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#7 North Carolina Tar Heels
ACC
2003-04: 19-11, 8-8, 5th
2003-04 postseason: NCAA Second
Round
By
Joel Welser
Going
.500 in the ACC isn’t what the Tar Heel faithful like to see. Even more
painful is the exit in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The good
news is that all key players are returning and a few impact players are
coming to Chapel Hill. What was a young, inexperienced team has now become
experienced, or so head coach Roy Williams hopes. In 2002-2003 the Tar
Heels went 6-10 and returned most of their players to go 8-8 last year. If
they are so talented, they should have done better last year and question
marks still surround UNC this year.
Who’s Out: Walk-on guards
Jonathan Miller and Damien Price, as well as forward Phillip McLamb have run
out of eligibility. None of those three averaged more then two minutes a
game or played in more then 12 games all year long.
Who’s In: Raymond Felton,
Rashad McCants, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott may provide one of the best
backcourts in the nation, but a point guard to backup Felton was a problem
last year. Coach Williams picked up two quality guys to come off the
bench. Incoming freshman Quentin Thomas shouldn’t get too used to coming
off the bench though. The 6-3, 175 pound Oakland native should be starting
once Felton’s collegiate career is over. Thomas is a very smart and skilled
ball handler. He can create his own shot or create a shot for his teammates
with ease. Walk-on sophomore Wes Miller, a transfer from James Madison,
will fight for some minutes at the point. Marvin Williams will be a big
time star before he’s done at UNC. In fact, the 6-9 forward could be a star
before the season is over. He is extremely versatile and could play both
forward spots. Williams averaged 28.7 points and 15.5 rebounds per game at
Bremerton High School in Washington. He can play block, he can pass and he
has a nice stroke from anywhere on the floor.
Who to Watch: Jawad
Williams, David Noel and Sean May, along with freshman Marvin Williams will
comprise the frontcourt. North Carolina had some depth problems last year.
The Tar Heels seemed to hit the wall in the middle of the season, going
11-10 to finish up the season. Conditioning and depth are seemingly to
blame. Sean May seemed to have the most problems with Coach Williams up and
down style, although injuries played a part in that as well. He’ll have to
stay healthy and stay fresh down the stretch for the Heels to improve on
last year’s record. May averaged 15.2 points and 9.8 boards as a sophomore
last season and should be able to put up at least as solid numbers in
2004-2005.
Projected Conference Rank:
Plenty of teams will be fighting for the top of the ACC. Along with UNC;
Duke, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest are all legitimate preseason top ten
teams. A 2nd place finish for the Tar Heels is a great season
after going .500 a year ago. If they can stay healthy and strong in March,
North Carolina has a shot to bring some magic back to Chapel Hill.
Projected Post-season
Tournament: NCAA
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Email Joel Welser:
jwelser_chn@ameritech.net
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