the dth presents the 2014-15 basketball tab

8/10/2019 The DTH presents the 2014-15 Basketball Tab

1/14

A publication of

Enjoy the game.MICHAEL JORDAN

BASKETBALL 2014-15

By Aaron DodsonSenior Writer

Temptation has gotten the best

of Brice Johnson in recent months.He might as well be a freshman,

eyes wide at the all-you-can-eatbuffets of college dining halls andendless desserts piled into self-service drawer stations.

Only during Johnsons fresh-man year, he had no interest inpicking up the Freshman 15.

Since then, North Carolina mensbasketball coach Roy Williams haschallenged Johnson to bulk up hislanky, 6-foot-9 frame.

So now, the junior forwardjumps at every chance he gets toeat a little extra.

Hes 40 pounds heavier thanhis freshman self: 228 poundsand counting.

Im eating a lot more than Iwould have my fresh man yea r,Johnson said. Freshman year, Iate a lot but I didnt eat as muchas I do now. I cant stop eatingfor some reason. Sometimes I

just cat ch myself eating a cream

DTH/KATIE WILLIAMS

North Carolina womens basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell will coach her first regular season game this afternoon after missing the entire 2013-14 basketball season to undergo treatments for leukemia.

DTH FILE/JOHANNA FEREBEE

Coach Sylvia Hatchell was diagnosed with leukemia Oct. 11, 2013

just two and a half weeks before the start of the 2013-14 womens

basketball season. The Hall of Fame coach is now cancer free.

Second-half Marcusnot the only option Brice Johnsonbulks up to takeon starters roleWith UNCs newfound

depth, Paige will havehelp carrying the load. The junior UNC forward

has gained 40 poundssince his freshman year.

By Grace RaynorSports Editor

Marcus Paiges mind wanders.But forgive him, he cant help it.

Its been roaming for a while now.At least since 8:58 p.m. on March

24, the night he told the world viaTwitter that hed suit up for his

junior season at North Carolina.When hes not thinking about Poli

101: State and Local Government orfixated on his next pass in FIFA 15,Marcus begins to daydream.

Its here when Paiges imagina-tion gets the best of him, daring

him to answer his own questionsabout what could be.

I find myself thinking about theend of ACC play and March and thetournament all the time, he said. Itshard not to think about the potentialof the team, especially because were ateam that hasnt accomplished thingsthat a normal, typical North Carolinagroup of players would accomplish.

The team? Maybe not. Paige him-self? Now thats a different story.

The Marion, Iowa-native has

meticulously refined his craft sincehe was old enough to understandgrown-up talk at the dinner table.

Hes kind of come from a coach-ing family. His mom coached in astate championship game in Iowa.So he sat at the table and listened toall the coach talk, North Carolinamens basketball coach Roy Williams

said. He sat there and listened topeople talk about individuals doingthe best you can do. And yet he satthere and listened to them abouthow what the team does is mostimportant. He understands that.

Now as a junior, coming off of abreakout sophomore campaign thatsaw him average a team-high 17.5points per game and rack up myriadawards, its Paiges duty to pass thissame message along to his teammates.

Last season, it had to be all about

him. Now thats not the case.I dont think the teams going

to have to rely on me as much thisyear, said the ACCs PreseasonPlayer of the Year in October. I doneed to be productive and one of thelead guys on the team. But I dont

A coach, a stranger and the other end of the rope

SEE MARCUS PAIGE, PAGE 8

SEE SYLVIA HATCHELL, PAGE 8

SEE BRICE JOHNSON, PAGE 8

Welcome

back.

By Dylan HowlettSenior Writer

This is a parable. Something about abasketball team finding its way. Or is it?

Think a little bigger. Wander off thecourt, and picture this: Youre danglingfrom the edge of a cliff with a 20,000-foot abyss. Theres not much choice here.Fall to your death or look up and see theone person youd ever want to see hold-ing a rope, and your life. They will ignorethe burn, the blood oozing from theirpalms, because devotion has no price.

Wait. Dont put your trust in onlya soul or two. The collective, you see,overwhelms the strength of one manor woman. Its Herculean. So you wantfive, a dozen, a whole team to hold yourrope and never let go. To be there formissed free throws and bad turnovers,

yes, but also for more, for when forcesunseen upend your life.

