Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

UNC runner Ryan Houston fractures shoulder blade

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University of North Carolina senior tailback Ryan Houston fractured his scapula (shoulder blade) during the Tar Heels’ football scrimmage on Saturday, April 9. He will undergo surgery Thursday afternoon at UNC Hospitals. Houston’s status will be updated at that time.

Houston, a fifth-year senior, has been expected to be a vital cog in the Heels’ running game. A large and bruising runner, he ran for a career-best 713 yards and nine touchdowns on 191 carries in 2009 and sat out 2010 amid the controversy surrounding the football program.

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Reports have Barnes returning to Carolina

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Multiple reports and speculations have UNC freshman Harrison Barnes returning to Carolina for his sophomore season. One report is that Barnes will make the announcement by Thursday.

On Monday, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt tweeted that he’s hearing Barnes will remain a member of Heels rather than than declaring for the 2011 NBA Draft, where he figured to be picked in the top five, perhaps as high as second or third.

Also on Monday, David Scercy of isportsweb.com says he has multiple sources indicating that Barnes will return. He writes, “Forwards Tyler Zeller and John Henson have already announced their return for the 2011-12 season. Now freshman forward Harrison Barnes will announce his return as well. Barnes is reportedly enrolling into summer classes at the University.”

Earlier, Barnes’ mother Shirley indicated to The Daily Tar Heel, the UNC student newspaper, that her son still had some goals in college that he wanted to fulfill, especially after being so disappointed that the Heels didn’t make the Final Four.

In fact, NBAdraft.net removed Barnes from their projected 2011 draft, where he was ranked second.

“I’m starting to hear more people that think he might actually go back (to UNC),” NBAdraft.net analyst Aaron Smith said. Right now it looks like a real possibility that he’ll be back, he added.

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

Tributes to veteran ACC sportswriter Bill Brill

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Bill Brill, who covered Atlantic Coast Conference sports for 40 years including 118 straight UNC-Duke basketball games, has died at the age of 79. Brill, who wrote three books about Duke basketball including one co-authored with Coach Mike Krzyzewski, died at Duke University Medical Center Sunday suffering from esophageal and liver cancer.

Here’s what is being said about Brill:

Anticipating his own death, “Ever the newsman, Brill had hammered out a 1,500-word, third-person obituary on March 3 that was made available to The Roanoke Times and The (Raleigh) News & Observer,” wrote Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times, where Brill worked for more than 30 years.

“Some sports columnists pass themselves off as experts. When it came to college athletics, especially college basketball, Bill Brill was a real expert,” said Bill Millsaps, a former executive editor and sports editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“Bill kept his readers on the edge of their seats because some days they loved what he wrote and some days they hated what he wrote, but he always wrote what he thought was right at the time. We will all miss him, as he was there for almost every important game in ACC basketball history,” said former Virginia men’s basketball coach Terry Holland.

“He truly cared about NCAA issues, and the school-sports balance and he wrote and spoke with distinction about those topics — sometimes with praise, sometimes with criticism and always with passion. To me, that always will be an important part of his legacy,” said Dave Glenn of the ACC Sports Journal.

“Bill was a fixture at Duke athletic events for many years. He was one of the most knowledgeable and respected journalists in the country. His passion for college athletics was unmatched in both his words and his work. College athletics, and specifically Duke, lost an icon today,” said Duke athletic department spokesman Jon Jackson.

“Bill Brill was an American original. I am one of hundreds of sports writers to listen to him, learn from him, and laugh with him along the road of this crazy business we called newspapers. He took his craft seriously and was damned good at it. A lot of us are better writers and reporters today because our paths crossed with Bill Brll. We are going to miss him,” wrote Tony Barnhart of CBS Sports.

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Heels baseball takes series at FSU for first time since ’95

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – North Carolina used a seven-run third inning en route to a 7-6 win over Florida State in Tallahassee Sunday afternoon breaking the Seminoles’ streak of 25 consecutive Sunday victories. Greg Holt earned the win tossing 4.2 innings of relief, while Michael Morin notched his second save in as many days.

Carolina’s one through five hitters combined for 10 hits, five runs and six RBI as the Tar Heels claimed the series 2-1. The series victory was the first for the Tar Heels in Tallahassee in their last eight trips dating back to a 1995 series win over the Seminoles.

The Tar Heels fell behind for the 11th straight game but battled back once again and own a 9-2 record in those games.

The Seminoles struck for a run in the very first inning when starter Chris Munnelly walked the bases loaded before Greg Holt came on. James Ramsey hit a ball in the hole at short that he was able to leg out for a single to make it 1-0 before Holt would bear down.

