Return to the Final Four, and Return of the Carolina Way

The great run of this year's Tar Heel squad has been exhilarating for a number of reasons.  One, it's the Tar Heels!  Two, after too long of a stretch without an ACC championship or a Final Four (since 2008 and 2009, respectively) the Heels have reasserted their place at the top of our nation's basketball pantheon.  And three, and most importantly, this team has marked the return of the Carolina Way.

The academic scandal, which has tarnished both the basketball program and more importantly THE University of the People, has practically erased that Dean Smith-built standard.  But this year's team has resurrected the Carolina Way, in many different ways.

As I've joked with friends throughout the year, you know this squad - and every squad since the scandal broke - is not taking paper classes with majors clustered in the old and notorious  African-American and African Studies department.* This is a likable team of student athletes, personified by first-team Academic All American Marcus Paige. Roy seems to really love coaching them, and the warmth between the players and coach is evident: on senior night; in the locker room celebrations; on the dais of the post-game press conferences; everywhere.

It's also an old school, Dean-like team of upper classmen.  Eleven of the players are juniors or seniors, and the roster is made up of the kind of guys Dean used to guide from perplexed freshmen into all-Americans in four years, guys like Brice Johnson** or Isaiah Hicks.

Finally, seniors rule in the Carolina Way and that is certainly true of this year's team.  Brice Johnson has been our best player all season, but Marcus Paige has been our most important one down the stretch. I can not gush enough about Paige.  As I posted in my last blog, academically alone he's been huge post scandal.

However, consider the senior leadership Paige has shown in this exhilarating run.  At Cameron, his steal, defense and lay up singlehanded stopped Duke's run in the second half, and his free throws clinched that win. In the ACC tournament championship game he did it again; his defense helped keep Malcolm Brogdon in check, he led a run that gave Carolina the lead for good in the second half, and down the stretch had another key steal against the Hoos to stymie their come back.

And of course, after Notre Dame ran off twelve straight points to take a one-point lead who answered for Carolina?  With Brice on the bench with 3 fouls and UNC down one, Paige drove left and made a tough baseline jumper to give Carolina the lead, one they would never relinquish. That basket started an overpowering Carolina scoring run, aided by a key steal by Theo Pinson but punctuated by another great play by our Academic All American. That play started with Paige out jumping and out fighting Zach August for a rebound, then saving that rebound as he was falling out of bounds. Paige got the ball to Kennedy Meeks, who Wes Unselled a pass to Pinson who promptly threw an alley-oop to Hicks for a slam dunk.

A text book Carolina Way  fast break, started by a guy who epitomizes and is resurrecting the Carolina Way.

GO HEELS!

* That department has been reorganized and is now under the College of Arts and Sciences as the Department of African, African American and Diaspora Studies.
** That is literally true of Johnson, who has been named a first team All American by the AP and the Basketball Writers of America.

Why We Watch

This is why we watch, right?  A week after a home loss to Duke that demoralized me, a generally half-full kind of viewer of all things Carolina, the Heels are back and playing like, well Tar Heels!

The turnaround is another reminder that we are watching embryonic young hoopsters when we are watching college basketball. The cynicism, money and corporate control - NY Life ACC Tournament, with a logo underfoot athletes who will not get a dime - makes that easy to forget.

Carolina's play this week reminds us that kids aren't perfect and make mistakes - but kids can also improve and do so quickly. In the course of three games the Heels seem to have solved the three problems that have marred their entire season until now.

One, Marcus Paige has gotten some help. Granted, he made the biggest shot of the game versus Virginia on Friday night, but freshman Justin Jackson was our leading scorer. On Thursday, Brice Johnson was fantastic and it was Kennedy Meeks making big plays down the stretch on offense and defense. 

Two, the poise was there. Carolina was down 5 to Louisville at half but was steady and methodical in the second half to win going away. Better still was the poise displayed when Virginia made the inevitable run to cut the lead to one. On back-to-back possessions Carolina made great plays. Paige went to Meeks at the free thrown line, who in turn made the extra pass to Jackson for a lay up as the 35 second clock expired. On the next possession, after a time out with 6 seconds left on the shot clock, Paige dribbled into the lane, pumped fake right then pivoted left to hit the game-sealing floater. Classic Carolina.

