Featured stories, UNC

Coach Williams says the baseball rule about going pro would be better

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UNC basketball coach Roy Williams said Wednesday that while he is excited to see the NBA draft, he would prefer that the rules for going pro were the same as baseball – which would mean that Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall would be playing for the Tar Heels next season.

“If I had a magic wand, I’d probably go the baseball route – go straight out of college (to the pros) or go to college for three years,” he said. “I think it’s not going out on a limb to say that most players would benefit from going to college.”

I’ve said for some time that the baseball rule would be a good one for college basketball. The hot shots like Labron James and Kobe Bryant can go pro immediately, as they did. But guys like Duke’s Austin Rivers probably would never have gone to college with that rule. I think that’s good as Rivers had no intention to spend more than a year in college before going pro. But Coach Mike Krzyzewski said he was glad to have Rivers for a year.

“We’re proud of the fact that the kid is here for a year, especially if he can go pro and he’s a lottery pick; he’s a high pick,” Krzyzewski said. “That’s good for your program.”

Williams, speaking on a national radio program, agreed. “i’m excited,” Williams said about going to the NBA draft to see his three underclassmen along with Tyler Zeller get selected. “We’re going to have four guys drafted. It’s good for them and good for the program.”

But wouldn’t it be better to have a solid starter for three or four years rather than a superstar for one season? “I’ve had guys four years that I’d wish had gone after one year,” Williams said with a laugh.

“But I don’t think it’s wrong to be a kid a little bit longer instead of getting out there in the business,” he said.

That’s exactly right especially today when you can get insurance policies to protect you in case of injury. So many of today’s players dream of playing in the NBA. I remember when I was a kid more people I knew dreamed of playing at Carolina (or Duke or State) rather than for the Knicks, the Lakers or the Celtics.

Still, Williams said he didn’t even recruit Lebron James because he was such a man against boys that he knew he’d go pro. He made a call to Kobe Bryant but didn’t pursue him either because he felt he would go straight to the pros. Good for them – that’s obviously what they should have done. But there are guys that go pro too early and very few who stay too long (conventional wisdom is that Donald Williams stayed a year too long at Carolina).

“There’s no one rule that fits everybody,” Williams said. “How can anyone say they made a bad decision but then there are a bunch of guys that make that decision and it is bad. I don’t tihnk going to college for one year is bad but I think going to college two years would probably be even better.”

I actually do think it’s bad to go after only one year. It shows that you have no real interest in education and that you just want to increase your draft spot. Plus, being a part of a school tradition should mean so much more than just a brief stepping stone.

Williams said he’s only told one player that he thought it would be a mistake to go pro and that nameless player stayed. He generally simply asks players what they want to do and he’ll support that decision. He has told four or five players that it was probably time to go pro.

If college basketball had the baseball rule, he’d probably have almost none of those conversations and college basketball fans could enjoy having the same players on their team for a while.

Featured stories

Twitter followers of the Durham Bulls have their own day July 19

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On Thursday, July 19th the Durham Bulls and Independent Weekly will host the #DBAPTweetup, an interactive social media event which will bring the Triangle’s online community together for a ballgame. Followers of @DurhamBulls on Twitter will be able to RSVP for a special ticket that will give them access to a reserved seating section for the game against Lehigh Valley. The #DBAPTweetup will be the first event of its kind at a Bulls game, giving fans a chance to put faces with the names of people they normally interact with via Twitter and other social networks.

By replying to or direct messaging @DurhamBulls on Twitter, fans can secure an $8.99 ticket in the Miller Lite Corral, which will serve as the designated Tweetup section for the game. Once at the game on Thursday, fans who have RSVP’d will receive a name tag featuring their Twitter handle so others can recognize them in person. The offer will only be honored for those who respond directly to @DurhamBulls tweets and further instructions on purchasing tickets.

Throughout the game, the Tweetup section will display a running feed of tweets from participants and anyone using the hashtag #DBAPTweetup. The video boards at the DBAP will also periodically scroll through selected tweets and photos from the event. Participants will be able to help select the music and in-game entertainment at the ballpark that night by responding to tweets from @DurhamBulls and @IndyWeekSocial. Prizes will be awarded in trivia contests and Twitter-based challenges. Thursday is also a $1 Concession Night, featuring Bright Leaf hot dogs, popcorn and fries.

