Category Archives: UNC

Would you forego your senior year in high school? UNC recruit McAdoo just might

James McAdoo Facebook Photo. UNC basketball recruit James McAdoo, 17, could finish high school a year early with summer classes and thus join the Tar Heels a year early. Would you forego your senior year in high school?

I guess everyone might have a different answer to that question. For me, my senior year in high school and my senior year in college were probably my favorite years from my youth. I’m not sure there could be a money value worth taking those away from me.

Plus, I come from a traditionalist and philosophical viewpoint. From a philosophical stance, I figure that you stay in school for your natural senior seasons and whatever happens as a result was supposed to happen. From a traditionalist stance, I would prefer that freshman play on a jayvee team before joining the varsity as sophomores. That extra year matures a player as a player, as a student and as a person, and would put an end to non-student athletes coming for one rent-a-player season.

Frankly, I was never a big fan of Bob McAdoo, James’ uncle, because he came in as a Tar Heel for one junior college transfer season. I thought the Tar Heels would win the NCAA the next year with McAdoo having a second season under Dean Smith so that ticked me off. And for some reason, and I still don’t remember why, I blamed McAdoo for the loss to Florida State in the NCAA semi-finals in ’72 despite his scoring 24 points.

That all being said, Brad Daugherty skipped a grade and entered Carolina early and he became one of my favorite Tar Heels. Mike Gminski breezed through high school early and he became one of my favorite Dukies.

Who knows if McAdoo has the maturity that Daugherty and Gminski had, but if he does, and he wants to give up high school to start his basketball dreams early, it sure could help the Heels after the transfer of the Wear twins.

McAdoo is physically mature at 6-foot-8 and 215 or so pounds. Plus, because of his birth date, he wouldn’t be eligible to go to the NBA any earlier so he would be at Carolina at least two years.

In short, I probably wouldn’t do it but I watch Carolina basketball a little more than I watch Norfolk Christian High School basketball so if he wants to go to Chapel Hill early and he can handle it, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if he did so.

Wolfpack, Heels both make it to NCAA baseball tourney

NC State manager Elliot Avent was a little concerned that, despite his club making it to the ACC tournament and playing well except for one game, his Wolfpack team might not make it to the NCAA baseball tournament but that UNC, despite not making it to the ACC tourney, would. As it turns out, both area teams made it.

And both teams deserved to make it. Carolina finished a game under .500 in the ACC but has an overall 36-20 record and played well down the stretch. NC State finished at .500 in the ACC and has an overall mark of 38-22. State, a third seed in the Myrtle Beach region, opens up against College of Charleston. Coastal Carolina, the top seed in the region and No. 4 overall, plays Stony Brook in the other regional game.

The Tar Heels sweated out the selection show as their game was announced as the final matchup in the 64-team field. Carolina travels to Norman, Okla. as the third seed in that region and will face No. 2 seed Cal (29-23) in its first game. No. 1 Oklahoma takes on Oral Roberts in the other regional game. Game dates and times have not been announced. The ACC got a total of eight teams in the NCAA tournament – Boston College was left out.

Georgia Tech is hosting a regional that includes Elon, the third North Carolina team in the tournament. While some may argue that Carolina shouldn’t have made the NCAA tournament because the Heels didn’t qualify for the ACC tournament, keep in mind that Arizona got into the tournament despite going 6-13 over the last 19 games.

Woodard back at UNC after not making it to the major leagues

The UNC baseball team is fortunate to have its winningest pitcher ever back in the fold, even if as an assistant coach.

Robert Woodard, who was born in Winston-Salem and raised in Charlotte, had a 34-5 record as a Tar Heel pitcher, including a 22-0 record at Boshamer Stadium. Drafted in the 20th round by San Diego in the 2007 draft, Woodard never made it past Triple A Portland.

In fact, he pitched only three games at the Triple A level – one in 2007 and two in 2008. His ERA for those three games was 21.32. His most success was at Single A Fort Wayne where he posted a 3.25 ERA over 72 innings while posting five wins.

It really goes to show how difficult it is to make it to the big leagues. He was arguably the best pitcher the Heels ever had when he left for the pros. (Although that honor would probably go to Andrew Miller ’06 or Dave Lemonds ’68.) He was a three-time All-ACC selection and he was the 2006-2007 recipient of the Patterson Medal, given to UNC’s most outstanding student-athlete. He also helped lead the Carolina program to national prominence with back-to-back appearances in the College World Series in 2006 and 2007.

“I am very excited to have Robert join our staff. As most know Robert had a very distinguished playing career at UNC,” UNC coach Mike Fox said. “But his most important role was being a leader in elevating our program to the national level beginning in 2006. Robert will bring great leadership, experience and knowledge to our program and I am excited that he is starting his coaching career as a Tar Heel.”

Duke, Carolina battling for Doc Rivers’ son

Doc Rivers’ Boston Celtics club is one victory away from the NBA championship finals but he is most proud that his son recently led his Winter Park (Fla.) High School team to that school’s first state title ever.

Duke and Carolina have taken notice of the 6-foot-3 shooting guard who scored 25 points in the state finals and are battling it out for him on the recruiting trail. Rivers, who is a top 10 basketball prospect in the class of 2011, is also considering Kansas and Florida. He earlier decommitted from Florida but Scout.com reports that he has a higher interest in Florida and Duke than Carolina … and they don’t even mention Kansas.

Rivers is listed by most as the No. 2 shooting guard in the country and UNC coach Roy Williams really wants to recruit guys that can shoot, especially after the team’s scoring woes last season. Williams can be convincing so I wouldn’t count the Tar Heels out. In fact, Rivers decommitted from Florida less than two weeks after Williams visited with him back in late March.

Magazine runs photos of what they call drunken UNC players on Spring Break

An online magazine titled Coed Magazine has released what it calls “drunken Spring Break pictures” of UNC basketball players.

The photos undoubtedly show Carolina players; however, the timing of the photos is in question. While freshman John Henson was pictured so were Wes Miller, Bobby Frasor and Mike Copeland, who haven’t been on the team in a while. Spring Break at UNC was March 6-14 but I think the Tar Heels were a tad busy during that time.

The pictures certainly appear to be real but when they were taken, and whether or not they were taken at the same time is uncertain. Those who want their Tar Heels to be straight-laced will nevertheless be upset by the pictures which appear to show Marcus Ginyard having beer poured down his throat and Henson dirty dancing with a scantily clad female, as well as other jocularity.

Take a look at reason one why the Wear twins shouldn’t have transferred by clicking here. This photo appears to show Henson gettin’ down on it. Take a look at all the photos and make up your mind for yourself.