This season, Carolina blue could be a few shades duller and that much less intimidating. With the loss of starters Brendan Haywood and Joseph Forte to the NBA and key reserve Julius Peppers to the football program, the remaining Tar Heels find themselves with big shoes to fill.
Seniors Kris Lang and Jason Capel provide North Carolina with experience. Other notable veterans include forward Brian Bersticker, who is in his final year of eligibility.
The Tar Heels' three freshmen, Melvin Scott, Jackie Manuel and Jawad Williams, all could start. Junior Ronald Curry, who also plays football, is still questioning whether to return for a third season, so Doherty is counting on the freshmen to make an impact this year. Scott is competing against Adam Boone and Jon Holmes for the starting point guard position. Curry could also be a factor in the point guard battle.
This season Doherty wants his team to become quicker and run the floor better, something it was hindered from doing last year because of Haywood, a 7-footer who wasn't comfortable in the open floor. The players are also training under a new conditioning program that will prevent mid-season burnout and has them set to peak in March, right in time for the postseason tournaments.
 |
| COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA MEDIA RELATIONS |
In addition to improving team speed, the Tar Heels also will look to a wider variety of players to contribute. Doherty plans to play his multi-talented players at different positions and hopes that the Heels will be more difficult to guard because the opposition will have to do more than just shut down Haywood or Forte.
A less-centralized offense will "give us some flexibility," Doherty said.
Although the Tar Heels went 26-7 last year and were knocked out by Penn State in the second round of the NCAA tournament, they will have to catch everyone off-guard this season.
"People are counting us out [because of the losses endured by the program], but we're not counting ourselves out," Bersticker said.
Despite the team's inexperience on the whole, this is not the first time the Tar Heels were lightly-regarded. In the 1997-98 season, Bill Guthridge took over for Dean Smith. After Smith's success at the school, expectations were low, but Guthridge led the Tar Heels to the ACC title, the Final Four and the No. 1 rank in the nation at the end of the season. Depending on the learning curve of the three freshmen and the leadership of Lang and Capel, North Carolina has every chance to succeed this season as well.
"I think there is something about putting on a North Carolina jersey that you go into a season expecting to win," Doherty said.
Read More
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 2 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 3 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
What does the University’s contract with dining service Aramark entail?
By Brandon Kile | 4 days agoThe Cavalier Daily submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the University for its contract with Aramark to understand the specific terms of the agreement.