Finally three, the Heels are spreading the wealth Dean style. Paige has continued his resurgence of late, Johnson has been excellent on both ends and on the boards, Meeks has made some big time plays and though plagued by turnovers J.P. Tokoto  has done the same and Joel Berry kept us afloat versus Louisville with a huge stretch in the first half.  

By far the biggest development has been the play of Jackson. He quietly has gotten more consistent as the season has progressed but he exploded versus Virginia. Much has been written about his 4 three-pointers but he hit shots from all over the floor. I loved that he was aggressive to the hoop a number of times and did not 'settle' for being a one-dimensional shooter.  

All this could add up to Carolina's first ACC Championship since 2008. Growing up, an ACC Tournament title was almost a birthright for born, bred and dead Tar Heels like myself.  What a great capstone to an up and down season, one dominated by tragedies like the Wainstein report and the death of Coach Smith, an ACC title would make.  

On top of that, a win over Notre Dame would be another reminder that this is a game played by college kids, kids who can look nothing like Tar Heels one weekend and very Carolina the next.

GO HEELS! 

A Game That Defines the Season

Last night's loss to Duke was more than a disappointing loss to our smug and lesser arch-rivals. The loss epitomizes why so many Tar Heel born, bred and dead fans feel uneasy about this team and it's lack of progress.

To me, there have been 3 themes - or problems - with this team, and all were on display last night in Chapel Hill.

1. This team is too dependent on Marcus Paige. I love Marcus Paige; in our new post-Wainstein era he is exactly who we need leading this team and frankly being the student face of the entire university. But the operative word there is lead. A leader leads but does not make every play, but that's what this team expects and all the opposing teams know it. As Jawad Williams tweeted (@worldwad) last night, someone else needs to step up and help Paige and this team win some games. Paige was magnificent last night vs. the Devils but needed help down the stretch but did not get much if any assistance. Finally, in a cruel twist considering recent events, an over reliance on one player is anti-Dean. One 'criticism' of Dean is that he was too egalitarian and team-oriented (yes, some idiots actually said that). Well, sharing the wealth is how you win games and championships. Look at Worthy-Perkins-Jordan, or Montross-Williams-Lynch-Phelps, or Lawson-Hansbrough-Ellington-Green, or Bird-McHale-Johnson-Parrish, or LeBron-Wade-Bosh, or Duncan-Parker-Ginobili-Popovich, Magic-Kareem-Worthy, Jordan-Pippen-Jackson, etc.
2. Point two is related to point one: the uneven development of the players on this team. Paige and Brice Johnson were both named third-team ACC, which seems about right. Johnson is the only player to have gotten better this year, and was the only other reliable Tar Heel on the floor versus the Devils besides Paige. Offensively Johnson is confident and has some great moves, is as athletic as you would imagine a state high jump champion to be, and does the work on the glass. But this team has been undone by a lack of progress from Kennedy Meeks and T.P. Tokoto and spotty  play from everyone else in the rotation: Britt, Jackson, Berry, James, Pinson. None of those guys are reliable contributors game to game. At the end of a season you should see more development from all the players, but especially from Meeks and Tokoto. Both could and should have been All-ACC players but instead they have looked lost down the stretch.
3. Which of course is maybe our biggest problem. In addition to being un-Dean in terms of players, it also appears that this team is very un-Carolina at the end of games. Your typical Tar Heels squad - the pre-broken wrist 2012  Kendall Marshall squad is probably the most recent example - is a well-oiled, smart and poised machine at the end of the season. But not this one. The late-game melt downs at Duke, at Louisville, and at home versus Virginia, State and the Devils could not be more frustrating or vexing. Of course, this problem is the sum of the first two issues. Who are these guys making all these unforced errors? Their jerseys say Carolina so my eyes believe it but my gut, my heart and the Carolina-blue blood coursing through my veins does not.

So what's next? It's hard to be optimistic at this stage of the season. To win the ACC tournament the Heels would have to go through Louisville (doable; we've practically beaten them twice already), Virginia (also doable especially if Meeks and Tokoto show up), and Duke. One of Dean's sayings is it's hard to beat a team three times in one season so I would love our chances to prove Dean right (again) and get some revenge against the Devils.

Even if this happens it's hard to imagine us going more than 2 or 3 games deep in the NCAAs. Another example of how un-Dean and un-Carolina team this teams seems to be. As sad as those 3 issues just discussed THAT may be the saddest admission of them all. 

Despite all that - GO HEELS!

