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Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Scenarios abound regarding whether Barnes, Henson, Marshall and McAdoo return

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Now that the season is over for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the conjecture begins regarding whether a group of underclassmen return. Many believe Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Kendall Marshall and even freshman James Michael McAdoo will turn pro.

Because the NBA seems to be drafting on potential these days, it could be true. But, for me, there would be two questions I would have to ask myself if I were them. First, do I want a slew of money now or would I have a better chance of being a very good NBA player if I stay? And, second, am I enjoying college enough to want to continue the experience or am I ready to get out into the (un)real world?

I was surprised to hear some comments on the topic by former Tar Heel national champion Eric Montross, now a color commentator on the Tar Heel sports network. He said that underclassmen who do make the leap to the NBA do so and succeed because they dominate on the collegiate level. “Our underclassmen don’t dominate on the collegiate level,” he said.

I thought David Martin of The Bleacher Report had an interesting scenario where he could possibly see all the Tar Heels coming back for one more NCAA title run. He wrote, “say Marshall comes out tomorrow and says, ‘I’m back, back for good. I’m staying four years at UNC and—while I realize my teammates each need to do what’s best for them—I hope they come back to do what we should have done this year.’

“Call me crazy, but I can see his fun-loving partner in crime and major beneficiary of his distributive talents John Henson coming along for the ride. All of a sudden, that’s starting to look like a high-caliber team. Marshall and incoming freshman PG Marcus Paige, Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland returning from injury, Reggie Bullock coming into his own and John Henson patrolling the paint?

“And perhaps that deep, talented squad looks appealing to the competitor in Harrison Barnes, who knows something will be missing so long as his resume lacks that NCAA Championship. And those 28 minutes per game Zeller played? All yours, James Michael. Come show what you can do with the role you carved out at the end of the year.

“Far-fetched? Probably. If I had to guess, I think only Marshall returns to Chapel Hill in the fall. But Kendall might also represent the only hope—as is the case on the court—at bringing the guys together and putting together one more run.”

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

Duke women fall to Stanford in Elite Eight, 81-69

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Nnemkadi Ogwumike will end her sensational senior season right where she has the rest: at the Final Four.

Ogwumike made it happen on both ends of the floor with 29 points and nine rebounds Monday night despite constant double-teams, sending top-seeded Stanford past No. 2 seed Duke 81-69 in the Fresno Regional final for the Cardinal’s fifth straight Final Four berth.

Little sister, Chiney, did plenty to seal the Denver trip, too — along with everybody else. Chiney Ogwumike grabbed 17 rebounds to go with 12 points and freshman Amber Orrange came through with 13 points and four assists as the Cardinal extended their school-record winning streak to 32 games.

Nneka Ogwumike is headed back to the Final Four in her NCAA tournament farewell with that elusive championship still in reach. Stanford (35-1), looking for the program’s first title since 1992, will play Sunday night against Brittney Griner and unbeaten Baylor (38-0) at the Pepsi Center.

Chelsea Gray had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists and Shay Selby scored 11 in her final college game for Duke (27-6), which fell short of reaching the program’s first Final Four since 2006. The Blue Devils never got clicking on offense the way they had in their three NCAA wins.

“It was a good run,” SeIby said. “I think this one probably hurt the most. When you’re a sophomore or junior, it’s, `Oh, you have next year.’ I have no next year. Hopefully I can say I left something with them that will help them for next year.”

The projected No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, Nneka Ogwumike scored in the paint, on the perimeter, on leaping putbacks and even by knocking down a pretty 10-foot turnaround jumper late in the first half as the Cardinal built a comfortable 40-25 lead at the break.

“It was unfortunate for us. We tried to defend the inside and the outside. They hit some nice shots,” Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said.

Stanford boasted a strong rooting section that made the three-hour trip from the Bay Area to the Save Mart Center, including Cardinal football coach David Shaw and his wife, Kori. The couple sat alongside former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In a matchup dubbed “nerd on nerd” by Chiney Ogwumike for the schools’ rigorous academic standards, Stanford’s smart girls aced their latest final. But this group has its sights set on winning two more to make good on the most important test and give Hall of Fame 26th-year coach Tara VanDerveer another long-awaited trophy for the case back on The Farm.

Just as she has wanted all season during a challenging schedule featuring games with Connecticut, Tennessee, Texas and Xavier, VanDerveer got contributions from most everybody in a balanced effort.

Joslyn Tinkle knocked down two 3-pointers in the opening five minutes and also made an early steal, then hit another 3 with 4:26 left that put Stanford ahead by 13. She finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.

