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COACH AND PROGRAM
ED COTA (6-1, 196 lbs., SR, PG, #5, 10.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.4 apg, 3.7 tpg, 1.1 spg, 36.3 minutes, .406 FG, .412 3PT, .676 FT, St. Thomas More Academy, Conn./Brooklyn, N.Y.) Here's what we love about Cota: He is not a afraid of anything. It may take a lot to get Easy Ed riled up, but when you do, watch out. Sure, he may have been misguided after last year's loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament title game, but he got his message across even if he did have to apologize afterwards. Mainly, he just took a couple of easy shots at the Blue Devils, saying after the game, "Yeah, we would like to play them again [in the NCAA Tournament], but I don't think they will make it that far." He added, "Hopefully, they will make it to the Final Four. I ain't seen them there in a while." His statements were even more laughable after the Tar Heels didn't even make it to the second round of the NCAAs, but Cota seemed to enjoy hurling his insults into the center ring of college basketball's most intense rivalry. The recent suspension casts some doubt on Cota's senior season. A few early-season games may be missed, but don't expect Cota to be out of the lineup for long.Few players, when they set their mind to do something, can carry an idea through like Cota. Early last year, the Tar Heels were playing in the Preseason NIT, with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line. For the Brooklyn native, playing at the Garden was the height of success. So he put the team on his shoulders. Cota helped the Heels beat Florida International, Georgia, No. 11 Purdue and No. 2 Stanford to win UNC's second Preseason NIT crown. And Cota took home MVP honors. He got frustrated and tired playing with an inexperienced supporting cast. He hated the inconsistency of some of his teammate, and blasted his mates as they prepared for the ACC Tournament. His outburst motivated the team, but it didn't take root for the NCAA Tournament. This year, Cota will have to be a more productive leader. He can't have too many emotional outbursts, but he does need to open up to his teammates. He has never been a rah-rah leader. Mainly, he goes out to win the game and expects everyone else to do their job as well as he does his. His biggest contribution to this year's squad may be to force those around him to improve, which they should do with an additional year of experience. Cota has a chance to become the first player in ACC history to lead the league in assists for four straight years. He is also 330 assists away from Bobby Hurley's ACC and NCAA career record. While Cota has always wanted to score more points in college he averaged double figures for the first time in his career as a junior he just might set his mind to getting that assists record. And you wouldn't want to be in his way as he tries to get it. BRENDAN HAYWOOD (7-1, 265 lbs., JR, C, #00, 12.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 1.0 apg, 2.1 tpg, 30.4 minutes, .684 FG, .672 FT, Dudley HS/Greensboro, N.C.) As the second-tallest player in the ACC, it's not easy for Brendan Haywood to hide. Yet that is what he did during the Tar Heels' final two games of 1999, particularly in the NCAA contest against Weber State (when he scored one point and had no rebounds). In fact, Haywood had exactly one rebound in the Tar Heels' final two games of the season, a loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament championship and the NCAA upset to Weber State. He bore the brunt of criticism for the Tar Heels' early NCAA departure, and didn't help himself by openly complaining about what he thought was the overly physical play of his opponent, Andy Jensen, who Haywood called "the dirty old man at the YMCA." With critics howling, Haywood joined the U.S. team that traveled to Palma de Mollorca, Spain, for the World University Games, where he hoped to perform better for Dayton coach Oliver Purnell. And he did. Haywood was impressive in the tryouts at Colorado Springs, Colo., and even better in the eight games the U.S. team played en route to the gold medal. He was the team's second-leading scorer at 10.9 ppg and its leading rebounder at 6.9 rpg. Not even a late-summer injury requiring minor corrective surgery to his thumb was expected to slow his momentum heading into this season. Tar Heel fans and Guthridge alike hope that will translate into more consistent, less soft performances this year. "I think you are going to see a more aggressive Brendan Haywood next year," Purnell told the Greensboro News & Record. In all, Guthridge wasn't that concerned about Haywood's inconsistent play, attributing it to the 18-year-old's youth and lack of maturity. Besides, Guthridge pointed out, Haywood is the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder, so he must have done something right. "Brendan obviously didn't play real well the last couple of games, but I think that is typical of a young player," Guthridge said. "He had a good spring. He obviously did well enough this summer to improve and make the World University Games team and I think that will help him next year." Haywood's problem is that he looks like he should be the most dominant player on the court. Sometimes he is, but sometimes he's nowhere to be seen. "Even Michael Jordan has a bad game," Haywood said after his return. "I took that lesson myself. I put