For the latest news on the Bulls and promotional events at the DBAP, follow @DurhamBulls on Twitter and like the team on Facebook. Tickets for all Bulls regular season home games and the 2012 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game are available online at durhambulls.com, by phone at 919.956.BULL, or in person at the DBAP ticket office.

Featured stories

Bobcats get better of trade with Pistons, lose Maggette and get Gordon

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Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced Tuesday that the team has acquired guard Ben Gordon and a future first-round draft pick from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for forward Corey Maggette.

This is probably just the first big move the disappointing Bobcats will make before the NBA draft. On the surface, it appears that Charlotte got the better deal in getting an outside shooter, which they needed in addition to a future No. 1 pick, and getting rid of a continuing injury risk.

“With this trade, we have acquired two things we covet in our plan to build this team,” said Higgins. “By acquiring a young and proven talent in Ben Gordon and a future first-round draft pick, we have both addressed our need for three-point shooting and acquired an additional asset to help continue to improve our team in the future.”

An eight-year NBA veteran, Gordon has played in 594 career NBA games for the Bulls and Pistons, with averages of 16.5 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game. He has shot.436 from the field (3455-7929), .406 from beyond the three-point line (1015-2503) and .859 from the free-throw line (1871-2179). His career three-point percentage currently ranks 12th among active players and 21st in NBA history, while his career free-throw percentage ranks 10th among active players and 31st all-time.

The 6-3 Gordon was initially selected by the Bulls with the third overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and was named the 2004-05 NBA Sixth Man of the Year following his rookie season. He was also named First Team All-Rookie and earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors three times.

Last season, Gordon saw action in 52 games for Detroit, averaging 12.5 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 26.9 minutes, while shooting .442 from the field (234-530), .429 from beyond the three-point line (63-147) and .860 from the free-throw line (117-136).

Maggette was acquired by the Bobcats on June 23, 2011, as part of a three-team trade in which the Bobcats received Maggette from Milwaukee and the draft rights to Bismack Biyombo from Sacramento, in exchange for sending Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston and the draft rights to Tobias Harris to Milwaukee. In his lone season with the Bobcats, he saw action in 32 games, averaging 15.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27.5 minutes per game.

Featured stories, N.C. State

Modern-day inductees dominate NC State’s first-ever Hall of Fame class

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Although NC State has competed in athletics for more than 120 years, eight of the 10 players and coaches for the first-ever NC State Hall of Fame class played or coached within the last 37 years.

Seven highly accomplished athletes and three revered coaches make up the inaugural class of the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame, director of athletics Deborah A. Yow announced on Tuesday.

Led by a number of the best players ever to represent the Wolfpack in men’s and women’s basketball, football, women’s track and field/cross country and men’s soccer, it also includes the transformational coaches of Everett Case, Jim Valvano and Kay Yow. Five of the seven athletes are North Carolina natives.

“The efforts of the hall of fame selection committee and chair Chris Kingston are very much appreciated,” said Deborah A. Yow. “We look forward with great anticipation to the inductions and the celebration of achievements by 10 extraordinary men and women.”

The class will be celebrated at the 2012 NC State Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on Oct. 5 in Reynolds Coliseum.

Those chosen were: Genia Beasley, women’s basketball 1977-80; Ted Brown, Football 1975-78; Everett Case, men’s basketball coach 1946-64; Roman Gabriel, football 1958-61; Tab Ramos, men’s soccer 1984-87; Jim Ritcher, football 1976-79, Julie Shea, women’s cross country 1977-80; David Thompson, men’s basketball 1972-75; Jim Valvano, men’s basketball coach 1980-90; and Kay Yow, women’s basketball coach 1975-09.

While all those are certainly worthy of eventually being in the Hall of Fame, I would have thought they’d have gone back in history a bit further. I would have chosen Willis Casey, Everett Case, Earle Edwards, Ronnie Shavlik, Jack McDowell, John Ripple, Connie Mack Berry, Ray Reeve, Roman Gabriel and Kay Yow. Only three of those made the list. You can read more about these people and my reasoning by clicking here. The 10 I thought would be chosen were: Willis Casey, Everett Case, Earle Edwards, Ronnie Shavlik, Kay Yow, Norm Sloan, Jim Valvano, David Thompson, Phillip Rivers and Ted Brown. Only five of those 10 made the list.