On Saturday, Nneka Ogwumike almost single handedly carried the load, scoring 39 points in a 76-60 regional semifinal win over South Carolina.

“What I really liked about this game is we got contributions from different people,” VanDerveer said.

Gray, with another 50 or so family and friends cheering the guard who grew up about 75 miles north in Stockton, converted a three-point play with 10:46 remaining to pull Duke within 52-44, but the Cardinal answered yet again. Toni Kokenis rolled in a 3 on the other end.

Selby, who had a quiet night until midway through the second half, made a three-point play with 9:48 to go to keep her team close. But Duke missed three key scoring opportunities the next time down.

The Blue Devils switched to a zone in the second half after that same move worked so well in a 74-47 rout of St. John’s, but Orrange and Kokenis successfully drove and dished — and they also handled Duke’s trap press. Kokenis had eight of Stanford’s 21 assists.

“First, we allowed them to get 81 points. We’re not going to beat a team if it doesn’t start on defense,” Gray said. “They’re a very strong group. If one doesn’t have the shot the other one is looking for them.”

Elizabeth Williams, Duke’s star 6-foot-3 freshman playing with a stress fracture in her lower right leg, quickly scored to make it 48-39. She scored 12 points while playing much of the game in foul trouble.

Stanford got a scare with 6:51 left in the first half when Nneka Ogwumike scored on a drive to make it 30-16 and then turned into Kathleen Scheer’s right elbow. She briefly went down and took a seat for all of 1:23.

Stanford began the game 7 for 11 and had assists on each of those baskets, and the Cardinal limited Duke to one attempt thanks to Chiney Ogwumike’s six rebounds in the opening 8 1/2 minutes. Stanford held a 9-3 rebounding advantage after getting outboarded 38-36 against South Carolina two nights earlier. That became a focus for both teams in this game.

Duke was held to just 39.7 percent from the field, going 3 for 14 from 3-point range. That was a big change for a Blue Devils team that had shot above 50 percent in the first half of its previous six games, and went 53.7 percent overall Saturday night to follow up its season-best 65.6-percent performance from the field in a 96-80 second-round win over Vanderbilt in which they dished out 28 assists.

– News Release

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

Duke’s Rivers officially announces intent to enter NBA draft

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Duke freshman guard Austin Rivers will enter the 2012 NBA Draft with plans to hire an agent, head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Monday. Rivers, the 2012 ACC Rookie of the Year, joins Corey Maggette (1999), Luol Deng (2004) and Kyrie Irving (2011) as Blue Devil freshmen to enter the NBA Draft after just one year of college basketball. The three previous freshmen early entrees were each selected among the first 13 players in their respective drafts, including Irving, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

“Austin [Rivers] had a terrific year as a freshman and has put himself in a position to pursue his dream of being a great player in the NBA,” said Krzyzewski. “He is an outstanding young man with an even more impressive family. We are in total support of Austin, his family and his decision. We look forward to watching him continue to develop and excel at the next level.”

Rivers averaged a team-high 15.5 points per game to join Johnny Dawkins (1983) and Bill Sapp (1945) as the only players to lead the Blue Devils in scoring as freshmen. The Winter Park, Fla., native scored in double-figures 30 times, with eight games with 20 or more points scored. He also averaged 3.4 rebounds, while finishing second on the team in assists (71) and steals (33) and third in three-point field goals (58).

In the Duke freshman record books, Rivers ranks among the all-time leaders in points (3rd – 527), points per game (3rd – 15.5), field goals (6th – 174), three-point field goals (5th – 58), free throws (1st – 121), free throw attempts (1st – 184), games started (t-6th – 33), minutes played (7th – 1,129), double-figure scoring games (t-3rd – 30) and 20-point games (t-5th – eight).

Rivers earned NABC third team All-America honors to become the first freshman in Duke history and the 24th player overall (38 honors) under Coach K to earn All-America accolades. He also became just the seventh freshman in ACC history to collect first team all-conference recognition.

“I would like to thank the coaches, my teammates and the fans for helping make this past year at Duke so special,” said Rivers. “Coach K and the rest of the staff really helped me develop and improve in all areas of the game. It was a difficult decision to leave Duke, but I am excited about chasing my dream of playing in the NBA.”

He had his best scoring performances of the year on the biggest stage on Feb. 8 at North Carolina. Rivers posted a season-high 29 points and nailed a three-point field goal at the buzzer to give the Blue Devils an 85-84 win over the fifth-ranked Tar Heels. He went 9-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-10 from three-point range, and added five rebounds in the victory.

