname in the professional ranks but it really all began at North Carolina. From his epic matchups against Virginia and 7'4" Ralph Sampson to his 28 points against Georgetown and Patrick Ewing in the 1982 championship game, Worthy started his reputation as performing his best on the big stage while wearing Tarheel blue.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Oh For Chapel Hill
The Clemson Tigers came into Chapel Hill and they left the same way they always do and that is with a loss. The Clemson Tigers are 0-58 in Chapel Hill. The Tigers stayed within striking distance the whole game and even cut the Tarheel lead to about six points on two different occasions in the second half.
The Tarheels put together a good defensive effort in this game and they needed it at the end. Brice Johnson was held to three points on one for eight shooting but the Tarheels bench provided some scoring punch. Isaiah Hicks tied his season with 14 points and Theo Pinson had a career high 13. Marcus Paige lead the way with 18 points and finished the Tarheels scoring with a two handed dunk. I did not realize Paige had that kind of jumping ability.
The Tarheels put together a good defensive effort in this game and they needed it at the end. Brice Johnson was held to three points on one for eight shooting but the Tarheels bench provided some scoring punch. Isaiah Hicks tied his season with 14 points and Theo Pinson had a career high 13. Marcus Paige lead the way with 18 points and finished the Tarheels scoring with a two handed dunk. I did not realize Paige had that kind of jumping ability.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
The Coaching Tree
The coaching tree at North Carolina begins with Dean Smith and has filtered down through a couple of generations now. Former Tarheel player Wes Miller, coached by Roy William, is in his fifth season at North Carolina-Greensboro and has a fairly impressive track record while in Greensboro. He won Coach of the Year honors in the Southern Conference while being the interim coach in his first season there.
North Carolina-Greensboro was North Carolina's final tune up before facing Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener. UNC-G was only 4-8 coming into the game but had previously lost to North Carolina State by only six points but it was a game the Tarheels should win fairly easily. I never feel good about these types of games because if the Tarheels don't win by 30 or 40 points I am left wondering what happened.
UNC-G cut the lead down to 11 points on a couple of different occasions in the second half but North Carolina won going away 96-63. Kennedy Meeks is still out for North Carolina and I was hoping to see Freshmen Luke Maye and Kenny Williams get some quality minutes and I like what I am seeing from Maye and this was probably Williams best game as a Tarheel. Maye played 15 minutes and had five points and four rebounds and he showed off some range by hitting a three pointer from the top of the key. Williams grabbed a long rebound and took it strong to the basket for a layup. It is a long season and I am sure these two Freshmen will be counted on down the stretch to contribute key minutes off the bench. Maye was seen as more of a project coming into the seasonand because of North Carolina's depth up front, was not expected to get much playing time. Williams had a reputation for being a three point shooter in high school and while he has not yet got untracked from the three point line, he has shown the ability to take it strong to the basket.
North Carolina-Greensboro was North Carolina's final tune up before facing Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener. UNC-G was only 4-8 coming into the game but had previously lost to North Carolina State by only six points but it was a game the Tarheels should win fairly easily. I never feel good about these types of games because if the Tarheels don't win by 30 or 40 points I am left wondering what happened.
UNC-G cut the lead down to 11 points on a couple of different occasions in the second half but North Carolina won going away 96-63. Kennedy Meeks is still out for North Carolina and I was hoping to see Freshmen Luke Maye and Kenny Williams get some quality minutes and I like what I am seeing from Maye and this was probably Williams best game as a Tarheel. Maye played 15 minutes and had five points and four rebounds and he showed off some range by hitting a three pointer from the top of the key. Williams grabbed a long rebound and took it strong to the basket for a layup. It is a long season and I am sure these two Freshmen will be counted on down the stretch to contribute key minutes off the bench. Maye was seen as more of a project coming into the seasonand because of North Carolina's depth up front, was not expected to get much playing time. Williams had a reputation for being a three point shooter in high school and while he has not yet got untracked from the three point line, he has shown the ability to take it strong to the basket.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
1981 Final Four
I was playing around on youtube this morning and I found a video of the 1981 North Carolina-Virginia game they played in the Final Four that year. It wasn't just a highlight video, it was a video of the game in its entirety. This was the third time North Carolina and Virginia had played that year, with Virginia winning the first two times after North Carolina had double digit leads in the second half.
