A double dose of Curry would spice two UNC teams

Sporting News, The, April 24, 2000 by Mark Blaudschun

The basketball coach would love to see him in uniform on the first day of practice in October. The football coach is praying that by mid-August, he again will be healthy enough to take a hit, get up and take over the job of quarterback that desperately needs to be filled.

If you want to find the most popular man on the University of North Carolina campus these days, say hello to Ronald Curry.

But which Ronald Curry would you be greeting? The Ronald Curry who is such a good point guard that some Carolina insiders are predicting a national championship run for the Tar Heels if Curry can play an entire season in the Dean Dome?

Or are we talking about Ronald Curry, the quarterback who is such an important cog to coach Carl Torbush's football team that some think he can turn the 3-8 disaster last year into a solid 8-3 bowl season for the Tar Heels?

Curry naturally wants to play both, which is one of the reasons he came to North Carolina three years ago.

Right now, he can't do either. Last October 9, he ruptured his right Achilles' tendon against Georgia Tech. Gone was the rest of the football season, which so quickly went south on the Heels that Torbush almost lost his job.

And gone was any chance of helping the Heels in basketball, although coach Bill Guthridge's team recovered from an indifferent season in time to make it to the Final Four for the second time in three seasons.

Curry's first priority is football. He was dearly frustrated as he watched the Heels go through spring practice. "I'd like to be out there to see how it feels again," he says, after being limited to some light passing drills during the spring sessions.

Curry swears he will be ready by mid-August, when summer camp opens. He says he is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. He has worked hard to understand the new offense installed by Mike O'Cain, Carolina's new offensive coordinator, who joined the Tar Heels' staff this winter after he was fired as the head coach at NC State.

"I can't see any way I won't be out there on September 2 (when the Heels open vs. Tulsa)," Curry says. "We have to get off to a good start this time."

But Curry also says that if he isn't completely healthy by the start of the football season, he will take a redshirt year and concentrate on getting ready for basketball.

When Curry came out of high school, it was a tossup as to which sport would become his primary passion. The word on him as a basketball player was that he was a very good point guard. But as a quarterback, he had the potential to be a superstar. So far, he has been neither a superstar nor very good. And the injury last season only slowed his progress.

The quandary for Carolina is that if Curry is as good as projected in football, he won't be available to the basketball team until mid-January, although that still is enough time for him to emerge and contribute.

Curry's goals in both sports are simple. "I want to start playing and winning again," he says.

By the dog days of August, we will have a better idea of where Ronald Curry stands. And make no mistake, the Heels need him in football and basketball.

RELATED ARTICLE: inside dish

The experiment Miami (Fla.) coach Butch Davis used in moving Dan Morgan to middle linebacker this spring is no longer an experiment. It's almost certain to be a permanent move. "It's worked out extremely well," Davis says. "Anchoring him in the middle gives him a chance to make plays on both sides of the field." ... Miami finished its spring drills last week and received an unexpected gift. Former Hurricanes RB Edgerrin James donated $250,000 to his old school, the largest gift given by a former player. "The opportunity to be part of the University of Miami family has meant a great deal to me," says James, who was a first-round draft pick of the Colts last season. "I hope others will follow my lead in giving back to the program." ... Things did not go as planned for Florida this spring. The Gators suffered so many injuries (16) that they had to play 9-on-9 in their spring game. "Our main goal was to stay healthy," says Gators coach Steve Spurrier, "and we didn't do that." ... The quarterback race at Tennessee is heating up with four candidates looking to replace Tee Martin. The early leader is sophomore Joey Matthews, who has a slight edge on A.J. Suggs, but two true freshmen who enrolled in January are making a push. Casey Clausen and John Rattay have high ambitions, but Clausen (6-4, 222) looks like the leader to emerge as the quarterback of the future.... Georgia QB Quincy Carter is smiling these days. Not only does Carter have veteran WR Terrence Edwards as a target this fall, but freshman WR Durell Robinson also is expected to be an impact player.

Mark Blaudschun covers college football for the Boston Globe. E-mail him at blaudschun@sportingnews.com.