Rivers reached double-figures in each of the final 17 games of the season averaging a team-best 17.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in that span.

“Duke has prepared me for the challenges that are ahead both on and off the court,” added Rivers. “I have learned so much from the coaching staff and my teammates that will help me succeed at the next level.”

– News Release

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny, UNC

No. 5 UNC takes series over NC State with 7-4 win

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Tommy Coyle and Jacob Stallings both connected on home runs and the bullpen allowed just one earned run over 6.2 innings of work as No. 5 North Carolina took the series finale over NC State, 7-4, Monday night. The Tar Heels improve to 19-5 on the year and 7-2 in ACC play, while the Wolfpack fall to 16-6 overall and 6-3 in the ACC.

Coyle and Stallings contributed all seven runs for the Tar Heels as Tommy Coyle blasted his first career grand slam in the second inning and Stallings added a RBI ground out and a two-run home run of his own in the seventh.

Junior left-hander R.C. Orlan picked up the win as he improved to 4-0 by tossing 3.2 innings of one-run ball. Orlan struck out three after entering for starter Benton Moss in the third inning.

NC State notched a run in the first inning when speedster Trea Turner singled and stole second before scoring on a sacrifice fly later in the inning by Chris Diaz.

Carolina answered in the bottom half with a run of their own when Chaz Frank opened the frame by getting hit by a pitch. An error put runners on the corners and Jacob Stallings hit a chopper to the shortstop that was bobbled and thrown wide of first base to tie the game at 1-1.

The Tar Heels put the lead off man on base in the second inning as well when Tom Zengel singled and moved to third on a Shell McCain walk and a sacrifice bunt by Parks Jordan. Another plunking of Frank loaded the bases for Michael Russell. The freshman outfielder went down looking for the second out of the inning.

Tommy Coyle then stepped in and turned on a 2-1 offering from NC State starter Logan Jernigan and sent the pitch over the right field fence to clear the bases and give Carolina a 5-1 lead.

The grand slam was the first of Coyle’s career and first since Greg Holt cleared the bases with a grand slam at UNC Wilmington in 2011.

The Wolfpack started to chip away at the Tar Heel lead as they notched single runs in the third, sixth and seventh innings to close the gap to just one run at 5-4.

The first two Tar Heels went down via the strikeout in the bottom of the seventh before Tommy Coyle started a two-out rally with a single through the right side. Jacob Stallings then stepped in and worked a 2-2 count and turned on a change up from reliever Anthony Tzamtzis and sent it into the night over the left field fence to provide UNC with a 7-4 edge.

Senior Michael Morin came in for Chris McCue in the top of the seventh and notched the final out of the inning before getting into trouble in the top of the eighth.

Morin issued a walk and hit a batter to put two runners on but buckled down and forced a fly out to left, a strike out swinging and handled a comebacker to close out the inning.

Morin then worked a perfect ninth to record his eighth save of the year, the second most in the ACC.

Orlan earned the win for the Tar Heels as the southpaw improved to 4-0 on the season and capped off a tremendous weekend for the bullpen. The Tar Heel bullpen threw 16 innings in the series win and allowed just seven hits, two runs, one earned run and struck out 15 batters.

The Tar Heels will take Tuesday off before continuing a nine-game homestand Wednesday against Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.

– News Release

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

UNC’s Haase takes head coaching job at UAB

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UAB Director of Athletics Brian Mackin announced Monday the hiring of University of North Carolina assistant coach Jerod Haase as the fifth head coach in the 34-year history of the Blazer men’s basketball program.

Haase, who turns 38 on April 1, played for Roy Williams at Kansas and has spent the last 13 years on Williams’ staff with the Jayhawks and North Carolina. He helped the Tar Heels to national championships in 2005 and 2009. Known as a top recruiter, he has also served as the head coach for the junior varsity team five times in his nine-year UNC tenure.

A 1997 Kansas graduate in business administration, Haase’s first job came at his alma mater as the Director of Basketball Operations from 1999-2003. During that time, the Jayhawks reached the 2002 Final Four and the national championship game in 2003.

When Williams was named head coach at North Carolina prior to the 2003-04 season, he brought Haase with him as an assistant coach and director of operations, a title he held from 2003-09. It was a unique position that rotated from assistant coach to director of operations every other year. Haase has served exclusively as an assistant coach since the 2009-10 season.