Dean Hangover

Watching Carolina's game versus Pitt yesterday my fandom matched the level of play from the Heels. Given the news of the week, losing a basketball game on the road did not seem that big of a deal. I shrugged off the loss, unaffected, much the same way the players seemed to.

That said, there were some interesting basketball-game related insights.

1. Despite sleepwalking through much of the game the Heels DID tie it up late in the first half. But at the under-four time out the wheels fell off - and stayed off.
2. That run to tie the game was led by Kennedy Meeks, who came off the bench for the second game in a row. I imagine, or more to the point hope, that Meeks will be back in the starting line up versus Duke. As much as Isaiah Hicks has improved the Heels are strongest when Brice Johnson and Meeks are feeding off each other.
3. The other player who helped lead that run was Joel Berry. It was great to see the Florida freshman step up and play with confidence; he was so confident Roy had him start the second half at the point.
4. As good as it was to see Berry contribute it was also an admission that Nate Britt, after a great couple of games highlighted by his performance against Syracuse, and J.P. Tokoto have regressed in the last 4 games. We need both to get back to their A game if this team is to compete for an ACC championship and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. 
5. This week's game at Duke may be just what this team needs. This is a good team, one that should regain it's focus and mojo in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Never underestimate how some adversity can help get a team back on track. 

Finally, a huge 'point to the passer' to the University of Pittsburgh student section. 

Not only did the students unveil this banner but they also presented Roy with a signed card offering their condolences for Coach Smith's death. Those gracious actions from the self proclaimed Oakland Zoo prompted Roy to say "College athletics is not all bad. There are some darn good things that happen."

Kudos to the Oakland Zoo for the ultimate Dean move. Point to the passer!

Dean

I never met Dean Smith - I think the closest I came to ever talking to him was when Jim Love and the coach shared an ash tray as Jim and I were leaving Carmichael after picking up some student basketball tickets; I think I was in the bathroom - but like Tar Heels everywhere his death hit me hard.  I wept more than once today thinking about Coach Smith.

Despite never having played for him many UNC alums usually refer to him as Coach Smith, like his players did.  Or you could go with Dean, though that frankly seems too familiar.  

There have been many great tributes to Coach Smith today, as there were when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and when he retired in 1997. Two of my favorite's are by Sports Illustrated's Alexander Wolff and Beth McNichol at the UNC General Alumni Association.  Both articles remind readers that Dean was more than an innovative and creative and successful basketball coach, that Coach Smith was a scholar, author and social activist.  Above all they remind us that Coach Smith was a gentleman who was generous and loyal to his players and staff, someone who treated his star players and student managers with respect and equality.

North Carolina, America and the world could use a lot more Dean Smiths.

One thing those tributes have not mentioned is that the reason Coach Smith means so much to non-basketball players or coaches is that for UNC alums, Dean IS Carolina.

Charles Kuralt said it best when at the University's 200th anniversary he asked 'Why is it that we love this place so? ... Because it still is, what it always has been, the university of the people.' 

That's Dean. When we look at Coach Smith we see the values many if not all of us associate with Carolina. To alums our alma mater is more than a school.  Carolina is a set of values - open-mindedness, liberal, egalitarian, public - designed to help Chapel Hill fulfill its mission of helping the people of North Carolina and the South overcome a still-toxic legacy of bigotry, ignorance and poverty.  

The University of the people. The University of Dean Smith.

Everlasting be his memory! Go Heels! 

For more on Dean from a different perspective check out the inaugural 'Manuel Transmissions' podcast, a podcast that will eventually feature opinions from three 'generations' of the Manuel family: parents John, Cleo, Christine, Athan; high school and college students Evan, Kate, Ariadne, Paul; kids Sophia, Alex, Michael, Anna.  Our initial podcast features Paul, Ariadne, Evan, me and an actual journalist John Manuel, talking about Dean.


Two more Dean notes:

• I want to thank my friend Bill Wood for having Dean autograph a basketball for me. Bill, a UNC med school grad, was the household hazardous waste coordinator for Orange County, doing good work AND becoming a North Carolina resident before applying to med school. When Dean agreed to record a PSA for the program Bill thoughfully got Coach Smith to autograph a ball for me, one of the nicest gifts I've ever received and a Dean move all the way! I'm pointing at Bill right now! 
• i would love to see #pointtothepasser start trending on Twitter. Nothing is more Dean than pointing out when someone helps you succeed. Heels need to make that happen. 
  