Back-to-back strike outs swinging and a ground ball to Levi Michael at shortstop would close out what looked to be a game-breaking inning. The Seminoles would get to Holt in the second as they rattled off three singles for another run taking a 2-0 lead to the top of the third.

The Tar Heel bats awoke in the top of the third taking advantage of a lead off walk to Tom Zengel. Seth Baldwin doubled down the right field line to put a pair in scoring position before four straight batters tallied RBI singles.

Ben Bunting made it 2-1 with his before Levi Michael, Tommy Coyle and Jacob Stallings made it 4-2. The ACC’s RBI leader Colin Moran then added to his total when he laced a pitch into right field to plate Coyle and Stallings making the score 6-2 in favor of the Tar Heels.

Zengel spot in the order would come back around as he hit a sharp ground ball to first allowing Moran to score from third and cap off an impressive seven-run inning for the Tar Heels.

Following the productive third inning the Tar Heel bats would be silented not advancing a runner past second base until the top of the ninth inning.

A two-out walk followed by a RBI double would spell the end of the day for Holt as Cody Stiles came on. Stiles hit the only batter he would face as Cody Penny came on in relief. A single would make the score 7-4 before a fly out ended the two-run fifth inning.

R.C. Orlan came on in the sixth after Penny suffered a lead off single. Orlan struck out the first batter he faced before Mike McGee took a pitch opposite field for a two-run home run cutting the lead to 7-6.

Orlan was able to get the next two guys in the sixth but a lead off walk in the seventh would end his day.

Coming off a save the night before Michael Morin looked just as impressive Sunday afternoon as he struck out the first two batters he faced before getting a fly out to left field to end the threat.

The Seminoles struck for a pair of singles in the bottom of the eighth and looked to be mounting a come back but Morin struck out Jayce Boyd to end the inning and keep Carolina in front heading to the ninth.

Levi Michael was hit by a pitch with one out in the ninth and moved to third on a single by Jacob Stallings but a fly out would end Carolina’s chances of adding an insurance run.

Morin came out for his third inning of work in the bottom of the ninth and forced Sherman Johnson into a ground out for out number one. Another strike out, Morin’s fifth of the day put two outs the board before the sophomore right-hander got Justin Gonzalez to hit a one-hopper to Michael at short to cap off the series-clinching win.

Carolina moves to 29-5 on the year and 12-3 in conference play and have now won four straight conference series for the first time since 2008.

– NEWS RELEASE –

Featured stories, The skinny

RailHawks fall 2-1 on last-minute goal

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CARY, N.C. – The Carolina RailHawks fell 2-1 Saturday night against the Puerto Rico Islanders in their NASL season opener Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Etienne Barbara – who arrived in Cary from his native Malta late Friday night – equalized for the RailHawks on an 86th-minute penalty kick. But Puerto Rico’s Jay Needham headed in a corner kick in stoppage time to deal the RailHawks their first home-opening defeat in club history (3-1-1).

The RailHawks overcame trailing 1-0 for nearly an hour, playing down a man for 30 minutes and a driving rain storm to even the match minutes from full time only to succumb seconds away from the final whistle.

Ten minutes into the game, the match was stopped for nearly two hours due to a thunder-and-lightening storm.

After play resumed, Puerto Rico found the back of the net in the 32nd minute. Richard Martinez flung a ball through the area. It popped out to Hansen, and he struck it past a diving Brad Knighton at the near post.

The RailHawks’ two best chances came late in the first half. In the 42nd minute, Jonny Steele whipped a ball in from the left flank, but it was just out of the reach of Pablo Campos and Devon McKenney.

Two minutes later, Steele hit a looping corner kick to the back post. Defender Cory Miller climbed above the defense and got a head on it, but the ball went wide.

With torrential rain returning at the start of the second half, the RailHawks nearly capitalized when the ball died in a waterlogged spot in the Islanders’ penalty area. The ball fell to Matt Watson, but his shot was saved by Puerto Rico goalkeeper Ray Burse.

The RailHawks were dealt a blow in the 58th minute, when Steele was sent off for a hard tackle on Puerto Rico defender Scott Jones.

Though down a man, the RailHawks’ attack was energized. They spent the next 20 minutes in the Islanders’ end. The equalizer materialized seven minutes after Barbara checked into the match. Floyd Franks struck a 25-yard free kick that was saved by Burse. Barbara gathered the rebound, then drew a foul near the corner of the area. He stepped to the spot and drilled the kick into the upper right corner to tie the match 1-1.

But Puerto Rico immedietly went back on the attack. Carolina’s Knighton made three saves in stoppage time (seven overall). His last led to a Puerto Rico corner kick. The Islanders’ Needham found a hole in the Carolina defense and headed in the game winner.