A native of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Haase attended the University of California in 1992-93 and then transferred to Kansas. He helped lead the Jayhawks to three consecutive conference titles and finished his career ranked in the top 10 among school leaders in assists, three-point field goals and steals.

He started 99 of 101 games at Kansas and scored 1,264 points, averaging 12.5 per game and reaching double figures 74 times. While at KU, Haase was a candidate for the Naismith and Wooden Awards.

As a senior in 1996-97, Haase started with Jacque Vaughn, Scot Pollard, Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz as Kansas finished with a 34-2 record. He averaged 12.0 points per game despite playing with a broken wrist. As a sophomore in 1994-95, he scored 15.0 points a game, was named the Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year and also was tabbed a second-team all-conference selection.

Haase started 23 games in 1992-93 as a freshman at Cal, where he teamed in the backcourt with Jason Kidd.

Haase was a first-team GTE Academic All-American as a senior, a second-team Academic All-American as a junior and was an academic all-conference selection three times. The Jayhawks’ Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1997, Haase later earned a master’s degree in business at KU in 2000.

Haase co-wrote “Floor Burns,” detailing the 1996-97 KU season, which sold more than 30,000 copies. Floor burns are a statistic the Kansas stat crew created in honor of Haase, who had 165 of them as a junior. He has also produced a basketball instructional video.

Born April 1, 1974, Haase is one of five brothers and sisters to play intercollegiate sports. He is married to the former Mindy Meidinger of Lenexa, Kan. The couple has two sons, Gavin (5) and Garrett (2), and a daughter, Gabrielle, born earlier this year.

– Release

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

UNC “sorely” missed Kendall Marshall in season-ending loss

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A shorthanded North Carolina team hung tough against Kansas for 37 minutes. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, the game is 40 minutes. Kansas advanced to the Final Four by outscoring UNC 12-0 over the last three minutes, coming away with an 80-67 victory.

North Carolina had opportunities to win despite playing without field general Kendall Marshall but anyone who knows basketball knows that it was an uphill battle for the Tar Heels to win that game without him.

It took a season-high 63.5 percent in the first half to even tie Kansas 47-47 at the half. You wouldn’t think Carolina would shoot that well after a halftime to adjust and the Heels didn’t, hitting only seven of 31 shots in the second half. A lot of that is the perimeter shooting problem that UNC has had all year but most of it, despite the best efforts of Stilman White, was due to Marshall not being there to run the offense effectively.

Doctors had said that Marshall would not injure the fractured wrist more by playing but that it would depend on the pain and comfort level. Coach Roy Williams said the wrist was sore after workouts Saturday and that he just had to much discomfort to play against Kansas.

Willis Reed he’s not. Maybe there is more we don’t know, but if discomfort not inability to play was the reason Marshall didn’t go, it’s disappointing. Even if he could have played 15 minutes, it would have been a lift to the Tar Heels.

Marshall probably thought his teammates would pull out one more win without him and then he’d be back for the Final Four. Well, there is no Final Four and now Marshall, just a sophomore, could decide to turn pro. Is that really how he wanted his college career to end or would have giving it a go been more appropriate?

After the game Coach Williams was asked if Marshall was even remotely close to being able to go. “I thought he was yesterday. We let him run up and down the court and catch and pass a little bit. And I really got a little excited at that point. But I think that it got even sorer last night after just that little activity. We weren’t even on the court probably 25 minutes doing anything. At that point during practice I thought he had a chance to go. But last night, I got less confident, and then this morning it just didn’t feel right for him. You hate that for that kid. You hate it for our program, hate it for our team. But Kendall Marshall is all about winning and is all about team. And if you’ve ever watched him play, you realize that he’s one of those point guards that cares about his team maybe more than anybody I’ve ever seen. So you hate it for him.”

For more on the game, please click here.

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

UNC baseballer Moran out indefinitely with broken hand

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University of North Carolina sophomore third baseman Colin Moran suffered a fracture of the fourth and fifth metacarpals in his right hand during North Carolina’s game against NC State Saturday and will be out indefinitely.

Dr. Don Bynum will perform surgery on Moran’s hand Tuesday and a more definitive timetable will be known at that point.

The Rye, N.Y., native leads the Tar Heels with a .389 average on the year with seven doubles, two home runs and a team-best 24 RBI in 22 games played.

Featured stories, The skinny

Voice of the Deacons to speak at Raleigh Sports Club

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Stan Cotten, “The Voice of the Demon Deacons,” will be the guest speaker at the Raleigh Sports Club on Wednesday. Cotten, a lively speaker, is an award winning, veteran play-by-play announcer in his 15th season heading the Wake Forest ISP Sports Network broadcast team. His bi-monthly column, “100% Cotten,” is a favorite in Gold Rush, the official newspaper for Wake Forest athletics.

