Without Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves the Heels looked incredibly young and inexperienced in losing to Bobby Cremins' College of Charleston tonight. Carolina is not very deep at guard; tonight it showed that our perimeter game has no margin for error, and having Ginyard and Graves out was too much for the Heels to overcome.
It was also a road game, but that's more of an excuse. The lack of development by Carolina's wings is the big story, for the season thus far and for tonight's loss.
Leslie McDonald had some nice moments, and turned out to be Carolina's third leading scorer. Then again, with Carolina up 3 with :30 seconds left all that good work was undone by his bad final - and missed - shot. Drew hit a big 3 late, but made lots of bad decisions throughout the game. Dexter Strickland had a terrible game from any perspective: bad passes, not moving his feet on defense, ill-advised shots, and blown lay ups. Justin Watts made Will Graves look like David Noel, shooting the ball every time he touched it - whether he was open or not.
But our guard's biggest crime was forgetting to get the ball down low. When Carolina did, late in the second half, Ed Davis and Deon Thompson were unstoppable. Then we forgot that Carolina basketball means going down low, started making mistakes and taking bad shots, and CoC hit that big three at the end to send it to overtime.
A disconcerting loss any way you look at it, but perhaps not as disconcerting as the fact that 15 games into the season some of the young Heels are actually getting - and playing - younger. Let's hope Ginyard and Graves - especially Ginyard - return for Sunday's ACC opener versus Virginia Tech. And that Drew and Stickland mature quickly in practice between now and Sunday.
Showing posts with label Ed Davis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed Davis. Show all posts
Monday, January 4, 2010
Monday, November 9, 2009
CHAPEL HILL
Evan and I just returned from a great weekend in Chapel Hill for my 25th Annual Reunion/Homecoming at Carolina. Regarding the reunion, it wasn’t much and I didn’t see anyone I knew from my class. The only fellow alumni I hung out with was my brother, and I’m not sure that counts (we knew each other before college).
Regardless, it was a great weekend full of North Carolina’s THREE BIG Bs: basketball, barbeque and biscuits.*
Basketball
Homecoming kicked off on Friday night with an exhibition basketball game between the defending National Champions Tar Heels and Belmont Abbey (the scoreboard listed them as B ABBEY; only thing more humiliating than that was their “Let’s Go Abbey” cheer. Oh, and post-Iraq war they continue to use the nickname “Crusaders.” That’s it for the B ABBEY section of this blog).
As I mentioned in my last blog, simply being in the same building with the Tar Heels gets me – even 25 whopping years after graduating – excited.
And I was excited on Friday to see the new Post-Ty(ler) Heels in action. It was great to see my man Deon Thompson play with confidence, watch Tyler Zeller hit shots and make plays all over the court (granted against a Division II team), and to see a slim and healthy Marcus Ginyard back on the floor.
I was most impressed, however, with freshman Dexter Strickland. D-Strick looked great: quick, confident, and a playmaker. His skills - at both the 1 and the 2 - likely mean that he will be the first guard off the bench.
This will clearly be Ginyard’s team. Led by Thompson, Carolina’s front court of Ed Davis, Zeller, and freshmen John Henson and the Wear twins will be the focal point of this team – offensively and defensively. In fact, many pre-season previews have pointed out that this Carolina squad could be a very, very good defensive team.
One last thing about the front court – all five are plus athletes. A deep and athletic front court means the Heels should be able to continue to run opponents into the ground, overwhelming teams with waves of talent.
But the back court is another story all together, the most important one of the 2009-2010 season.
Ol’ Roy has tremendous confidence in sophomore Larry Drew at the point. If he can keep the offense moving forward at all times – a la Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson and even Bobby Frasor in 2005-2006 – the Heels should be okay. We’ve gotten spoiled at Carolina with point guards who can play fast AND not turn it over. We’ll see if Drew can do that, II.
The bigger question mark is outside shooting. Obviously, Carolina’s last two national champions were balanced offensive juggernauts, with low-post scorers like Sean May and Hansbrough complimented by guards like Rashad McCants, Felton, Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green.
