Sept. 23, 2009
TarHeelBlue.com will run a series of Tar Heel basketball features every Wednesday leading up to Late Night with Roy Williams on Oct. 16.
By Adam Lucas
The story of the in-state Tar Heel fan who eventually lives his dream by becoming a Carolina basketball player is well-known. 2009 graduate Mike Copeland did it. So did Reyshawn Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, James Worthy and Phil Ford.
Under the direction of Roy Williams, however, Carolina's recruiting has stretched Tobacco Road into an interstate that spans from the Outer Banks to the Space Needle. Four of this year's 13 scholarship players hail from California, a state that went largely untapped in previous UNC recruiting--prior to Williams's arrival, the last Tar Heel from the Golden State was Scott Williams, class of '90.
Even on the West Coast, Carolina Basketball is a familiar commodity. But those players often arrive with very little idea of the powerhouse overall athletic department they're joining.
That was the case for Deon Thompson, who was asked to speak at the Rams Club's fall scholarship dinner in mid-September. He immediately knew the topic he wanted to cover: the impressive depth of the sports experiences he's had since arriving in Chapel Hill.
"It's been an education for me," the senior says. "You don't know about how good everything is here until you get here. Everything is on the highest level, and it seems like there's always a team winning a national championship."
Thompson's Tar Heels were the most recent team to add a banner in Chapel Hill. The Torrance native contributed six quick points in the tone-setting first six minutes of the national title win over Michigan State and finished with nine points and three rebounds.
The postseason wasn't always smooth, as Thompson received perhaps the sternest lecture of March or April from
Roy Williams during Carolina's stay in Memphis for the NCAA East regional. After a subpar performance against Gonzaga, Williams had some pointed words for the then-junior during Carolina's practice before the regional final against Oklahoma. Thompson responded with 10 points and solid defense against Blake Griffin and the Sooners.
"When you're at the bottom, the only place to go is up," Thompson said. "At that point, the fact that we were winning games was bigger than what I was doing individually. The team is always bigger than me. And it showed me how much faith Coach had in me that he was willing to stick with me."
Sticking with Thompson was easier in the past because he spent his first three seasons as a complementary piece on star-studded teams. This year, however, Thompson and fellow senior--and housemate--Marcus Ginyard have ascended to main man status. There's some evidence to suggest he might thrive in the role. When Tyler Hansbrough was limited by a shin injury in the first month of last season, Thompson averaged 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as the Tar Heels' primary post threat.
He hopes to reprise that type of play in a stockpiled 2010 UNC frontcourt that includes six players who stand at least 6-foot-9--but only one upperclassman among the skyscrapers.
"Coach wants me to keep working on being consistent on a day-in, day-out basis," Thompson said. "I'm going to have more back to the basket touches this year, so I want to continue to work on finishing with my hook shots. And I've worked a little bit on my outside game."
Since his arrival as a pudgy freshman prone to gorging at the In-n-Out Burger near his Torrance home, both his game and his frame have changed dramatically. He's hung a banner and studied some Carolina history, and now he's ready to fulfill one of those Tar Heel traditions he's learned to appreciate: the senior leader.
"The time goes by so fast," Thompson said. "When he came on my home recruiting visit, Coach Williams told me four years would go by just like that. It seems like I just got here, but I've paid my dues. In a way, Marcus and I will be the leaders on this team, and I'm excited to do that."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of five books on Carolina basketball, including the upcoming book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.