the last couple of games behind me pretty quickly. You have to remember the good times and forget the bad times in basketball. If you harp on it, it will drive you crazy." JASON CAPEL (6-8, 230 lbs., SO, SF, #25, 9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 tpg, 1.0 spg, 29.2 minutes, .429 FG, .411 3PT, .854 FT, St. John's Prospect Hall, Md./Chesapeake, Va.) What many people feared about Capel essentially came true: his oft-injured back wouldn't hold up to the rigors of college basketball. Capel had played with chronic back pain since junior high, but he and the UNC doctors insisted he was doing no further damage by continuing to play. It was just painful, so every now and then he would miss practice or have to sit out a game. By the end of last season, particularly after taking a nasty fall during the ACC Tournament, Capel needed more than just rest and exercises to fix his ailing back. He had surgery just after the season ended to remove two herniated disks. By June, he was playing pain-free basketball for the first time in years. "He's thrilled and so are the doctors," Guthridge said. "When he wakes up in the morning, he doesn't ache and he doesn't hurt, which he has for five years. I think that should help him." Capel also missed six games in the heart of the ACC schedule because of mononucleosis. He actually came back earlier than expected, though his return did little to invigorate a flaccid UNC offense that finished in the lower division of the ACC in scoring. Maybe that's because Capel played nearly the entire season out of position. He wrestled the shooting guard starting spot away from Max Owens in the preseason and stayed there much of the time. Okulaja played the small forward position, Lang was a power forward and Haywood was at center. With Okulaja gone, Capel will easily move into the small forward spot, where he is a natural. If Max Owens or Joseph Forte can provide solid outside shooting, the Tar Heels will have effective perimeter scoring from all three spots. KRIS LANG (6-11, 235 lbs., SO, PF, # 42, 10.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1.4 tpg, 27.1 minutes, .578 FG, .670 FT, Hunter Huss HS/Gastonia, N.C.) Having grown up just outside of Antawn Jamison's adopted hometown of Charlotte, Lang got immediate comparisons to the former Tar Heels' All-America and national Player of the Year with his intense play and ability to score inside. That's probably a bit of a stretch, but Lang, like Jamison, was a surprise starter for most of his freshman season and turned into one of the team's biggest success stories. He hustled, he fought hard inside and he could certainly provide a spark with his thunderous dunks or his little jump hook that got better and better as the season went along. However, he was not the offensive rebounder Jamison was. He made big contributions early in the season, especially in the Georgia game that sent the Tar Heels to the NIT semifinals. "I thought he had a great freshman year," Guthridge said. "He needs to be a better offensive rebounder and that is something he worked on. He should naturally improve between his freshman and sophomore years." However, endurance was not Lang's strong point; he hit the wall the second time around the ACC. Guthridge expects that to change this year. Lang got a chance to work out more during the summer, which he spent aboard with the NIT touring team coached by Lou Carnesecca. In the long run, Lang is one of the best candidates to replace Okulaja as the team's emotional leader, but that's asking quite a bit out of a sophomore. MAX OWENS (6-5, 198 lbs., JR, SG, #24, 7.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.6 tpg, 17.1 minutes, .431 FG, .357 3PT, .851 FT, Mt. Zion Academy, N.C./Macon, Ga.) Owens went into last season thinking he had won the starting position at shooting guard, only to see freshman Jason Capel switch to that position early on and start there whenever he was healthy. Owens got a couple of chances to fill in for him, once while Capel was out for six games with mononucleosis and again while Capel was suffering from a sore back. During the ACC Tournament, Owens' second chance to fill in for Capel, he did his best Shammond Williams impersonation, scoring 23 points in an upset of Maryland and 22 more in the championship game against Duke, earning him All-Tournament honors. But, like Haywood, he was virtually non-existent against Weber State, hitting only two of 11 shots for seven points in the Tar Heels' first opening-round loss since 1980. This year, with Capel moving to small forward, Owens again will get the chance to earn the starting position at shooting guard. He can win that job if he improves his defense and becomes a more consistent shooter, the way he was during the ACC Tournament. Again, however, he will have to fight off a challenge from an incoming freshman. This time, it's Joseph Forte, who arrived on campus with a reputation as one of the best high-school shooters in the nation. BRIAN BERSTICKER (6-10, 227 lbs., JR, F-C, #50, 3.