I think it was a good idea however not to have Valvano and Sloan inducted the same year. It would kind of take away from the other.

Some other names that need to be considered in the future are: four-time All-America swimmer Bob Mattson, seven-time individual swimming winner Dick Fadgen, first basketball All-American Morris Johnson, State’s first real basketball big man Tommy Burleson, Olympic gold medal swimmer Steve Rerych, ACC basketball player of the year Lou Pucillo and first-team All-America basketball star Sammy Ranzino.

One that is certainly worthy of being chosen for the first class was David Thompson, who may have been the best college basketball player ever under 7-feet tall. The high-flying forward led the Pack to the 1974 NCAA Championship. Thompson, a native of Shelby, NC, led the Wolfpack to the 1973 and ’74 ACC titles and helped Norm Sloan’s team break UCLA’s streak of seven consecutive national titles by beating the Bruins in double overtime of the 1974 semifinals in Greensboro, N.C. Two days later, the Wolfpack beat Marquette to secure the first team championship in school history.

Genia Beasley is the all-time leading scorer for women’s basketball and certainly deserves to be in the Hall one day. I’m afraid diversity concerns may have led to her being in the first class. Women’s athletics has been around a relatively short time yet three of the 10 inductees are women. Again, all three deserve to be in the Hall – I’m just a little surprised three got in the first class.

Seven-time national champion Julie Shea, perhaps the school’s most decorated female athlete, was the top finisher on the 1979 and ’80 cross country teams that won NC State’s and the ACC’s first national championships in women’s sports. In addition to her two national individual cross country titles, she won five national track and field championships in the 3,000 meters, the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters, including all three at the 1980 championship meet.

Three football players are in the first class, including the ACC’s all-time rushing and scoring leader, tailback Ted Brown, whose amazing records have stood the test of time since he played his last game in 1978. He is joined by teammate and center Jim Ritcher, one of the most accomplished offensive linemen in college and professional football history. Ritcher was the winner of the 1979 Outland Trophy, provided to the best college football interior lineman in the nation.

The third football inductee, Roman Gabriel, was a two-time All-American as a quarterback in 1960 and ’61. He was also a 1961 Academic All-American while at NC State. In 1969, he was selected as the NFL Player of the Year for the Los Angeles Rams. The Wilmington, NC, native also played baseball and freshman basketball for the Wolfpack.

Tab Ramos, one of the top players in the history of American soccer, was a three-time All-American at NC State before his successful post-collegiate career, which included three World Cup teams and a starting position on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team.

Case brought big-time college basketball to the South when he was hired in 1946. He won nine conference championships in his first 10 seasons with the Red Terrors/Wolfpack and is still the winningest coach in school history with 377 career wins. He also won 726 games and four state championships as a legendary Indiana high school coach.

Yow was the first full-time women’s college coach at a North Carolina school. In 34 years at NC State, she led the Wolfpack to 680 wins, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 Sweet Sixteens and the 1998 Final Four. She also led Team USA to gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1986 World University Games in Moscow.

As both men’s basketball coach and athletics director, Valvano is one of the most recognizable figures in NC State history. He guided the Pack to both the 1983 ACC and NCAA championships in just his third year as head coach. In addition to winning regular-season ACC titles in 1985 and 1989, he also won the 1987 ACC Tournament and was selected 1989 ACC Coach of the Year. He guided the Wolfpack to seven NCAA tournaments, four Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and one Final Four.

Thompson, Case and Yow are already enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Gabriel and Ritcher are in the College Football Hall of Fame and Ramos is in the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Nine of the 10 selections have been inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

– Info from news release included

Featured stories, UNC

Butch Davis’ son to walk on at Carolina – this oughta be good

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I had to check to make sure it wasn’t April Fools’ Day. Drew Davis, son of embattled and fired UNC football coach Butch Davis, is going to walk on to play for the Tar Heels. Davis had planned to play for his father at UNC and decided to go through with playing in Chapel Hill anyway.