I really forgot how good of a player Al Wood was when he was at North Carolina. North Carolina also had a Freshman named Sam Perkins and a Sophomore named James Worthy. Virginia countered with all time leading scorer (at that time) Jeff Lamp and a 7'4" Sophomore named Ralph Sampson.
Al Wood scored a semifinal record 39 points in this game breaking Jerry West's record, 27 of those points in the second half. When Wood got hot, he was unstoppable. He scored on drives to the baskets, midrange jump shots, and even hit a long jump shot or two. He was 14 of 19 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free throw line and he carried the Tarheels in the second half. Sam Perkins had 11 points, Jimmy Black had 10, James Worthy had 8 points and Freshman Matt Doherty also had 8 points.
This game showcased Dean Smith's coaching at his finest. He had a game plan for Ralph Sampson and Same Perkins and the rest of the Tarheels surrounded him for the whole game and held him to 11 points on 3 for 10 shooting. Sam Perkins even went straight up with him late in the second half and blocked one of his jump shots. The Tarheels constantly changed defenses, ran full court presses, played man, played various zone defenses. It was a thing of beauty.
Watching this game made me miss the days of no shot clocks and no three point line. The games actually involved strategy, coaching, and it was the way basketball was meant to be played.
I really forgot how good of a player Al Wood was when he was at North Carolina. North Carolina also had a Freshman named Sam Perkins and a Sophomore named James Worthy. Virginia countered with all time leading scorer (at that time) Jeff Lamp and a 7'4" Sophomore named Ralph Sampson.
Al Wood scored a semifinal record 39 points in this game breaking Jerry West's record, 27 of those points in the second half. When Wood got hot, he was unstoppable. He scored on drives to the baskets, midrange jump shots, and even hit a long jump shot or two. He was 14 of 19 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free throw line and he carried the Tarheels in the second half. Sam Perkins had 11 points, Jimmy Black had 10, James Worthy had 8 points and Freshman Matt Doherty also had 8 points.
This game showcased Dean Smith's coaching at his finest. He had a game plan for Ralph Sampson and Same Perkins and the rest of the Tarheels surrounded him for the whole game and held him to 11 points on 3 for 10 shooting. Sam Perkins even went straight up with him late in the second half and blocked one of his jump shots. The Tarheels constantly changed defenses, ran full court presses, played man, played various zone defenses. It was a thing of beauty.
Watching this game made me miss the days of no shot clocks and no three point line. The games actually involved strategy, coaching, and it was the way basketball was meant to be played.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Bringing Down The Mountaineers
North Carolina played my alma mater Appalachian State and won fairly easily 94-70. This was one of those games that probably never should have been scheduled but they play anyway but as a fan, I really never come out of these games with a good feeling. The Tarheels won by 24 points but it feels like they should have won by 40. The Tarheels ended up being two starters short because Kennedy Meeks is still out and Marcus Paige tweaked his ankle and missed almost the entire second half.
Brice Johnson led the way with 22 points but it seemed like he could have scored 40 if the Tarheels would have force fed it to him inside. Justin Jackson had a double-double as did Joel Berry II. Luke Maye got some valuable playing time off the bench and he has been doing some nice things on the offensive boards. Maye turned that effort into a career high seven points against Appalachian State to go along with five rebounds. As Tarheel alum Rasheed Wallace kept imploring the Tarheel big men from behind the bench last night to "finish at the rim."
Brice Johnson led the way with 22 points but it seemed like he could have scored 40 if the Tarheels would have force fed it to him inside. Justin Jackson had a double-double as did Joel Berry II. Luke Maye got some valuable playing time off the bench and he has been doing some nice things on the offensive boards. Maye turned that effort into a career high seven points against Appalachian State to go along with five rebounds. As Tarheel alum Rasheed Wallace kept imploring the Tarheel big men from behind the bench last night to "finish at the rim."