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 8.1 minutes, .517 FG, .500 3PT, .778 FT, Kempsville HS/Virginia Beach, Va.) For two years, Bersticker has been the most vocal and obnoxious leader of the Tar Heels' bench brigade, the reserves who get their jollies off their teammate's rim-jarring dunks. Now it's time for Bersticker to make his own excitement for the guys on the bench. With Parker and Evtimov not around, there is no doubt that Bersticker will be expected to spend more time on the court than goofing around on the bench. He added some weight during the off-season, about 20 pounds, but that may not be enough to keep him from getting pushed around inside. He's got the speed Guthridge will need to get up and down the court in the pressure defense, but he doesn't have any game experience in that defense. "He still needs to get stronger and heavier, where he can't be pushed around," Guthridge said. "His confidence is up, which improves his scoring ability." Bersticker showed he could contribute late in the season, when he helped the Tar Heels beat Georgia Tech and Maryland in the ACC Tournament. In the final five games of the season, he made 16 of 27 field goal attempts. If UNC is going to exploit its huge size advantage with a front line that can play at 6-10, 6-11 and 7-0 Bersticker will need to be similarly productive for the full season. JOSEPH FORTE (6-4, 190 lbs., FR, G, #40, 21.0 ppg, .520 FG, .333 3PT, DeMatha HS/Greensbelt, Md.) You can call him Joseph. Not Joe, not Joey. He believes Joseph sounds more mature. That's exactly what the Tar Heels are going to need him to be this year, since he has to push junior Max Owens at the shooting guard position. "Carolina needs a shooter, and that is what I am," Johnson said during an all-star game visit to nearby Raleigh. "I am coming around at the right time. If I had come in two years ago [when Shammond Williams was the Tar Heels' shooting king], I would be looking at sitting on the bench." Forte wasn't all that impressive in two summer all-star games, but recruiting analysts insist he is a top-notch prospect who can step in immediately and score. The Tar Heels need it. Capel was not an outside threat most of last year, and Curry was a disappointment as a basketball player. Okulaja ended up being the team's best outside threat until Owens went off during the ACC Tournament. Forte has the background and the talent. He can create his shot off the dribble and he has enough leaping ability to help on the boards. He will probably arrive in camp as a better defender than Owens will ever be. But whether he shares the shooting guard spot with Owens or takes it away completely depends on how quickly he adjusts to the college game.OTHER RETURNEES MICHAEL BROOKER (6-6, 218 lbs., JR, G-F, #11, 1.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 7.1 minutes, Brentwood Academy/Sandersville, Ga.) Even before he showed up on campus, Brooker was bothered by injuries. He tore ligaments in his left knee during a class pickup game as a high school senior and had to sit out his first year of college as a redshirt. Last year, as a sophomore, he reinjured the same knee and needed arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage. Even if he does come back to full speed, Brooker probably won't be in the mix for the starting shooting guard position. He didn't distinguish himself last year when the position was up for grabs and there's no reason to believe he will this year, with Owens and Forte slugging it out for the starting slot. At best, he will be a late-game substitute who will get to jump up and down when his playing teammates do something spectacular. Assuming his knee is healthy, that is. TERRENCE NEWBY (6-2, 207 lbs., SR, G, #21, 1.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 5.0 minutes, .313 FG, .421 3PT, .556 FT, Jordan-Mathews HS/Siler City, N.C.) For three years, Newby has been a fill-in guy at point guard. This year, he will be called on more as a backup because of Curry's injury (assuming his suspension is lifted). Newby should also get the opportunity to fill in at shooting guard, where he showed a little more promise. He started one game at point guard last year, in place of an ailing Cota, and set a career high with eight assists. It was his only significant playing time in 24 appearances. But he did do some good things as a shooter, both in practice and in games, where he hit eight of 19 three-point attempts. So in his final year, he will compete more at shooting guard, where Guthridge will let anyone who can make an outside shot have a chance at some meaningful time. Newby was a high school football star who wanted to play basketball. His service so far has been about the same as the various walk-ons who have been elevated from UNC's antiquated junior varsity program. ORLANDO MELENDEZ (6-8, 230 lbs., SO, F, #32, 1.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 3.2 minutes, .360 FG, .313 3PT, .900 FT, McDowell County, N.C./Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico) As a scholarship redshirt freshman, Melendez got barely one-third of the playing time of walk-on forward Brad Frederick. Enough said. Melendez is still just as athletic as he was during his redshirt freshman season, when he could match Vince Carter dunk-for-dunk in fool-around practice sessions. But he sat out that season with a foot injury. Since then, he still has yet to develop many productive basketball skills and appears to be a UNC project that won't get very far off the drawing board.OTHER NEWCOMERS WILL JOHNSON (6-7, 210 lbs., F, #44, 16.