  

Heels Peaking

It's only Tuesday but what a week. First, Tsipras and Syriza sweep into power in Greece, and President Obama decides to protect 12 million acres in the Arctic Refuge including the coastal plain as wilderness, both on Sunday.

But of course I can't stop thinking about Monday night and Carolina's beat down of Syracuse. It was one of those games where the Heels looked terrible, at least for the first twenty minutes, with turnovers and unforced errors all over the Dean Dome.  Even 5 minutes into the second the Heels still trailed and the Orange controlled the game.

Then, all of a sudden you look up and the Heels are up 10, have scored more than 90 points against a historically tough defense, and shoot better than 60 percent in the second half and better than 55 percent for the game.

This team is starting to come together at the right time, and are looking both dangerous and intriguing at the same time.

Best of all, it's been vintage Carolina basketball.

One reason the Heels are shooting it so well is they are steadily and competently feeding the post, Dean style, for easy baskets.  Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks have been feasting inside, with Johnson making 57 percent of his shots while Meeks makes 58 percent.  

And of course it's not a coincidence that those two have benefited from the return of a more confident Marcus Paige. Paige has been good most of the season, as was Carolina.  But of late he has been great; ditto the Heels.

A Few More Thoughts

• I've always liked Nate Britt since he was born and raised inside the Beltway.  If he plays like he did last night...man oh man!
• He had a rough game last night, but Justin Jackson is also coming on.  After being reminded to be aggressive he had games of 17 and 16 versus Virginia Tech and FSU.
• This week may be the true test to see if this team is peaking and worthy of the loftiest of expectations.  The Heels travel to the YUM! Center to take on the Cardinals, then return to Chapel Hill on Monday, Feb. 2nd to take on undefeated Virginia.

GO HEELS!

Reset - for Paige and for Tar Heels everywhere

I think it's safe to say the Tar Heels hit the reset button on the 2014-2015 season after their come from behind win versus Louisville in Chapel Hill on Saturday.  More than two months into this season, and the team still felt off, stuck in neutral.  For every good win, over Ohio State in Columbus or the back-to-back wins over UCLA and Florida, there were equally odd losses to Iowa at home coupled with the 'meh' games at Kentucky and against Butler.

Ditto the players. Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks entered the season with altered bodies and great expectations. Both have played well at times, but there remain nagging questions about their offensive inconsistency.

But of course the biggest example of a player stuck in neutral, searching for a rhythm and flow, was Marcus Paige.  

Not only is he our best player, the pre-season ACC player of the year and first team All-American, Paige carries the burden of being an actual student-athlete. He's asked to make shots, lead the Heels to championships, AND lead Carolina out of our post-Wainstein funk.   

We, or at least folks like me, need him to save the team and help restore our alma mater's reputation.

That's a lot on the slender shoulders of the Iowa junior. But with 8.5 seconds left and the Heels down one, Paige found to way to balance all those responsibilities - or at least figured out a way to bank them high off the glass and into the basket - and lead the Heels to their most important win of the season.

A play that big, to cap off a comeback that important, can save a season for a team and a player.  

And when that player is Marcus Paige it makes us, Tar Heels everywhere, feel better about Carolina - Dean's Carolina, the institution we believe in and cherish, THE university of the people - too.*

GO HEELS! 

* I may be overdoing it a bit, but as you can tell I love Marcus Paige. He's as Dean as they come. Anyway, we'll find out if he has turned around our season on Wednesday versus State. It will be quite a game, if for no other reason it will be State's 'we just beat the crap out of Duke' mojo versus our 'The Marcus Paige who single-handedly took down the Wolfpack in Raleigh last year is BACK.'

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP NOTE

If you only read one article about tonight's college football championship game read this one from the Post: Students Try to Find Their Place For College Football National Championship Game. The networks and big six conferences lined up the money, sponsors, boosters, capitalist pigs, and the athletes but forgot about the students. Big time college sports don't need to be reformed; they are fundamentally corrupt.   

Not THAT sad of a day

What is the best way to start a blog about one of the saddest days of the year, the day when the Tar Heels stop playing basketball?

It should not be just about one game, the final game of the season, but I suppose one has to start there. Oddly enough, it does not feel that bad, reviewing the loss to Iowa State.  The Heels played well, rebounded much better in the second half, and made shots.

Though it was a tough loss, that game contained many of the things that made this year's squad interesting and fun to watch, and also likeable.  What's not to like about a team that beats Michigan State IN East Lansing, beats the defending national champs, and smites all of our main rivals - Duke, NC State and Kentucky - in one season?

