Nov. 16, 2009
by Barry Jacobs, TarHeelBlue.com
Proliferating cable programs and sports Web sites create ever-greater demands for content, or at least filler. High school games, all-star contests, endless commentary, and all kinds of competitions now command their moment in the public consciousness, if only among a select group of devotees.
Included in that cacophony is coverage of recruiting news, which has always been of interest to a slice of the sporting populace, particularly those who can't wait to enjoy a better tomorrow before appreciating what they have today.
But while the form and intensity of attention to recruiting has evolved with the times, some things don't change.
Back in 1981, when a young man named Roy Williams was in his third year on the North Carolina coaching staff, Dean Smith noted of his program that, "We're soft-sell recruiters, and our players do it for us." Fast forward nearly three decades to last week's nationally televised announcement by Harrison Barnes of his choice of schools. Barnes, generally considered the country's top prep prospect, cited UNC's players as central to his decision to become a Tar Heel next season.
"I think they're the biggest part of it, I really do," said Williams, in his seventh year as North Carolina's head coach. "You've got to say our tradition, our history, our education and all that, but once you get past that I think our players did a great job."
The program's continuum of excellence, and the young men it attracts, are certainly an inducement. Yet it's not history that takes the floor, and there can be times when the weight of tradition levies unrealistic expectations.
And, sometimes, the gap between past and present provides comfort for an overmatched opponent, as was the case for Valparaiso at the Smith Center this past Sunday.
The current North Carolina squad, replacing four starters and dominated by underclassmen, is a work in progress. While sixth-ranked nationally according to the Associated Press, the 2009-10 Heels are heavyweights more in promise than achievement. The team's overall quickness and outside shooting are uncertain, and against the Crusaders not everyone remembered to play hard or with unwavering focus.
"This young group is very talented," Valpo coach Homer Drew, seventh among active coaches in career victories (602), said of UNC. "They're athletic and they're long. They're going to do nothing but get better and better."
Meanwhile, a fellow named Mike - not Krzyzewski - comforted the visiting Crusaders prior to the game by pointing to the distance between the team on the floor and the squads celebrated by the blizzard of banners in the Dean Dome rafters.
"He just kind of talked to us about how all the banners and stuff, those are past players, and the players now, they still have to prove themselves," said Valpo's senior Brandon McPherson. "They're here for a reason. They're great players, obviously. A lot of McDonald's All-Americans. A lot of people here at North Carolina are good.
"But at the same time, they still have to go out there and earn it like we did too. So that kind of helped us, helped ease the tension a little bit."
Drew's crew stayed in a zone, a likely strategy for teams facing these Heels, and found they remained competitive. Even after falling behind by 24 points with just under 12 minutes to go, Valparaiso refused to fold, and closed within nine in the final minutes.
McPherson and fellow guard Brandon Wood, a 6-2 sophomore, got to the basket with some ease. Backdoor plays exploited both a UNC freshman and a senior. The Crusaders made 5 of 10 from 3-point range in the second half.
As Williams noted acidly, his team had 14 turnovers against a relatively sedate zone, compared with nine committed by the visitors against a supposedly aggressive man-to-man. The Heels even failed to score on a pair of two-on-one fast breaks, Williams volunteered.
Wood had 30 points for Valpo; only four opponents reached that level of production in 2009. He and McPherson, who had 20, matched five pairs, all from ACC squads, who each had at least 20 points against the Heels last year.
"I said before the season started, some days we're going to be pretty good, and some days we're going to be pretty ugly," Williams observed. "Today was one of those days, I thought we were pretty ugly. Again, give Valpo the credit."
The victory improved UNC's record to 3-0, all in home games against underdogs. Now the Heels head to Madison Square Garden to take on Ohio State on Thursday night in the 2K Sports Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic. Then, depending on the outcome, they'll face either California or Syracuse the following day.
"We have no chance in New York if we play this kind of basketball," said Williams, typically frank in expressing displeasure when his team falls short of his standards.
You can bet the level of UNC's play will rise to meet the occasion. After all, some things don't change.