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Balling In Brooklyn
The North Carolina Tarheels had their first big test without Kennedy Meeks when they took on UCLA in Brooklyn. Joel James got the start again in his place and rebounding and blocking shots are the biggest parts of his game. He normally doesn't contribute to much offensively.
The Tarheels were down by as much as 11 points in the first half, Brice Johnson had been pulled from the game by Coach Roy Williams, and UCLA was hitting their shots and North Carolina wasn't. Marcus Paige was even ice cold and he stayed that way pretty much the entire game except for a late three that was the dagger in the heart of UCLA.
North Carolina went to a small lineup when they put Theo Pinson in, turned up the defensive pressure, and managed to tie it at 38 at halftime. The Tarheels, lead by Brice Johnson's career high 27 points, pulled away late in the second half to win 89-76. Johnson missed his first shot of the game and went to hit his next eleven shots. Isaiah Hicks went six for eight. Joel James went one for three, slamming one home steaming down the middle on a secondary break, was fouled, and hit the free throw. Luke Maye had three points and three rebounds in 12 minutes of playing time. Joel Berry II had a career high 17 points and, to this point, is the Tarheels most improved player.
The Tarheels were favored to win and went out and won while four out of the top ten were losing, including Duke's second loss of the season. All I heard was Dickie V talking about Duke's injuries. Has he even looked at the Tarheels bench this season?
The Tarheels were down by as much as 11 points in the first half, Brice Johnson had been pulled from the game by Coach Roy Williams, and UCLA was hitting their shots and North Carolina wasn't. Marcus Paige was even ice cold and he stayed that way pretty much the entire game except for a late three that was the dagger in the heart of UCLA.
North Carolina went to a small lineup when they put Theo Pinson in, turned up the defensive pressure, and managed to tie it at 38 at halftime. The Tarheels, lead by Brice Johnson's career high 27 points, pulled away late in the second half to win 89-76. Johnson missed his first shot of the game and went to hit his next eleven shots. Isaiah Hicks went six for eight. Joel James went one for three, slamming one home steaming down the middle on a secondary break, was fouled, and hit the free throw. Luke Maye had three points and three rebounds in 12 minutes of playing time. Joel Berry II had a career high 17 points and, to this point, is the Tarheels most improved player.
The Tarheels were favored to win and went out and won while four out of the top ten were losing, including Duke's second loss of the season. All I heard was Dickie V talking about Duke's injuries. Has he even looked at the Tarheels bench this season?
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Not Going Meekly
With the news that Kennedy Meeks would miss at least two weeks with a bone bruise that he has been suffering from for quite a while now, the guessing game has begun as to what combination the Tarheels will use to take up Meeks' minutes on the court. Go small with a three guard offense or use Justin Jackson at the four position and slide Brice Johnson to the five or use a combination of Joel James and Isaiah Hicks to man five. James got the start against Tulane and had four points and seven rebounds and Hicks came in and scored a quick eight points in the first half and finished with eleven.
Where does Theo Pinson fit into the mix? After starting in Marcus Paige's place the first six games of the season, he has gotten lost in the shuffle in the past three games. He scored ten points against Tulane including two three pointers but I believe the strength of his game is attacking the basket.
Freshman Lucas Maye got some important minutes off the bench against Tulane and he had one point, five rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot. Maye looked pretty good rebounding and passing the ball but he needs to work on finishing on the offensive end.
Where does Theo Pinson fit into the mix? After starting in Marcus Paige's place the first six games of the season, he has gotten lost in the shuffle in the past three games. He scored ten points against Tulane including two three pointers but I believe the strength of his game is attacking the basket.
Freshman Lucas Maye got some important minutes off the bench against Tulane and he had one point, five rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot. Maye looked pretty good rebounding and passing the ball but he needs to work on finishing on the offensive end.