This year there is no proven shooter on the floor, at least in the starting five. Drew II will shoot some threes, as will Ginyard and Strickland, but right now the starter at shooting guard is Will Graves. As a freshman, Graves shot the 3 well; as a sophomore he did not. But his shooting was the least of his problems as he was suspended from the team mid-way through the season. Those four will get some relief from Henson and the Wears - all three newcomers can shoot – but Carolina will really need Drew and Graves to step up from outside to reach their third final four in a row.
Even with the question marks surrounding shooting, this will be an exciting team to follow and watch. If Drew can guide the offense and the Heels get half-way decent outside shooting – not just from behind the 3-point line but also from 15 to 17 feet out - this talented front court will score and rebound and run enough to make this another incredibly successful season.
Almost forgot there was a football game played on Saturday, too. Carolina won a fairly lackluster game 19-6 over rivals Duke (who came in riding a two-game winning streak). The Tar Heels defense and Ryan Houston litterally carried the Heels to victory. Houston rushed 37 times for 140 yards after Sean Droughn was hurt - for the season it turns out - on the second play of the game.
Random Hoop Notes
I will admit that I am quite biased, way biased, hard-to-be-more biased than me, steeped in bias when it comes to my home state, but honestly, is there better food than eastern North Carolina barbeque?
Honestly, the answer is no.
For my last meal I would love to eat what we ate at the alumni association tail gate party under the Bell Tower: mounds of eastern NC q, yellow cole slaw (with mustard), green beans, baked beans, fried and barbequed chicken, fried flounder, hush puppies, corn bread, sweet tea, and banana pudding.
If it truly is last meal time, maybe throw in some cherries, blueberries, or any melon to balance things out, and finish it off with some coffee. Then I die happy.
The spread – provided by 'Carolina Barbeque' in Garner – was so good I had to take a picture of my plate and post it to Facebook.
Biscuits
Evan had a great time this weekend, too, hanging out with cousin Alex (along with cousin Sophia and Aunt Becky) and soaking in Chapel Hill and the University. But the highlight – at least one of the highlights - of the weekend for him was eating 2 dinners in a row at Time Out.
Evan gorged himself on the famous chicken and cheddar biscuit each night, and we even brought one home for Ariadne (for the record, it transports very well).
The Time Out biscuit, just the plain pastry, is probably the best on the planet. Fluffy and crispy, cut in a trademark square. And Time Out has not changed since I first went there. There are still photos of Dean, Phil Ford and others (of course, Chris Webber) calling time out, and they still keep a bottle of windex in the dining room in case you need to clean the grease off your table DIY style.
* One can argue that there are at least 5 Big Bs, those two plus beaches and (representing the mountains of my home state) the Blue Ridge.
Regardless, it was a great weekend full of North Carolina’s THREE BIG Bs: basketball, barbeque and biscuits.*
Basketball
Homecoming kicked off on Friday night with an exhibition basketball game between the defending National Champions Tar Heels and Belmont Abbey (the scoreboard listed them as B ABBEY; only thing more humiliating than that was their “Let’s Go Abbey” cheer. Oh, and post-Iraq war they continue to use the nickname “Crusaders.” That’s it for the B ABBEY section of this blog).
As I mentioned in my last blog, simply being in the same building with the Tar Heels gets me – even 25 whopping years after graduating – excited.
And I was excited on Friday to see the new Post-Ty(ler) Heels in action. It was great to see my man Deon Thompson play with confidence, watch Tyler Zeller hit shots and make plays all over the court (granted against a Division II team), and to see a slim and healthy Marcus Ginyard back on the floor.
I was most impressed, however, with freshman Dexter Strickland. D-Strick looked great: quick, confident, and a playmaker. His skills - at both the 1 and the 2 - likely mean that he will be the first guard off the bench.
This will clearly be Ginyard’s team. Led by Thompson, Carolina’s front court of Ed Davis, Zeller, and freshmen John Henson and the Wear twins will be the focal point of this team – offensively and defensively. In fact, many pre-season previews have pointed out that this Carolina squad could be a very, very good defensive team.
One last thing about the front court – all five are plus athletes. A deep and athletic front court means the Heels should be able to continue to run opponents into the ground, overwhelming teams with waves of talent.
