Coda

Not Ed Cota.  Rather, let's end this bad era.

The last 12 to 18 months were not that great.  Many of you have heard me lament how 18 months ago, in April 2009, I was in the White House to watch President Obama sign the Omnibus Wilderness Bill into law.  A few days later Tyler Hansbrough led the Heels to their fifth NCAA championship. 

Since then we've seen Duke win a national championship and the rise of ignorance/the Tea Party, otherwise known as Rand Paul.

But that era is now over.  

And the person to lead us out of the morass is . . .  No, not Barack Obama.  I'm talking about that proud son of Ames, Iowa - Harrison Barnes.

Yes, Carolina basketball begins anew tomorrow night. After a one year bad dream (I was going to say nightmare, but we all know the roots of that word are Doherty, Latin for night, and eightandtwenty, late Saxon for mare) the transition from the Hansbrough era to the Barnes one tips off Friday night versus Lipscomb.

Funny to think how at this time last year I was optimistic about Marcus Ginyard, Ed Davis and Deon Thompson's Heels, and full of promise about Larry Drew, John Henson, and Dexter Strickland.  Funny how ancient some of those names seems now, even though Deon Thompson IS the Carolina and Hellenic Blue blog since he plays professionally in Greece. 

The 2009 National Champs could not do anything wrong, but last year's team could not do anything right: shoot, rebound, make smart decisions, beat Duke in Cameron for a fifth year in a row, etc.

But Barnes is supposed to change everything.  He's even been voted a preseason first team All-American.  Not pre-season first-team ACC freshman team - first team NATIONAL All-American.

Despite the hype around Barnes - and fellow freshmen Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall - I'm more apprehensive this year than I was a year ago.  Just as I thought the election of Obama meant the U.S. had finally turned the corner politically into a mature, serious, problem-solving society only to see American politics tripped up by the Tea Party,  last year's season brought back all the anxieties and nervousness of the lost years of the post-Dean era.  I thought Roy had solved that malaise - he has won two national championships in six years!  But that's what losing can do, at least watching Carolina lose can do, to a person.

Things have got to get better.  Roy, like Obama, is too good to let a lost season/election cycle happen again.  Henson, Dexter Strickland, and Tyler Zeller - who if healthy could become a monster talent this season - will be a lot better.

But just like much of Obama's success will depend on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, ol' Roy will have to rely on Larry Drew II.  Drew's numbers were decent last year, but a point guard is not a numbers position.  You've got to lead, inspire, think on your feet, and deliver when needed - like Nancy Pelosi.  I think all the good people in the world are hoping that Drew - and Reid  - get their Pelosi on in the 2011 season.

GO HEELS!

One more Tar Heel topic: how about that thrilling win IN Tallahassee against the Seminoles?!  Their 37-35 win,  Carolina's first ever at Doak Campbell Stadium, helped wash the bad-election taste from my mouth.  The Heels fought the entire game, TJ Yates had another terrific game, and Carolina even got meaningful contributions from their fourth string running back, someone named Hunter Furr (do they wear that when they hunt? Really?).

Anyway, have to give some grudging props to Butch Davis.  He has held the team together despite suspensions, injuries and investigations.  I'm torn as to what to think about the guy.  

On second thought, give the props to the players.  The football program has clearly embarrassed the university, a sin for which there is almost no penance.  But the Tar Heels football team, the players who have kept their noses clean, are competing and making the university proud.

I assume Harrison Barnes will do the same, starting tomorrow night.