North Carolina Vs. Tulane
The last time the Tulane basketball team was in Chapel Hill was early in the 1982-83 season when they faced an 0-2 Tarheel team. Sophomore Michael Jordan stole an inbounds pass and hit a 35 foot jump shot to send the game into overtime in a game that the Tarheels would eventually win 70-68 in triple overtime. This was the game that made Michael Jordan the legend he was to become. Any one of four or five players could have hit that jump shot against Georgetown. Michael Jordan willed the Tarheels to win that game versus Tulane that day in 1982 as he would do for many of his teams for the rest of his college and professional career.
The Tarheels did not have that problem versus Tulane last night in a 96-72 win. Brice Johnson imposed his will early and often in having his sixth double-double of the season with 25 points in 25 points of playing time and 10 rebounds. Marcus Paige had 16 points on 4 for 8 three pointers and 7 assists and Joel Berry II had 12 points and 9 assists in support of Johnson.
The most impressive statistic of the night was that the Tarheels had 30 assists on 36 field goals and it seemed like everyone was making the extra pass.
The Tarheels did not have that problem versus Tulane last night in a 96-72 win. Brice Johnson imposed his will early and often in having his sixth double-double of the season with 25 points in 25 points of playing time and 10 rebounds. Marcus Paige had 16 points on 4 for 8 three pointers and 7 assists and Joel Berry II had 12 points and 9 assists in support of Johnson.
The most impressive statistic of the night was that the Tarheels had 30 assists on 36 field goals and it seemed like everyone was making the extra pass.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The View From The Third Row
North Carolina Tarheels guard Marcus Paige got a great view of Texas game winning shot on Saturday because he had been knocked into about the third row when the shot took place. The long rebound had bounced out to the perimeter and Paige had attempted to box out for a potential rebound. #21 of Texas decided he needed that rebound position even more and slammed into the back of Paige.
I am biased because I am a Tarheel fan but the refs had no problem blowing their whistles the entire game (23 fouls on North Carolina, 22 on Texas) and yet they missed the most obvious call in the game. Roy Williams had this to say about the play (taken from insidecarolina.com "(Paige) is on the floor, and he didn't jump down there and roll around and start barking like a dog." The officiating is getting horrendous in every sport and the Tarheels were hosed in two different sports in two straight weekends.
I am biased because I am a Tarheel fan but the refs had no problem blowing their whistles the entire game (23 fouls on North Carolina, 22 on Texas) and yet they missed the most obvious call in the game. Roy Williams had this to say about the play (taken from insidecarolina.com "(Paige) is on the floor, and he didn't jump down there and roll around and start barking like a dog." The officiating is getting horrendous in every sport and the Tarheels were hosed in two different sports in two straight weekends.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Hosed In Chapel Hill
The North Carolina Tarheels football team got hosed during the ACC's championship weekend. They got hosed at the end of the game and I believed they even got hosed on a much greater extent on Sunday when the almighty CFP went to work picking out bowl game matchups. The Tarheels were left out of the so called "New Year's Six Bowls" in spite of pushing #1 Clemson to its limit in the ACC Championship game and it took a shady call to take away their final opportunity, and in spite of the fact they went undefeated in the ACC and had an eleven game winning streak during the season. The Tarheels drew a bowl matchup against Baylor in the Russell Athletic Bowl (seriously?) in what six weeks ago when it would have been a marquis matchup against two teams that average over 40 points a game.
The Tarheels deserved much better than what they got from the powers that be in college football and they can say what they want but it is about the money. College football is big business and that is how it is treated. North Carolina and Baylor got relegated to a lesser bowl because neither team has a huge road following and either one of them matching up against Alabama, Ohio State, or Michigan State would not be an attractive television matchup. I don not know what the CFP would have done if Iowa and North Carolina would have won.