Davis asked his parents if it were ok before enrolling in summer school classes. “I think he was concerned about how we’d feel,” his mother Tammy Davis said. “But we just kept reiterating that it was his decision.” Butch Davis added, “He wanted us all to be OK with it.”

He went on to say, “As much as anything else, you want what’s best for your child. This is what he wishes to do, and we’re going to support him.”

The younger Davis set several state passing records and was listed as a three-star recruit by Scout.com but he wasn’t highly recruited, in part because it was assumed he would play for his dad at Carolina.

To make the story even stranger, the younger Davis is friends with UNC starter Bryn Renner, whose father was Davis’ coach at East Chapel Hill High.

Heels new coach Larry Fedora is obviously on board but I find it hard to believe most UNC officials are happy about Davis being on the Carolina team – it will only make people harken back to a time they’d just as soon forget and, if by some chance, Davis does get a chance to play, you can bet Butch Davis will be back to watch his son play.

It’s all rather surreal but you gotta respect the younger Davis for sticking to his dream of playing for the Tar Heels.

Duke, Featured stories

Duke golfer Lindy Duncan tops in the ACC and the country

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Not only is Duke’s Lindy Duncan the top golfer in the nation in 2011-12, the rising senior was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Monday as Commissioner John Swofford released the All-ACC Academic team.

Duncan along with Laetitia Beck, Alejandra Cangrejo, Courtney Ellenbogen and Stacey Kim helped Duke lead all league schools with five selections to the All-ACC Academic team.

A psychology major, Duncan is a three-time All-ACC Academic and All-ACC team honoree. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., golfer was the consensus National Player of the Year this past season as she received PING NGCA National Player of the Year and Golfweek National Player of the Year honors.

On the year, Duncan won four tournaments, including the ACC individual championship and had 10 top 10 finishes, posted 10 rounds in the 60s, 21 rounds of even or under par and a 71.07 stroke average. Her 71.07 stroke average is the second-best in school history and missed matching the Duke single-season school-record by .07. Amanda Blumenherst holds the Blue Devil mark of 71.00 that she set in 2007-08 and 2006-07.

Duncan was named Golfweek First Team All-America for the third straight year. Duncan finished No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, which she led for most of the 2011-12 campaign. Duncan also won the GolfStat Cup and was a NGCA First Team All-America this season.

Duke led with five individuals while Florida State, NC State and Wake Forest each placed three honorees on the team. Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia each placed two on the team.

Both Duncan and Kim received All-ACC Academic Team accolades for the third time, while Beck, Cangrejo and Ellenbogen earned honors for the second time.

The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award was established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the award must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.

To be eligible for consideration for the All-ACC Academic team, a student-athlete, regardless of classification, must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during her academic career.

– News release

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N&O’s Carr “eulogizes” former sports editor Joe Tiede

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A.J. Carr, who retired from the Raleigh News & Observer three years ago, wrote a piece today in the N&O about the death of his friend and former N&O sports editor Joe Tiede (pronounced TeeDee). Both Carr and Tiede were cut from the same old-school, genteel mold. Tiede once described Carr as the most polite person he ever knew and Carr has described Tiede as a true gentleman.

Tiede, who retired in 1990, died Friday night in Wilmington at the age of 84. It was nice to see such an admired sports editor be “eulogized” by a much admired sports writer. Check out the article by clicking here.

As a young sports writer and editor, I ran in the same circles as Tiede for a little less than a decade. He was an imposing figure because of his physical stature and because of his good reputation. But he came off as very humble and almost shy. I don’t think he was shy but he certainly was not gregarious. I, on the other hand, was shy to engage with such giants of the profession and I gladly yielded to them and their experience during news conferences and such. He had paid his dues for about 25 years and I hadn’t. Amazingly he has been retired for 22 years, spending time with his three children and three grandchildren but he has been in failing health in recent years.

Canes, Featured stories

Hurricanes select nine players (five forwards) on Day 2 of the NHL draft

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The Carolina Hurricanes today completed their activities at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA, by selecting nine players in rounds 2-7. Carolina selected five forwards, two defensemen and two goaltenders on the draft’s second day after having traded the eighth overall pick to Pittsburgh on Friday in the deal that brought center Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes.