Carolina continues its three-match, season-opening homestand next Saturday, when they meet the Montreal Impact at 7 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park.

– NEWS RELEASE –

Featured stories, The skinny

After costly loss, a call for Hurricanes coach to be fired

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The Carolina Hurricanes had a chance to make the playoffs but lost two big games at home over the last week – one Saturday night to Tampa Bay by a 6-2 score.

News & Observer sports reporter and columnist Luke DeCock is already calling for Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice to be fired.

He wrote, “Of all the times the Carolina Hurricanes have narrowly missed the playoffs, this will go down as the most uncomfortable. Twice, they had their destiny in their hands. Twice, they tossed it away.”

He said that someone must answer for that. “Surely it will be coach Paul Maurice, who hasn’t taken a team he has coached for a full season to the NHL playoffs since 2002 and who cannot account for a loss Saturday that cost the franchise millions of dollars,” he wrote.

He wrote that while Maurice is a good man and a good coach, the past two non-playoff seasons are reasons to let him go. “Saturday’s flat-line with everything on the line defies explanation,” DeCock wrote.

For his part, Maurice said “(GM) Jim (Rutherford) will make his assessment. I’m very proud of the way this team performed this year in the situations it faced — the youth, the schedule. I think in a lot of ways we’ll look back at this as a great year.”

To read DeCock’s piece, please click here.

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Renner era starts in Chapel Hill as 15,500 football fans look on

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Playing for the first time as a starter, sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner completed 9 of 13 attempts for 123 yards and a touchdown in North Carolina’s spring scrimmage on Saturday. The controlled scrimmage consisted of approximately 50 plays and capped a day of events at Kenan Stadium that also included a Kids Zone and an autograph session with coaches and players.

“Bryn Renner showed a little bit some of the things today that excite us as a staff, the ability to extend plays, move around in the pocket, get outside the pocket, throw the ball,” Coach Butch Davis said. “He’s doing a lot of things well, but there are still a lot of things he’s got to improve on.”

Renner, who redshirted in 2009 and backed up record-setting senior T.J. Yates in 2010, was one of four quarterbacks to see action in front of 15,500 fans on an overcast day in Chapel Hill. Not surprisingly, Renner connected most often with first-teamers Dwight Jones and Erik Highsmith. Jones, one of the ACC’s top returning wideouts, had five receptions for 56 yards, while Highsmith hauled in four for 67 yards, with most of that yardage coming on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Renner.

“I was a lot more nervous today because I was running with the ones and it was the first time Coach Shoop was in the (press) box,” said Renner. “I thought I did alright, but I know I’ve got a lot more to learn. I worked the ball to Dwight a lot today and he made me look good. He has the potential to be one of the best receivers in the country.”

Junior Braden Hanson, sophomore A.J. Blue and freshman Marquise Williams also saw action at quarterback. Williams scored on a 43-yard run and Hanson connected on three of his four attempts Senior Ryan Houston started at tailback, and had just two carries for 22 yards. Junior Hunter Furr and junior walk-on Matt Kolojejchick each had seven carries.

Defensively, All-America candidate Quinton Coples posted a team-high six tackles and was credited with one sack. Sophomore safety Josh Hunter had four tackles, picked off one pass and nearly had another.

Carolina will hold its final spring practice Monday.

“We’re not the finished product by any means, but one of the highlights from the spring has been the growth and development of the offensive line. It has a chance to be one of the strongest units on our football team. It’s taken several years of good recruiting classes to get it where we want to be,” Davis said. “On the flip side, I think defensive line is going to be a strong area of our defense. We’ve got 6-8 guys that could go in the game and play well. Areas of concern are the depth in the secondary and at linebacker position.”

Statistics
Passing
Bryn Renner – 9 of 13, 123 yards, 1 TD
Braden Hason – 3 of 4, 25 yards
A.J. Blue – 1 of 5, 10 yards
Marquise Williams – 1 of 2, 8 yards, I INT

Rushing
Ryan Houston 2-22
Hunter Furr 7-11
Travis Riley 3-26
Marquise Williams 1-42
Jheranie Boyd 1-5
Matt Kolojejchick 7-28

Receiving
Erik Highsmith 4-67, 1 TD
Dwight Jones 4-56
Christian Wilson 1-14
Reggie Wilkins 1-10
Kenny Owens 1-8
Matt Kolojejchick 1-6
Sean Tapley 1-5
Hunter Furr 1-0

Tackles
Quinton Coples 5 tackles, 1 sack
Kareem Martin 4 tackles
Joshua Hunter 4 tackles, 1 INT
Matt Merletti 3 tackles
Pete Mangum 3 tackles
Tre Boston 3 tackles

– NEWS RELEASE –

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Early leaves SC to become NC State assistant

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South Carolina assistant coach Orlando Early has been lured to Raleigh to be assistant coach of the Wolfpack by his former boss at Alabama from 2001-2005 Mark Gottfried.