Sunday's game was a microcosm of the entire season.  It had J.P. Tokoto spinning and dunking, with a few steals, mid-range jumpers, even a bad turnover; Kennedy Meeks at his Little Sean May/taking down Louisville AND Michigan State best; Leslie McDonald finally getting to play and contributing - even Jackson Simmons taking a charge.*

It featured James Michael McAdoo keeping his head up, his persistence finally being rewarded as his drives to the basket resulted in points late.  It was JMM displaying the calm and leadership we sometimes take for granted, and then having the toughness to hit 2 big free throws.

And it featured Marcus Paige. There are plenty of adjectives to choose from in describing his play on Sunday and this year.  The best one is Tar Heel.

There are but a handful of Tar Heels who are extra special for their innate toughness, tenacity, brains, leadership - an understanding of the values stamped on Carolina basketball by Dean Smith. It is a short list: Bobby Jones, Phil Ford, Jimmy Black, George Lynch and David Noel.  Many others, like Kendall Marshall and Ademola Okulaja to name a few, come close. But it's a short list.

Marcus Paige is already one of those all time Tar Heels.

One reason so many of us care so much about Carolina basketball is that it ties us to the University we love.  The reason basketball is so central to our connection, again, is Dean.  His humility, wisdom and excellence are what we think of when we think of Carolina.

Not Carolina basketball - Carolina.

For me, Marcus Paige evokes the same thing. He is the personification of all of Dean's Carolina values. At a time when the athletic program is doing all it can to embarrass the University, Paige - an Academic and athletic All-American - restored the values that make Carolina CAROLINA.

He led the comeback, once again, against Iowa State, but his turnover late may have cost Carolina the game (though ISU's incredible shooting, and our spotty transition defense that left too many shooters too open, had more to do with it).

But can we - do we - really blame Paige for not being perfect, after the season he had, after the plays he made, and more importantly the way he carried himself, the way he epitomized why we love Carolina basketball and Carolina?  No.

Marcus Paige, Tar Heel.

GO HEELS!

* The game also did NOT feature Brice Johnson.  More on that next blog.  I will also look at ahead at next year, which looks very bright since Marcus Paige just tweeted that he is returning next year.

They Just Do Not Get It

No, the title of this post is not about Duke fans.

But I AM talking about crazies, specifically the ones in Kansas, Arizona and elsewhere who even think about passing laws that make it okay to not serve people - in this case gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered - who violate a private business owner's deeply held 'religious beliefs.'

Those laws have been defeated or vetoed after opposition from Republicans in the business community.* However, houses of worship - especially Christians - should also oppose these efforts.  Sadly, most of these folks who vote for these laws, support the lawmakers who think them up, or the business owners who would love legal cover to discriminate THINK they are acting on Christian beliefs.

They're not.

In the run up to Lent - this year western Lent and Easter are in synch with the Orthodox calendar; take that Georgian calendar! - our gospel lessons have been getting us ready and reminding us why Easter is the holiest of holidays for Christians.

One of the themes our priests have been reinforcing the past few weeks has been how we treat other people, or 'the other'.  The message, especially in last week's reading from Matthew 25:31-46, is that we need to treat everyone, to love everyone, as if that person was Christ.  Whether you like them, know them, think they are bad people, if they are Dukies - no matter what - Christ tells us to love them.

To quote the Bible: 'whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

It really is eerie how directly antithetical these proposed laws are to scripture. To further quote Matthew: 'for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison (that's right, in addition to never turning anyone down for anything even if they are gay, Jesus says you have to LOVE prisoners!) and you did not look after me.  Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’


Since these laws deal mainly with restaurants the folks who support them want to literally do the opposite of what is written in the Gospel. Perhaps they want to start a new religion, or perhaps start a new organization: Evangelical Christians Against Christ.


Christianity is a simple religion but one that is challenging to get right; one of the things you have to do is love everyone as Christ loves us.

Just as the righteous crucified Christ the righteous among us today do not seem to understand his message. David Green, the billionaire CEO of Hobby Lobby and a financial backer of groups that advocate these discriminatory laws said in a 2012 speech “We have tried to run our business in a way that would be pleasing to our savior."

I humbly suggest that that is not happening, yet.  Mr. Green may want to read Matthew and then rethink his current business model.