Carolina used its first of two second-round picks (38th overall) to select left wing Phil Di Giuseppe (5’11”, 197 lbs.) from the University of Michigan. Di Giuseppe, 18, notched 11 goals and earned 15 assists (26 points) in 40 games with the Wolverines during his freshman season, and was an honorable mention for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) All-Rookie Team. The Maple, Ont., native wrapped up his first collegiate season with nine points (5g, 4a) in Michigan’s final eight games.

Later in the second round, the Hurricanes used the 47th overall pick on left wing Brock McGinn from the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). McGinn, 18, completed his second season of major junior hockey in 2011-12, notching 12 goals and earning seven assists (19 points) in 33 games. He missed more that two months of action after suffering a wrist injury in December. The Fergus, Ont., native is coached by former Carolina forward Scott Walker in Guelph, and was named an alternate captain for the team prior to the start of the season. He is the younger brother of Colorado Avalanche forward Jamie McGinn, and forward Tye McGinn who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2010.

In the third round, Carolina used the 69th overall pick to select goaltender Daniel Altshuller from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. Altshuller, 17, played his first season of major junior hockey in 2011-12, and posted an 11-16-2 record, a 3.55 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in 30 regular-season games. The Ottawa, Ont., native went 2-2 with a 3.87 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in five playoff appearances after winning the No. 1 role from fourth-year goaltender Kevin Bailie.

With their first of three fourth-round picks, the Hurricanes used the 99th overall selection on forward Erik Karlsson from Sweden. Karlsson, 17, spent the majority of 2011-12 with Frolunda Jr. of Sweden’s junior league, and notched 14 goals and 19 assists (33 points) in 47 games. The Lerum, Sweden, native also added three goals and seven assists (10 points) in four games with Frolunda’s under-18 junior team in 2011-12. In April, he earned three points (1g, 2a) in six games as Sweden captured the silver medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation 2012 Under-18 World Championship in the Czech Republic. (AUDIO: Karlsson conference call with media gathered in Raleigh)

Later in the fourth round, Carolina used the 115th overall pick on defenseman Trevor Carrick from Mississauga St. Michael’s of the OHL. Carrick, 17, finished his first OHL season with six goals, 13 assists (19 points) and 64 penalty minutes, while playing in all 68 of the Majors’ regular-season games. The Stouffville, Ont., native is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs 2010 fourth-round pick, Sam Carrick. (AUDIO: Carrick conference call with media gathered in Raleigh)

Just five picks removed from selecting Carrick, the Hurricanes used pick No. 120 in the draft on defenseman Jaccob Slavin from Chicago of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Erie, CO, native scored three goals and earned 27 assists (30 points) in 2011-12, while playing in all 60 of the Steel’s regular-season games. The 17-year-old posted a plus-6 plus/minus rating, despite his team allowing 33 more goals than it scored. Slavin is committed to Colorado College of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) for the 2013-14 season.

In the fifth round, Carolina used the 129th overall pick on left wing Brendan Woods from the University of Wisconsin (WCHA). Woods, 20, completed his first collegiate season in 2011-12, scoring five goals, earning five assists (10 points) and totaling 67 penalty minutes in 34 games with the Badgers. The Humboldt, Sask., native spent two seasons in the USHL with Chicago and Muskegon before beginning his collegiate career.

The Hurricanes used their sixth-round pick to add goaltender Collin Olson to the organization. Olson, 18, spent the 2011-12 season with the United States National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team, and posted a 2.50 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage in 34 games. It marked the Burnsville, MN, native’s second season with the USNTDP, as he spent 2010-11 with the Under-17 team, and recorded a 2.84 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in 19 games. He was named the tournament’s best goaltender as Team USA won gold at the IIHF 2012 Under-18 World Championship in April, going 5-0 with a 0.80 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage in five games. (AUDIO: Olson conference call with media gathered in Raleigh)

The Hurricanes wrapped up the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by selecting left wing Brendan Collier with the 189th overall pick in the draft’s seventh round. In 25 games with Malden Catholic High School in 2011-12, Collier led the team with 38 assists and 64 points, and ranked second on the team with 26 goals as the Lancers captured their second straight Massachusetts Division 1A title. The Charlestown, MA, native is committed to Boston University.