But the back court is another story all together, the most important one of the 2009-2010 season.
Ol’ Roy has tremendous confidence in sophomore Larry Drew at the point. If he can keep the offense moving forward at all times – a la Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson and even Bobby Frasor in 2005-2006 – the Heels should be okay. We’ve gotten spoiled at Carolina with point guards who can play fast AND not turn it over. We’ll see if Drew can do that, II.
The bigger question mark is outside shooting. Obviously, Carolina’s last two national champions were balanced offensive juggernauts, with low-post scorers like Sean May and Hansbrough complimented by guards like Rashad McCants, Felton, Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green.
This year there is no proven shooter on the floor, at least in the starting five. Drew II will shoot some threes, as will Ginyard and Strickland, but right now the starter at shooting guard is Will Graves. As a freshman, Graves shot the 3 well; as a sophomore he did not. But his shooting was the least of his problems as he was suspended from the team mid-way through the season. Those four will get some relief from Henson and the Wears - all three newcomers can shoot – but Carolina will really need Drew and Graves to step up from outside to reach their third final four in a row.
Even with the question marks surrounding shooting, this will be an exciting team to follow and watch. If Drew can guide the offense and the Heels get half-way decent outside shooting – not just from behind the 3-point line but also from 15 to 17 feet out - this talented front court will score and rebound and run enough to make this another incredibly successful season.
Almost forgot there was a football game played on Saturday, too. Carolina won a fairly lackluster game 19-6 over rivals Duke (who came in riding a two-game winning streak). The Tar Heels defense and Ryan Houston litterally carried the Heels to victory. Houston rushed 37 times for 140 yards after Sean Droughn was hurt - for the season it turns out - on the second play of the game.
Random Hoop Notes
- My first impression of Henson is he will stay in Chapel Hill at least 2 years simply to fill out his body. He is incredibly skinny, and his torso is not much wider than his arms. Henson also air-balled two free throws against B ABBEY.
- Ed Davis had a lackluster game, but all four of Carolina’s front court players have the talent – though perhaps not the minutes – to average in double figures this season.
- After Strickland, the Wear Twins were the most impressive freshmen on Friday night – even more than Henson. They appear to be above-average athletes who hit shots from all over the floor, crashed the boards, moved their feet on defense, and ran the floor really well. Those two are fifth and sixth on the front court depth chart; clearly, this team is inexperienced but stacked.
- As good as the exhibition was on Friday, I’m equally geeked up to watch the Heels officially kick off the season against Florida International tonight at 7 pm. I used to spend a decent amount of time at FIU since for years Florida PIRG had a chapter there.
- But the main draw is a bit of pay back for Isaiah Thomas, who ruined my freshman year by leading Indiana to the 1981 National Championship, beating Al Wood’s Tar Heels in the final. I still remember a drunken suitemate of mine slurring “Isaiah Thomix sux” as we dragged ourselves back to our dorm from Franklin Street that night.
- One completely random note: I encourage all Heels fans to start following Bobby Frasor on Twitter. Frasor is playing pro ball in of all places Bulgaria, and has posted some funny and interesting items about his time there.
- Headline at ESPN.com: Florida State to roll out heralded Manuel at QB. I’m assuming this refers to Evan (since Ariadne plays running back).
I will admit that I am quite biased, way biased, hard-to-be-more biased than me, steeped in bias when it comes to my home state, but honestly, is there better food than eastern North Carolina barbeque?
Honestly, the answer is no.
For my last meal I would love to eat what we ate at the alumni association tail gate party under the Bell Tower: mounds of eastern NC q, yellow cole slaw (with mustard), green beans, baked beans, fried and barbequed chicken, fried flounder, hush puppies, corn bread, sweet tea, and banana pudding.
If it truly is last meal time, maybe throw in some cherries, blueberries, or any melon to balance things out, and finish it off with some coffee. Then I die happy.
The spread – provided by 'Carolina Barbeque' in Garner – was so good I had to take a picture of my plate and post it to Facebook.