* Smart business owners would never support these laws - or more importantly turn away business.  Greek restaurant owners in the south and in inner cities never turned away paying customers just because those customers were African-Americans. It was good business and good karma.  As you may know, Greeks were so well known for taking anyone's money that during the riots in Detroit, Washington and elsewhere Greek businesses were not fire bombed or damaged. The LGBT community uses the same money as the rest of the country.  If you're a for-profit business like a restaurant or a hobby shop, why would you want to act like an anti-Christian AND turn away paying customers?

FYI, David Green was coincidentally born in the same hometown as one of the greatest Americans, Christians, and humans of all time, Dean Smith. Both are from Emporia, Kansas.  I looked up Green's biography on the off-chance that he was a graduate of Duke University.

As for Dean, if you have not yet had a chance to read Duke graduate John Feinstein's excellent column in honor of coach Smith's birthday do that right now!  Of course I take quite a few shots at Duke but Feinstein's columns are almost always great - especially this one.

More Carolina Basketball, more Dean, and Phil Ford

It was more of the same yesterday as Carolina basketball, the style invented and developed by Dean Smith, triumphed over Kentucky for another marquee win for this year's squad.

It was not the most ascetically pleasing contest but it was a win - which IS Carolina basketball.

So is going inside, something the Heels did repeatedly and effectively; so is going to the free throw line; so is sharing the ball and having multiple players contribute.  

The 'sharing the wealth' is becoming the hallmark of this fun and successful team. This year's Heels, especially Marcus Paige, J.P. Tokoto, Brice Johnson, James Michael McAdoo, Kennedy Meeks, Johnson, are fun to watch.  Last year's team had a disjointed feel, a team that had fans nervous for much of the season. The schedule was an exercise in watching Roy try to find combos that worked despite a flawed lineup with too many shooting guards and not much else. High points such as the win at FSU and the 'run' to the ACC tournament final felt like found money, not expected wins.

I think many Tar Heels fans felt the same way heading into this season, especially with Hairston sidelined indefinitely.  But this team has cured any of those unsettling thoughts and feelings. Led by Marcus Paige this year's team almost reminds me of the early 90s Heels, great teams with some great players - Eric Montross and one of the greatest Heels of all time in George Lynch - but without a dominant superstar (Worthy, Jordan, Jamison, May, Hansbrough, Lawson, etc.).*

That lack of a superstar and the use of a deep bench (Henrik Rodl, Kevin Salvatori, Scott Cherry) led many to dub the '93 Heels the ultimate Dean Smith team, where the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts. Dean's humility and Carolina collective triumphed over our society's obsession with celebrity and ego.

And like the '93 team, or any successful team, these Heels simply make plays. Whether we are talking about drives by Paige or McAdoo or Tokoto or Nate Britt, tip ins by Tokoto, Meeks, Joel James or Desmond Hubert, key boards or baskets by Johnson, great passes by Meeks or Paige, or huge steals by Tokoto, these Heels - every Heels player - make plays when they need to make plays.

As great as the win was over Kentucky, the program that blends the worst of Duke (smug entitlement) and NC State (low-brow anti-intellectualism) the half-time ceremony honoring Dean Smith for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom was even better.

If you have not seen it yet click here. The speeches by Dean's wife, who talked about his commitment to social change, and from Montross were great.  But I want to focus on Phil Ford.

Dean Smith's relationship with Ford epitomizes why Dean is Dean, the kind of person - not basketball coach - we should all emulate.

Ford was an elite basketball player; he won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 (for Dean - and the U.S.), was the ACC and national player of the year his senior year, and the NBA rookie of the year.  

Seven years later his career was over, derailed by the cocaine culture of the early '80s and alcoholism.  He washed out of the NBA in 1985. 

Carolina and Dean did not turn their back on one of the greatest Tar Heels of all time. Dean hired Ford as an assistant coach in 1988. He prospered, and was such a good recruiter that many assumed that Dean had groomed him as his likely successor.

How cool would that have been? Dean to Guthridge to Ford? That's got to be one of the biggest 'what ifs' in Carolina history!

The plan was derailed for good when Ford's demons reappeared, and he plead guilty to DUI in both 1997 and 1999. The second DUI cost him the JV coaching job and his position as lead recruiter under Bill Guthridge. 