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, Hickory HS/Hickory, N.C.) Johnson received UNC's highest academic scholarship and decided to walk on to the basketball program, despite scholarship offers from some high-brow schools such as Davidson, Princeton and even College of Charleston. He led his high school team to a 29-1 record and the 3-A state championship game. Earlier in the summer, it would have been hard to see how Johnson would contribute to the Tar Heel's projected front line. But with Evtimov gone and Parker not qualified, he may get more fill-in moments than anyone expected just like former walk-ons Brad Frederick and Charlie McNairy before him. Extended playing time for Johnson, however, means the Tar Heels are hurting up front. JON HOLMES (6-0, 170 lbs., G, FR, #14, 19.3 ppg, 4.0 apg, Bloomington South Point HS/Bloomington, Ind.) Some people may not enjoy walking around campus as a human insurance policy, but Holmes doesn't seem to mind. "I would love to come in and play as much as possible next season, but you have to be realistic," said Holmes, a Bobby Hurley look-alike who grew up worshipping the former Duke point guard. "It would be hard for Coach Guthridge to throw a freshman to the wolves." Guthridge and his staff went out and recruited the spindly little guard after they determined Curry was not all he was cracked up to be at the point. Besides, they needed someone to give Cota some time off from running the Tar Heel offense. With Curry out until mid-December at the earliest and early January at the latest with football, Holmes can provide a few minutes here and there for Cota to take a break. Otherwise, Cota will be huffing and puffing like he was during an early December contest when he saw Curry sitting on the bench in street clothes. "Football better end soon," Cota told him between wheezes.STARTERS NOT RETURNING ADEMOLA OKULAJA (6-9, SF, 13.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.4 spg, 35.6 minutes, .442 FG, .431 3PT, .745 FT) Few players ever gave more during their senior season than Okulaja, who had been a starter in his previous three years in Chapel Hill but never a standout. That changed in his final year, when he crawled out from the shadow of classmates Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter to become a first-team All-ACC performer. "People have been saying, 'Oooh, you do all of these things well,'" Okulaja said during his productive senior season. "What I have been saying all along is that I have always done these things well, it's just that I have gotten more attention from the media. Now they are looking for someone else to cover. "First it was Antawn, Vince and Shammond. I am the next guy in line." After Jamison and Carter left with a year of eligibility remaining, the German-born Okulaja took control of the team and led the Tar Heels in scoring, rebounding, three-point field goals and steals. He was truly one of the league's most surprising success stories, because he had been a role player for his entire career. "He had a fantastic senior year," Guthridge said. Remarkably, he improved his shooting, which was so dreadful at times as a sophomore and junior that teams left him wide open and dared him to shoot. As a senior, no one left him open. Okulaja's primary assets weren't in his talents, although he turned himself into a good shooter and a tenacious rebounder in his final season. Throughout his career, he was a leader both by example and by force. He was willing to do the little things to contribute, which is why he started as a freshman. By the time he was a senior, he had the knowledge and experience to be the Tar Heels' most productive player. His absence will be a hard one to fill, mainly because the Tar Heels don't have an emotional leader who can give his teammates a kick in the butt when needed.OTHERS NOT RETURNING KEY RESERVES RONALD CURRY (6-2, 200 lbs., SO, G, #22, 2.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.5 tpg, 13.0 minutes, .245 FG, .143 3PT, .618 FT, Hampton HS/Hampton, Va.) After last season's difficult adjustment from football to basketball, Curry's promises that everything would be different this season seemed to burst with optimism. Unfortunately, his hopes of contributing to the basketball team this season were ruined when he ruptured his achilles against Georgia Tech on Oct. 9. At the very earliest, doctors said he might be able to return in March. Last year, when he was thrust into a starting quarterback role on the third play of the football season, Curry was all but overwhelmed, which surprised the hyper-talented high school All-America. By the time basketball season rolled around, Curry was losing a battle against information overload. But by taking half a summer off, Curry felt he was better prepared to lead the Tar Heel's football offense and then convert to a guard on the basketball team. "I know I can do both," Curry told the Raleigh News & Observer. "I'm more certain of it now than ever. I just need a little more time to prove it. "Last year, everything was new to me. I had to learn a lot in a hurry in football. Then, by the time I got to basketball, I was behind in learning plays and how the system works." He was rushed into action in football, when starter Oscar Davenport was hurt on the second play of the season. When he began playing basketball in early December, he was still sharing time with the football team, which played in the Las Vegas Bowl. Hoop fans expected him to be an immediate sensation at shooting guard, which was no more than wishful thinking encouraged by the lack of productivity from other players at that position. As the season wore on, Guthridge believes Curry lost all confidence in his