Sarah Scott Worth, a St. Mary’s field hockey player, will be honored as the student athlete of the week.

Buffet lines open at 11:30 a.m. The Forks Cafeteria will continue to cater a Southern Buffet. The meeting location will again be at Highland UMC at 1901 Ridge Road at the intersection of Lake Boone Trail, just inside the Beltline. Annual dues for the 2011-12 season will remain $60. Weekly attendance fee will remain $14 and applies whether the member plans to eat lunch or not. All guests fees will be $20 per guest. Pick sheets and door prizes will be held.

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Gottfried said he and his Wolfpack are crushed but proud of how far they’ve come

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After NC State’s defeat at the hands of Kansas, Coach Mark Gottfried said he and the team was crushed but he said he hopes the team focuses on where the team started compared to where they ended up. The first year coach took the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16 for the first time in nearly a decade and to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years.

“I’m extremely proud. One thing I said to our guys was the entire Wolfpack nation, whether alumni, the city of Raleigh, our community, these guys helped generate some excitement for our school. And I said thank you for that. We were disappointed today but we’ll step back and look at what was accomplished.”

– Mark Gottfried, NC State head coach

“Much of the talk leading into the Midwest Region semifinal between No. 3 seed Kansas and No. 11 seed North Carolina centered around the Wolfpack’s late-season resurgence, a run that had conjured up memories of Jim Valvano and the school’s glory days. But what became apparent Friday night after Kansas held on late for a 60-57 victory is that the Jayhawks are in the midst of their own resurrection – progressing from a team many felt would be Coach Bill Self’s least talented since coming to Lawrence, Kan., in 2003 into a squad that suddenly finds itself on the cusp of the Final Four.”

– Mark Giannotto, The Washington Post

“N.C. State (24-13) went from one of the last at-large teams in the NCAA tournament field to the Sweet 16 but could not get back to its first Final Eight appearance since 1986. N.C. State, riding a rocket of confidence, led by 10 points early and 33-32 at the half, with 12 first-half points from sophomore forward C.J. Leslie. Foul trouble early in the second half for Leslie, in perhaps his last college game, derailed the Pack’s upset hopes. Kansas started the second half with a 12-2 run to take control of the game.”

– J.P. Giglio, The News & Observer

“We knew we could be a really dangerous team and we started to click near the end of the year. We ended up making it to the Sweet 16 but especially from the guys we are not satisfied. We have some good talent coming in and some good talent returning so hopefully next year we can build on this.”

– Scott Wood, NC State player

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

How can a game go to overtime when one outrebounds the other by 33?

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Has there ever been a game that goes into overtime where one team outrebounded the other by 33? North Carolina outrebounded Ohio 63-30. It was the most rebounds by a UNC team in an NCAA Tournament game.

But UNC’s 24 turnovers – none of which were committed by Kendall Marshall’s replacement Stilman White – along with Ohio’s 12 three pointers made the game close.

However, North Carolina, playing without point guard Kendall Marshall, overcame those turnovers with timely outside shooting by Reggie Bullock and inside play by Tyler Zeller to knock Cinderella Ohio out of the NCAA Tournament 73-65 in overtime.

It was the first time Carolina has played an overtime game this season but the Tar Heels seemed much more comfortable during the extra five minutes than did Ohio.

D.J. Cooper, Ohio’s star point guard, played particularly poorly in the overtime as he put up two wild, extra long three-point shots (one of which that was maybe between 35-40 feet away). Cooper, who was guarded well by White and others, hit only three of 20 shots.

Barnes similarly struggled for the Tar Heels as he hit only three of 16 shots.

Zeller was the big man with 20 points and 22 rebounds becoming the first player to get more than 20 points and 20 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Wake’s Tim Duncan in 1997. He’s the first Tar Heel to ever do it.

He won’t have any other small teams he can dominate so the Tar Heels have to have more production from Barnes and many fewer turnovers to go any further without Kendall Marshall.

It’s possible but unlikely that Marshall plays in the Elite 8 game Sunday. If he can go, it would at least provide some stability, even playing with one hand. If he can’t go, it’s unlikely that the Tar Heels will make it to the Final Four.

On the other hand, if the Tar Heels were to upset Kansas or N.C. State, I think Marshall would be back for the Final Four, where anything could happen.

For more on the game, please click here.