Carolina is back on its heels for reasons big and small

Sporting News, The, Jan 31, 2000 by Mike DeCourcy

North Carolina's nine-year stay in the Associated Press rankings, its 25-year run of NCAA Tournament appearances and its numbing string of 35 top-three finishes in the Atlantic Coast Conference all may find an end this season, but at least the Tar Heels have done something benevolent for one of their own.

They have turned Brad Daugherty into a genuine TV analyst.

After ambling about in his first year or so with ESPN and ABC looking for something interesting to say, Daugherty found his voice as he watched the Heels drop a fourth consecutive game for the first time since 1991-92.

He told the audience watching North Carolina lose to Florida State under the Dean Dome that the Heels' frontcourt players were responsible for more than their share of game-turning turnovers.

He explained they needed more leadership, more heart and more intensity. He called the Florida State result "a monumental loss for this program."

Daugherty didn't touch on every cause of North Carolina's disintegration, but they give you only so much time to make your point on television, even less when you're working your points in between those made by Dick Vitale.

North Carolina has been in trouble before, and recently. The Heels lost their first three ACC games in 1996-97, Dean Smith's final season as coach, then dumped their trapping defenses, played mostly zone and landed in the Final Four. This appears to be different, though. Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison are not in this lineup. Smith is not on the bench.

In three seasons under Bill Guthridge, UNC has gone from a Final Four team to a first-round NCAA loser to a team that needs to hustle even to make the field.

The minor reasons

Injuries. Although medical problems don't excuse the three home-court losses and .579 winning percentage, the Tar Heels have been without point guard Ron Curry the entire season and backup big man Brian Bersticker for all but five games.

Bothered by a virus and shin splints, power forward Kris Lang has been healthy for perhaps 10 percent of the minutes he has played. The Florida State defeat came with Ed Cota at home bemuse of the flu.

Depth. It's possible Max Owens and Orlando Melendez were regarded as high-level prospects because North Carolina pursued them. Maybe their potential was properly assessed. But even though Jon Holmes did an adequate job in Cota's place against the Seminoles, it's nearly impossible to find a college coach or talent scout who understands why the Heels went all the way to Indiana to sign him.

Whether mistakes were made in recruiting or coaching, the Heels get little from their bench. To gain some degree of dependability, they had to grab Julius Peppers from the football squad, which is not where you'd expect North Carolina to look for talent.

Athleticism. With Owens and Melendez as spectators, the Heels are not the most dynamic team. Their defense has been diced by such quick forwards as Pete Mickeal of Cincinnati, Morris Peterson of Michigan State and Nate Johnson of Louisville.

If Jason Capel is not quick enough at small forward, the Heels should be talented enough--they start five McDonald's All-Americans--and slick enough to disguise one defensive liability. Duke hid Trajan Langdon's defense all the way to 37 victories last season, but those Blue Devils at tacked opponents with their defense. These Tar Heels accommodate opponents.

Which brings us to ...

The major reasons

Intensity. In his time at North Carolina, before he became an NBA All-Star, Daugherty was occasionally accused of playing soft. Measured against 7-foot junior Brendan Haywood, Daugherty was the Tasmanian Devil.

Haywood averages two offensive rebounds and outrebounds freshman shooting guard Joseph Forte by .8 per game. Haywood shoots .714 from the field but averages just seven attempts because he doesn't make himself available for the ball.

The only defiantly competitive player among the Heels is Forte, who leads them in scoring and made an impressively desperate effort to carry them out of their late deficit against Florida State.

Leadership. Cota is a veteran of two Final Four teams and one of the most productive passers to play in the NCAA, but at what point is he responsible for grabbing hold of his uninspired teammates and dragging them toward respectability?

No one could fault Cota if he told Capel and Haywood they'll get the ball again when they start working harder on defense.

Opposing coaches don't dread Cota as they should because he often declines to take over games. He has passed for double-figure assists in six games, but three were defeats. The Tar Heels won each of his five highest-scoring games, including a comeback from an eight-point deficit against NC State when Cota went 8-of-8 from the field and scored 23.

Coaching. There is plenty to respect about the coaching staff. Guthridge learned directly from Smith and no doubt taught the Hall of Famer a few things, as well. But really, who is there to fear?

It's not essential to be glowering and profane to command players' attention, although that can help. If a coach is to follow a more humane approach, though, he must use the ultimate motivator--playing time--to punish and reward.