ability to make a basket, forcing too many bad shots and trying to create drives that simply weren't there. (FYI: he sometimes did the same thing in football). "I thought we put him in too early in some situations and he lost confidence in his shot," Guthridge said. "I am sure he will do better this year, but I am not sure how much we can count on him." Curry will also benefit from lessened expectations. Last year, he was a proven football star who also wanted to excel in basketball. High school and AAU performances suggested he could do that, but his first experiences in college basketball were painful, particularly when he tried to shoot. He gained some of his confidence back when he made a late three-pointer to help the Tar Heels fend off N.C. State in Raleigh. He became a more productive member of the team after that. If he is truly going to succeed as a two-sport star, he needs to improve his shot and be more confident in his ability to contribute. VASCO EVTIMOV (6-10, F, 4.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 11.4 minutes, .438 FG, .625 FT) The Evtimov saga finally ended during the summer, with the quiet announcement that the Bulgarian-born big man had decided to forego his final two years of eligibility so he could pursue a professional career in Europe. Signed by the Tar Heels after he spent one year at a Long Island (N.Y.) prep school, Evtimov played sparingly as a freshman as the Tar Heel coaches tried to break down his perimeter-oriented game into a power game befitting a player of his size. It was an undertaking that never really worked. Then, on the advice of his father and UNC coaches, he took the next year off to fulfill a military obligation in France, where Evtimov had a dual citizenship. That proved to be his downfall, since he spent much of his military service playing for a club team in France which played games against European professional teams. Both Evtimov and UNC thought that would be fine with the NCAA, as long as he didn't accept any money, but this wasn't the case. The NCAA suspended him for 18 games, wiping out three-quarters of his 1998-99 season. Evtimov never did become the inside force that the Tar Heels needed. He never could shake the reputation of being the Bulgarian Larry Bird, a big man with a sweet shot and a propensity for spectacular passes. So he returned to Europe, where his father, Ilia, had been a star player for more than two decades. And no one there questioned his eligibility. BRAD FREDERICK (6-5, SG, 1.1 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 4.7 minutes, .429 FG, .462 3PT, .500 FT) A walk-on who worked his way onto the varsity roster by playing on the junior varsity team, Frederick got more playing time than several scholarship players last year. He had the height to be productive, though probably not the hands. He played in all but four games, and gave the Tar Heels some reliable, if not flashy, minutes off the bench. SCOTT WILLIAMS (5-11, PG, 0.1 ppg, 0.1 rpg, 1.9 minutes, .500 FG) Williams' departure means his father, Kansas coach Roy Williams, probably won't take in as many Tar Heel games, although he will still hang out at his alma mater and former employer when his busy schedule allows. Williams spent his career yukking it up on the UNC bench and pretending to be the opposing point guard during practice.QUESTIONS Schedule? Even Guthridge admits that he may have made a schedule too strong for his slightly inexperienced team. But if they don't entirely meet the challenge, facing such daunting opponents as Michigan State, Miami, Louisville, UCLA and Indiana will probably help the Tar Heels compete for the ACC championship and get past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, something they didn't do last year. Frontcourt depth? With Evtimov leaving and Parker not qualifying, what should have been an extremely deep frontcourt now has only three players. Few teams can equal the height of Haywood, Lang and Bersticker, but if Guthridge indeed does switch back to a pressing defense, it will be hard for these three big men to run up and down the court the entire game. Outside shooting? Owens played great in the ACC Tournament and Forte has a fine reputation as a high-school shooter, but can either of them be a consistent outside threat in the ACC? Consistency? Guthridge said inconsistency is the hallmark of a young team. These Tar Heels Haywood in particular are a year older and need to show up to play every time they suit up.ANSWERS Cota! Easy Ed is looking to lead the ACC in assists for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year, and he hopes to take the Tar Heels for a long ride along the way. Bodies! It's still not the most experienced team in the league and losing Evtimov and Parker hurts up front but the Tar Heels should have enough bodies to play pressure defense again, a defensive strategy they have avoided for nearly four years. Size! If they can rotate three players in two post positions all season long, the Tar Heels will have a front line unmatched by any team in the country.
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Conferences ACC Atlantic 10 Big East Big Sky Big South Big Ten Big 12 Big West Colonial Conference USA Independents Ivy League MAAC Mid-American Mid-Continent Mid-Eastern Athletic MCC Missouri Valley Mountain West Northeast Ohio Valley Pac-10 Patriot SEC Southern Southland Sun Belt SWAC TAAC WAC West Coast | |||||||||||||||