Ford left Chapel Hill when Matt Doherty insisted on bringing in his own staff (sheesh, that guy...) but Dean's Carolina family continued to help Ford as he worked as an NBA assistant for Larry Brown in Detroit and New York before returning to Chapel Hill to work for the Education Foundation.

Dean never made a big deal about helping Ford get his life back together; what could be more un-Deanlike?  

Isn't that what one's life should be about, helping those who need a little help? That's why Dean is Dean, one reason why he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor, and the main reason folks like us love him and Carolina so much.

Go Heels!

A Few More Things

•  How great was it to see McAdoo back on track?  Much has been made of his aggressive play on offense, but he outplayed Randall on both ends of the floor.
• Foul trouble and perhaps some Dean-like insouciance led to Roy playing Jackson Simmons and Desmond Hubert at the same time in the second half yesterday.  Ol' Roy got away with it even though Simmons looked super nervous bricking 4 late free throws.
• A month ago I was afraid that Britt was the second coming of Adam Boone. Man, was I wrong.  Every minute of every game you can see his confidence and game grow.  In the 3 big wins - against the top three teams in the preseason top 25 - he has been fantastic.  His coast to coast drive late was one of the plays of the game, and like Paige he is money at the free throw line.  His play gives the Heels tremendous balance, especially if he and Tokoto can make an occasional three pointer. 

* I know you knew that list; I just liked typing it.   

 

 

There'll Be A Carolina Victory

There'll be a Carolina victory - every time the Tar Heels play Michigan State.  What a great win in East Lansing against the undefeated and top-ranked Spartans,* again.

Many if not all the post-game stories included words or sentiments such as  'unexpected' or 'upset' but as we all know, when Carolina wins it's never an upset.  Even against number one on the road, even after a loss to UAB.  Carolina is Carolina.
  
Carolina basketball is a feeling as much as it is a system (a term Dean hated) or philosophy.  That feel extends to fans, too. For instance, five minutes into the game in Birmingham I imagine most Carolina fans knew - as I felt - that we were going to lose.  The Heels came out flat, listless, and disengaged thanks to a combination of (a week off)+ (a little too much post-Louisville hubris)=loss.

But those kinds of games are to be expected from a young team still learning it's way.

Five minutes into the game versus Michigan State I felt - I knew, I tweeted - the Heels were going to win.

Why? Because we looked like Carolina. Carolina forced a terrible shot on Michigan State's initial possession to start the game.  On the other end we immediately went inside, as Dean taught for years, something that worked ALL night.

It was Carolina blue heaven all night.

• The Heels were relentless in feeding the post, as Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Joel James were getting lots of touches and making lots of shots.
• When someone missed, Johnson, Meeks, and especially J.P. Tokoto were there for the offensive rebound. Tokoto also seemed to grab every lose ball.
• If we weren't feeding the post the Heels were taking it to the rack.  Nate Britt was fantastic both looking for his shot and getting the ball down low, as was Marcus Page.  And Tokoto.
• Our aggressiveness on offense led us to the free-throw line, where at least for one night the Heels were awesome (especially Britt late, less so for James Michael McAdoo).  

Feeding the post, rebounding, getting to the free throw line - THAT"S Carolina basketball!

And so is winning.

The only item not on that list is lots of fast break points. Though the Heels did not run that much, they did have some impressive and important points in transition. Tokoto's block of a dunk attempt early in the second half, a dunk that would have given the Spartans their first lead of the night, led to an old-fashioned three-point play when Britt threw an incredible diagonal pass to a streaking Page for a huge bucket and one.

Page made huge plays all night.  You can pick among his 3 to open the second half, the charge he took in the first half, the fast break basket from Britt, or his big 3 late.

Later in the half, when once again Michigan State had tied the score, feeding the post Carolina-style won the game for the Heels. Johnson scored 4 straight, then Tokoto scored 6 straight with one hoop coming on an offensive board and another on a one-man fast break, before Meeks went on a one-man 4-point run.

As it was against Louisville every Heel contributed.  Britt and McAdoo got us started with some great shooting in the first half; when they went out with two fouls the Spartans finally tied the Heels after trailing by 10 for most of the half.  McAdoo struggled for most of the night, but in addition to the good first half offensively he had a huge board at the end of the shot clock in the second half and a great block with less than a minute left.

Meeks also had an impressive block late, and his skip pass from the post to Page for Marcus' killer three was a thing of beauty and probably the play of the game.  

Lots of great performances for a great win, a win that was all Carolina basketball right from the start.  

GO HEELS!