“I’m leaving South Carolina because this is an opportunity for my family and me that I can’t pass up,” Early said in a release. “Mark Gottfried and I are longtime friends and have a very close relationship. When I left Alabama, I left to take a head coaching position, but Mark and I have always talked about working together again in the future, and that opportunity has opened up for me at N.C. State.”

Early coached as South Carolina one season after being head coach at Louisiana-Monroe for four seasons.

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Landscape changing with Irving gone, Henson back

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A casual observer to the basketball scene would probably have thought Kyrie Irving could use a little more seasoning after playing just 11 games, mostly in the early season, for Duke. With John Henson having been considered a possible one-and-done player when he arrived at Carolina, and his having played two seasons for the Tar Heels, that observer might have thought he would be a better candidate to turn pro.

Without the age requirement of the NBA, Irving probably would have simply gone pro before going to Duke. Henson, on the other hand, had some work to do on his game and some meat to add to his bones and some toughness to gain on the court. He still does and he made the right decision to return. As a result, even if Duke’s incoming recruits turns out to include highly touted forward DeAndre Daniels, the Tar Heels should be the prohibitive favorite to win the ACC.

Tyler Zeller also announced this week that he will come back for his senior year. If Harrison Barnes, who many expect to turn pro, comes back Carolina will almost certainly start next season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

Barnes doesn’t strike me as a one-and-done player but money certainly talks. His stock is fairly high but remember he only showed a few flashes of brilliance until late in the season when things jelled.

The addition of Kendall Marshall as the point guard certainly helped with that. As long as Marshall stays healthy next season, whether or not Barnes comes back, the Tar Heels have a good chance of making the Final Four.

Carolina only loses senior Justin Knox, who played just one solid role-player season as a transfer. Duke on the other hand loses its three best players – Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Irving.

The Tar Heels also expect to have shooting guard Reggie Bullock back healthy after sitting out much of the year with an injured knee. Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald will be back as experienced juniors. And, the Heels bring in two of the most highly ranked players in the country in freshmen shooting guard P.J. Hairston and power forward James McAdoo, who will undoubtedly step into the role (and more) occupied by Knox this year.

Duke will certainly challenge the Heels but the Devils will be much younger with highly rated shooting guard Austin Rivers, point guard Quinn Cook and 6-foot-6 forward Michael Gbinije either starting or seeing a lot of playing time. All three are 5-star recruits.

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Baltimore paper provides history of Williams & Yow

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N.C. State AD Debbie Yow, who used to be the AD at Maryland, says the Terp basketball coach Gary Williams tried to sabotage her coaching search for a basketball coach to replace Sidney Lowe. For his part, Williams denies the claim. The Baltimore Sun in an online blog has provided the public with a brief history of their relationship.

Here’s what the paper said:

“Williams’ and Yow’s relationship has been characterized by ill feelings and distrust, according to many current and former Maryland officials and supporters.

“Each usually seemed inclined to keep details of the relationship private.

“But raw feelings surfaced in 2009 when Williams and the athletic department offered conflicting accounts of the circumstances under which two Maryland recruits — Gus Gilchrist and Tyree Evans – ended up at other schools. “It wasn’t my fault that they’re not here. That was somebody else’s call,” Williams told reporters.

“The next day, Kathleen Worthington, a senior associate athletic director under Yow, called some media outlets, including the Baltimore Sun, to ‘clarify’ Willams’ statements.

“Williams, feeling undercut, told reporters that evening: ‘Kathy Worthington doesn’t speak for me, she has never won a national championship, she has never done anything. She’s an associate AD. This is just giving you guys stuff to make me look bad.’

“The divisions were well-known enough that Maryland insiders talked about “camps” of supporters lined up variously behind Williams, Yow or former football coach Ralph Friedgen, who also had a trying relationship with Yow. “There are Gary people and there are Ralph people and they lash out at the athletic director, and it’s wrong,” state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, told The Sun in a December 2009 interview. “I’m in all three camps. I like all three very much.”

“Longtime Terrapin Club member Barry DesRoches, a Gary Williams advocate, said in an e-mail that Yow’s comments on Tuesday were “unwarranted” and that “this type of behavior is not what we need from an athletic director at a member institution in the ACC.”

“Like DesRoches, many others connected to Maryland seemed long ago to have taken sides. ‘It doesn’t seem like there’s much in the middle,’ Fabian Jimenez, a Maryland supporter, said at a time in 2009 when the Yow-Williams dispute was still simmering.”

Read the reaction from Baltimore Sun online readers.