2013 ACC Baseball Tournament Champions

The Diamond 'Heels 4-1 victory over Virginia Tech to win the ACC Baseball Tournament was anticlimactic after the two games versus Clemson and NC State. They were able to roll the Championship into a #1 National seed in the NCAA tournament. Freshman Taylore Cherry went 5 innings for the victory in his first start of the seasdon as he fired fastball after fastball at the Hokies. 80 of his 90 pitches were fastballs, and you have to stick with what is working. That put the 'Heels record at 52-8 going into the NCAA's. That was the 'Heels first ACC Tournament Championship since 2007.

Two Epic College Baseball Games

The Diamond Tarheels won two epic baseball games to put themselves into the ACC Tournament game against Virginia Tech. The games lasted a total of 32 innings against two quality opponents, Clemson and North Carolina State. The 'Heels beat Clemson Friday night 12-7, scoring 5 runs in the 9th and 5 in the 14th to win it. The 'Heels beat NC State 2-1 in an ACC record 18 innings on Saturday (make that early Sunday morning) to put themselves in the ACC Tournament final. The 'Heels only managed one hit against NC State ace Carlos Rodon in the first 10 innings but still hung tough to squeeze out the win. The 'Heels also won the ACC regular season title for the first time in 23 years this season. That stat really kind of surprised me. As many College World Series as they have been in the past several years, they had not won a regular season title until this season. Maybe that is a sign of good things to come.

The One That Got Away

North Carolina Linebacker Kevin Reddick did not get drafted in the NFL's three day draft-a-thon that ended early Saturday evening and there are 31 NFL teams that are going to regret that decision. He was projected to go anywhere from the third thru the fifth rounds from the so called experts but no matter how hard they try, drafting players is not an exact science. They can measure, poke, and prod the players, watch them run 40s, catch passes, and give them what amounts to an IQ test but that does not mean they are going to get a future hall of famer or that they are even going to make the team. Kenin Reddick has speed, instinct, and was basically a four year starter at North Carolina. He can tackle,blitz, drop into pass coverage and run from sideline to sideline. The New Orleans Saints signed him as an Undrafted Free Agent and here is hoping he makes the rest of the teams in the NFL pay for their over sight.

NFL Draft 2013

The 2012 North Carolina Tarheels are faring pretty well in this years NFL Draft. Offensive Lineman Jonathan Cooper went #7 to the Arizona Cardinals, Defensive Tackle Sylvester Williams went #28 to the Denver Broncos which I think is a real steal, and Running Back Gio Bernard went in the Second Round, #37 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals and also the first Running Back taken in this years draft. Offensive Lineman Brennan Williams went later on in the Third Round to the Houston Texans. I believe the Cincinnati Bengals also got a steal in Gio Bernard and his real value lies in his versatility. His ability to return kicks and punts, catching the ball out of the backfield, and his patience in running the ball make him a natural third down specialist coming out of the backfield. He is also the most natural punt returner I have ever seen especially since he only did it for one season in college. I cannot wait to see what he can do in professional football.

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

To borrow from the lyrics of rock musician Meat Loaf, two out of three ain't bad. The two out of the three would be James Michael McAdoo and P.J. Hairston returning to the Tarheel basketball team for their Junior seasons and the one would be Reggie Bullock leaving to go to the NBA. I believed that it would be the other way around. There are a lot of factors that go into making this decision and projected draft position in usually #1. McAdoo was projected towards the end of the first round, Bullock was projected early in the second round, and Hairston was projected not to be drafted at all. Only first round draft picks are guaranteed contracts. I do not be3lieve that Reggie Bullock had the full endorsement of Coach Roy Williams when he announced his decision. I believe he should have come back for his Senior year to work on his game and improve his draft position.

Jalen Rose And The Timeout That Didn't Exist

I just got through reading an interview that appeared in the USA Today i> with Jalen Rose about the 1993 National Championship game between Michigan and North Carolina. That game will always be remembered for Chris Webber's timeout that Michigan didn't have resulting in a technical foul and sealing the victory for North Carolina. Twenty years after the fact, Rose is still bitter about the loss. He discussed Webber bringing the ball up the court instead of giving it to him but what he failed to mention was the fact that Chris Webber traveled before he ever started up the court and I believe he about called a timeout when he grabbed "the rebound. Jalen Rose referred to the "no names sitting on the [North Carolina] bench that had championship rings" whereas he didn't. He went on to further say that the better team did not win that game. The better teamdid win that game. Michigan was made up of a group of individuals whereas North Carolina was made up of a team that played for one common goal. Individually, Michigan probably was better. Collectively, they were not. Chris Webber wanted to be the hero and was not going to give that ball up. Jalen Rose didn't want to say it but Webber should have given the ball to him and they had time to set up a play and an excellent chance to win the game. North Carolina's no names have the ring and will be forever remembered as the 1993 National Champions. I would say that leaves a pretty good name to remember.

Roy Williams Is A Class Act

When Roy Williams had his press conference immediately following the 'Heels 79-58 win over Florida State, his first thought were of Florida State's coach Leonard Hamilton and the passing of his 96 year old mother. Not many high profile coaches would have done that. The game itself was impressive. P. J. Hairston had an impressive shooting game hitting 4 of 6 three pointers and finishing with 16 points. James Michael McAdoo led the way with 21, 17 of those in the first half, and Reggie Bullock had 20. That may have been the Tarheels most impressive performance of the season, especially the way they closed out the first half scoring on 13 of their final 14 posessions. Marcus Paige had an impressive game running the show with 9 assists and 3 turnovers. That moves the 'Heels to 21-8 with games remaining at Maryland and the season finale at home against Duke. About three weeks ago there were questions about the 'Heels ability to even make the NCAA tournament and now the 'Heels are closing in on a first round bye in the ACC tournament.