Biscuits
Evan had a great time this weekend, too, hanging out with cousin Alex (along with cousin Sophia and Aunt Becky) and soaking in Chapel Hill and the University. But the highlight – at least one of the highlights - of the weekend for him was eating 2 dinners in a row at Time Out.
Evan gorged himself on the famous chicken and cheddar biscuit each night, and we even brought one home for Ariadne (for the record, it transports very well).
The Time Out biscuit, just the plain pastry, is probably the best on the planet. Fluffy and crispy, cut in a trademark square. And Time Out has not changed since I first went there. There are still photos of Dean, Phil Ford and others (of course, Chris Webber) calling time out, and they still keep a bottle of windex in the dining room in case you need to clean the grease off your table DIY style.
* One can argue that there are at least 5 Big Bs, those two plus beaches and (representing the mountains of my home state) the Blue Ridge.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Character Win Over The U
An important, gut-check, character-building, fill-in-any-other-cliche-here win for the Heels last night in Coral Gables. Carolina endured a sub-par offensive night - and a great shooting display by Jack McClinton - to net an impressive 69-65 post-Duke road win over Miami.
Carolina won despite not reacting very well to Miami's zone. Instead of being patient and feeding the post the Heels shot way too many jumpers. The good news of course is that Carolina's starting back court had a great shooting game, with Ty Lawson once again leading the way.
As he did in Cameron, Lawson was dominant in the second half, especially down the stretch in hitting 3 big three-pointers. Wayne Ellington also had an excellent night with his first career double-double. His 15 points/10 rebounds was paired with 5 assists and only one turnover.
On a night when little went right offensively, and the Heels were held to a season-low 69 points, the Carolina made enough plays and Lawson made enough shots to win a tough road game.
That's the good news for the Tar Heel back court. The bad news is they failed to get Hansbrough enough touches. Some of that was mitigated by effective rebounding, led by Ed Davis' eleven off the bench. For the five minutes before halftime Davis helped carry the Heels, and after half time Deon Thompson had a nice run as the Heels built up a 14-point lead.
Even after Miami made their late run to cut the lead to one you just had a feeling Carolina was going to win this game; they had simply been too tough and resilient to lose. Specifically, those traits were on display on four key plays:
- Danny Green's huge block on McClinton on what would have been a lay-up to give Miami the lead; Green had what could be generously called a so-so game, but on that play he showed why some people say "Danny Green is God!"
- Bobby Frasor's late game defense on McClinton; with about a minute left Frasor forced McClinton to take a desperation three that barely drew iron. Frasor also had a nice drive for a basket late. Frasor's had back to back good games, and along with Davis and Larry Drew give Carolina a very reliable 8-player rotation.
- Hansbrough drawing a charge with 44 seconds left. As he did against Duke Hansbrough influenced a game with his defense and quick feet.
It also means the Heels will be tough to beat the rest of the season. The need to clog the lane against Carolina is going to mean lots of open looks for Green, Ellington, and Lawson. Green and Lawson are shooting better than 45 percent from behind the three-point line, and Ellington has shot just as well in his last 8 games (27 for 59). And in their last two games in particular, the Heels have shown the ability to play lock-down defense, at least at key times of the game.
Winning tough games means a lot, especially when you win them with the kind of big plays the Heels made last night.
Few Random Notes:
- How good is Jack McClinton? He made a number of tough shots on his way to 35 points last night. Remarkably, McClinton has scored more than 30 points against Carolina, Duke and Wake; a pretty good resume. His effectiveness makes you really appreciate the couple of times Carolina was able to stop him.
- After the Duke game, Caulton Tudor at the N&O wrote that Lawson is the odds on favorite to win Player of the Year honors in the ACC; hard to argue against that after his play AT Duke and AT Miami.
- The annual Duke swoon seems to be on. BC is a good team and was at home, but Duke controlled that game for 36 minutes. Once again their back court combo of Paulus and Smith looked terrible, and Scheyer left Tyrese Rice of all people wide open late. You don't go far in the tournament without good guard play, and Duke is simply not getting that this season.
- Clemson has Wake Forest disease, losing two in a row after dismantling Duke at Littlejohn; first to Florida State at home and then inexplicably at Virginia yesterday.
GO HEELS!
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