The Tarheels deserved much better than what they got from the powers that be in college football and they can say what they want but it is about the money. College football is big business and that is how it is treated. North Carolina and Baylor got relegated to a lesser bowl because neither team has a huge road following and either one of them matching up against Alabama, Ohio State, or Michigan State would not be an attractive television matchup. I don not know what the CFP would have done if Iowa and North Carolina would have won.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Turn The Paige
With apologies to Bob Seger, the Tarheels seemed like they turned over a new page in their 2015-16 basketball season with the return of senior guard Marcus Paige. He missed the first six games of the season in a freak accident during practice and he has scored 33 points in the two games since his return, a win over #2 Maryland and a blowout win over Davidson.
Paige has mostly played point guard throughout his career with North Carolina but now he is able to play more shooting guard than anything because of he valuable experience Joel Berry II and Nate Britt gained at the point during Paige's absence. Berry II has shown the ability to run the Tarheel offensive machine and Britt may be turning into the best sixth man in the ACC. He scored 17 points in 16 minutes against Davidson and has also turned into one of the deadliest three point shooters on the team. He shoots with confidence and he can also slide over to the point.
Paige has mostly played point guard throughout his career with North Carolina but now he is able to play more shooting guard than anything because of he valuable experience Joel Berry II and Nate Britt gained at the point during Paige's absence. Berry II has shown the ability to run the Tarheel offensive machine and Britt may be turning into the best sixth man in the ACC. He scored 17 points in 16 minutes against Davidson and has also turned into one of the deadliest three point shooters on the team. He shoots with confidence and he can also slide over to the point.
Monday, December 7, 2015
A Conspiracy Theory
The College Football Playoff Committee and the Atlantic Coast Conference needed Clemson to beat North Carolina in the ACC Championship game. If Clemson won, there would be no tough decisions to me for the CFP, all of the dominos would fall into like they were supposed to, and all of the powers in college football would be happy and the power structure in college football would be preserved.
I fully believed going into the game that it would be an official's call that would help decide the game. I did believe that it would be an interference call or some other call that may have some debatable merit that would be the deciding factor. I had no idea that one of the simplest calls an official could make could have cost North Carolina the opportunity to tie the game.
An offsides call is pretty cut and dried. The defense either crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped or a gunner on the kickoff team crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is kicked.
North Carolina was behind Clemson 45-37 with a little over a minute to go. North Carolina lines up for the onside kick and any time you are trying an onsides kick, there is a little bit of luck involved if the kicking team is going to recover it. The ball was kicked, bounced off a Clemson player, and North Carolina recovered and here was the ultimate opportunity they had been playing for. A chance to tie the game and send it into over time. North Carolina may or may not have pulled that off but they would have had the opportunity to try and pull it off.
Out comes a yellow flag. "Offsides, #30 kicking team" is the call. The announcers, namely Kirk Herbstreit, all disagreed with the call. They showed the replay from every conceivable angle, they had it on the telestrator, lines were drawn, illustrations were made, and evidently that call is not reviewable. Those officials were not about to admit they had made a mistake on one of the most basic calls in football. I would be willing to bet the ACC will not review it either.
The sports website wralsportsfan.com said this about the end of the game "In a season filled with mind-numbing conference officiating moments, it's only appropriate the ACC Championship game ended with an egregiously bad call." I couldn't agree more.
I fully believed going into the game that it would be an official's call that would help decide the game. I did believe that it would be an interference call or some other call that may have some debatable merit that would be the deciding factor. I had no idea that one of the simplest calls an official could make could have cost North Carolina the opportunity to tie the game.
An offsides call is pretty cut and dried. The defense either crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped or a gunner on the kickoff team crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is kicked.
North Carolina was behind Clemson 45-37 with a little over a minute to go. North Carolina lines up for the onside kick and any time you are trying an onsides kick, there is a little bit of luck involved if the kicking team is going to recover it. The ball was kicked, bounced off a Clemson player, and North Carolina recovered and here was the ultimate opportunity they had been playing for. A chance to tie the game and send it into over time. North Carolina may or may not have pulled that off but they would have had the opportunity to try and pull it off.