A complete list of players selected Carolina during the 2012 Entry Draft is below.

The Carolina Hurricanes will open their 2012 exhibition schedule on Sept. 26 at Columbus, and play their first exhibition home game on Sept. 28 against the Nashville Predators. For information on 2012-13 Carolina Hurricanes ticket packages, please visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com, or call 1-866-NHL-CANES.

Carolina Hurricanes 2012 NHL Entry Draft Selections

Rd Pick # Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Team (League)

1 8 Traded to Pittsburgh

2 38 Phillip di Giuseppe 5’11” 197 LW University of Michigan (CCHA)

2 47 Brock McGinn 5’11” 174 LW Guelph (OHL)

3 69 Daniel Altshuller 6’2” 191 G Oshawa (OHL)

4 99 Erik Karlsson 5’11” 161 C Frolunda (Swe. Jr.)

4 115 Trevor Carrick 6’1” 171 D Mississauga St. Michael’s (OHL)

4 120 Jaccob Slavin 6’1” 170 D Chicago (USHL)

5 129 Brendan Woods 6’2” 190 LW University of Wisconsin (WCHA)

6 159 Collin Olson 6’3” 197 G USA (USHL)

7 189 Brendan Collier 5’9” 168 LW Malden Catholic (Mass. High School)

– News release

Canes, Featured stories

Will be fun to see the Staals play together but Penguins got the better deal

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Just before the Carolina Hurricanes first pick in the NHL draft tonight, the Canes worked out a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jordan Staal, who now joins his brother in Raleigh.

But the Hurricanes not only their No. 8 pick in 2012 draft, they gave up Brandon Sutter and defenseman Brian Dumoulin, a promising prospect. It will be fun and exciting to see Jordan and Eric Staal play together. They have long wanted to play together and they surely will play well together.

However, giving up the 8th pick, a more than solid player in Sutter who had 53 goals and 54 assists in 286 games for the Hurricanes, and what some think is a sure-fire future star in Dumoulin, was too much for the Hurricanes, especially considering that Jordan Staal would have been an unrestricted free agent next year and could have joined his brother with the Hurricanes then.

Supposedly, there were a couple of other teams trying hard to get Jordan Staal, who had given the Penguins notice that he would turn down their contract extension offer. As a result, the Hurricanes threw Sutter into the deal. Sutter, 23, will fit in nicely as the Penguins third-line center role.

That said, Jordan Staal will be able to spread his wings and be a bigger star than he was in Pittsburgh where Sidney Crosby and, and even Evgeni Malkin, are ahead of him.

Not knowing what the other prospective deals were, it’s hard to say whether or not Sutter should have been thrown into the deal. But the No. 8 pick and a promising defenseman normally would be enough for a player who will become an unrestricted free agent in a year.

Jordan Staal just got married and certainly wants some stability for years to come. It’s a good situation for him to be in Raleigh with brother Eric. Still, I can’t help but think the Penguins got a better deal than the Hurricanes. That said, maybe the excitement factor of the brothers playing together (along with the stability of keeping Eric Staal in a Hurricanes uniform) will help keep Carolina Hurricanes fans in their seats (or up out of them) for years to come.

Featured stories, UNC

UNC pitcher Morin named to All-America team

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North Carolina junior right-hander Michael Morin was named to Baseball America’s All-America squad on Friday after setting a Carolina single-season record with 19 saves in 2012. The All-America honor is the fourth of the year for Morin as he also was named All-America by NCBWA, ABCA and Collegiate Baseball.

Morin was named a Third Team All-America by Baseball America as a relief pitcher as the publication selects one relief pitcher per team.

Morin posted a 6-4 mark on the year with an ACC-high 19 saves in 38 appearances for the Tar Heels. The Leawood, Kan., native threw 58 innings on the year and posted a 1.40 ERA, the ninth-lowest mark in school history among pitchers who threw at least 55 innings in a season.
The junior was drafted in the 13th round of the MLB Draft and signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Morin was assigned to the Orem Owlz of the Rookie Pioneer League and made his professional debut June 20 with a scoreless inning of relief.

– News release