Out comes a yellow flag. "Offsides, #30 kicking team" is the call. The announcers, namely Kirk Herbstreit, all disagreed with the call. They showed the replay from every conceivable angle, they had it on the telestrator, lines were drawn, illustrations were made, and evidently that call is not reviewable. Those officials were not about to admit they had made a mistake on one of the most basic calls in football. I would be willing to bet the ACC will not review it either.
The sports website wralsportsfan.com said this about the end of the game "In a season filled with mind-numbing conference officiating moments, it's only appropriate the ACC Championship game ended with an egregiously bad call." I couldn't agree more.
Friday, December 4, 2015
North Carolina Versus College Football
The time for the ACC Championship game has arrived and it will be #1 Clemson versus #8 North Carolina or at least those are the rankings as the college football playoffs are concerned. The members of the College Football Playoff Committee will be pulling hard for North Carolina to lose that game. If North Carolina wins that will put the members in a real dilemma.
The knock on North Carolina this season has been the weakness of their schedule. Clemson opened up with Wofford and Appalachian State. North Carolina opened up with North Carolina A & T and Delaware. Clemson played two ranked opponents in Notre Dame and Florida State. North Carolina played two ranked opponents in Pittsburgh and Duke. I will give it to Clemson that Notre Dame and Florida State were higher ranked but they played both at home. Those schedules may give Clemson a slight advantage in strength of schedule but not by much.
Clemson will probably be a double digit favorite in the ACC Championship game. Luckily for Tarheel fans, the game is played on the field and not on a tote board in Vegas or by the CFP committee members because the deck is definitely stacked in Clemson's favor. Here is hoping that North Carolina gets a chance to play an even game on the field during and after the game.
The knock on North Carolina this season has been the weakness of their schedule. Clemson opened up with Wofford and Appalachian State. North Carolina opened up with North Carolina A & T and Delaware. Clemson played two ranked opponents in Notre Dame and Florida State. North Carolina played two ranked opponents in Pittsburgh and Duke. I will give it to Clemson that Notre Dame and Florida State were higher ranked but they played both at home. Those schedules may give Clemson a slight advantage in strength of schedule but not by much.
Clemson will probably be a double digit favorite in the ACC Championship game. Luckily for Tarheel fans, the game is played on the field and not on a tote board in Vegas or by the CFP committee members because the deck is definitely stacked in Clemson's favor. Here is hoping that North Carolina gets a chance to play an even game on the field during and after the game.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Senior Leadership
The North Carolina Tarheels have prided themselves on having senior leadership on all of their basketball teams since the days of Dean Smith. The senior leaders are not necessarily stars or even starters but they are usually the ones that have been in the program for four years and have been there before.
The Tarheels went 5-1 while senior Marcus Paige was out, ironically losing to Northern Iowa which was supposed to be his "home" game. Paige scored 20 points in his return against Maryland but I believe he provided something more important than points and that was the senior leadership that is usually necessary for any Tarheel team to be successful over the long haul. Roy Williams described it as a "comfort zone" while Paige is out on the floor and he provided a calming influence to Brice Johnson's emotion. Paige has been there before and they were playing the #2 ranked Maryland team that would not go away when the Tarheels had them down by 11 points. Maryland went up by one point in the second half and there was Marcus Paige keeping everyone focused and together. That is the definition of senior leadership.
The Tarheels went 5-1 while senior Marcus Paige was out, ironically losing to Northern Iowa which was supposed to be his "home" game. Paige scored 20 points in his return against Maryland but I believe he provided something more important than points and that was the senior leadership that is usually necessary for any Tarheel team to be successful over the long haul. Roy Williams described it as a "comfort zone" while Paige is out on the floor and he provided a calming influence to Brice Johnson's emotion. Paige has been there before and they were playing the #2 ranked Maryland team that would not go away when the Tarheels had them down by 11 points. Maryland went up by one point in the second half and there was Marcus Paige keeping everyone focused and together. That is the definition of senior leadership.
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