For when you get cancer, say. When, asthe story behooves, you Hold the Rope.

I appreciate my friends so much,said Sylvia Hatchell, now in her 29th

year as head coach of the North Carolinawomens basketball team and her firstsince her cancer went into remission.A lot of people dont have the supportsystem that I have. And theres no way Icould have done it without em.

But this bigger-than-basketball les-son? She understood it before, as Hatchellcalls it, a tsunami named acute myeloidleukemia, with its 65-percent remissionrate for patients her age, knocked hersideways by way of an 8:20 p.m. phonecall to her Chapel Hill home on Friday,

Oct. 11, 2013. Before she trudged throughfour rounds of chemo You actually feellike a Mack truck has hit you at theUNC Lineberger Comprehensive CancerCenter, each punctuated by a rock bot-

tom, Hatchell said, that felt far deeperthan a metaphorical 20,000-foot dive.Before she dropped to the court and

hammered out pushups at a recent6 a.m. practice weeks after a bonemarrow biopsy declared her cancerfree because she was so jazzed abouta play that went, unlike the tsunami,according to plan. Before Hatchell willreturn, after a season-long hiatus, to theCarmichael Arena sidelines this after-noon for UNCs season opener.

Every day, Im just like, Oh, God, itsso beautiful outside, said Hatchell, 62,a 2013 Naismith Memorial BasketballHall of Fame inductee and the win-ningest active coach in womens basket-

ball. Even if its cold and everybody talksabout how dreary it is outside, I say, No,no, no. It is gorgeous. Its beautiful. Hey,Im here, Im healthy. Im with these kids.Im at the University of North Carolinaat Chapel Hill. No, no. Life is great.

The rope-holding that took place dur-ing Hatchells six-month recovery? The

blisters are everywhere. She never spenta night alone from Oct. 11, 2013 to April17, always in the company of her husband,Sammy, a womens basketball associatehead coach at Raleighs Shaw University,or her son, Van, the 25-year-old manag-ing director of the Chapel Hill nonprofitExtraordinary Ventures. Friends from theSmoky Mountains, her shag club and herhometown of Gastonia they were there,

too. She still has voicemails on her iPhonefrom Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, for-mer Gov. Bev Perdue, Pat Summitt, RobinRoberts. And an avalanche of get-wellsentiments from strangers, because the

rope snakes far beyond her living room.But the fear? That never subsides.You must hold tighter.

In the back of my mind, I always feltshe was going to get through it, SammyHatchell said. I always had faith in Godand faith in her. I thought if anybodycould do it, she could do it. But youknow that God lets good people die, too,and so youre afraid, scared, petrified.

That punch-in-the-gut feeling willpersist, he said. I can still feel it if Ithink about it.

When, two days after her diagnosis,her team gathered at the LinebergerCenter to hear the news straight from hermasked lips, Hatchell placed a blue and

white rope before them on a conferenceroom table. Some players were inconsol-able, others stone-faced. Xylina McDanielfolded into the arms of teary-eyed interimcoach Andrew Calder, Hatchells assistantfor 29 seasons. Youve got to help theothers get through this, he told the then-sophomore forward. Youve got to holdthe other end.

Its an inspirational story, and youtake it to heart, McDaniel said, but

when youre finally hit with a situationwhere you actually have to Hold theRope for someone, it makes a lot moresense, and you take it to heart more.

You live by that.


2/14

Friday, November 14, 2014 The Daily Tar HeelBasketball 2014-15

TABLE OF CONTENTSSTAFF

FRESH FACESThe Tar Heels welcome three

newcomers to the roster.

3

4ISAIAH HICKS

The sophomore is back in hisnormal position at power for ward.

J.P. TOKOTONow a junior, Tokoto is learning

what his role is for the Tar Heels.

CLEMSONThe Tigers must go on without

their leading scorer returning.

FLORIDA STATEThe Seminoles are eager to get

back to the big dance this season.

5

VIRGINIAThe reigning ACC champions

have their work cut out for them.

SYRACUSEJim Boeheim and the Orange

lost three key players but will press.

PITTWith 59 percent of scoring back,

the Panthers rely on veterans.

KENNEDY MEEKSHes down 50 pounds, but the

sophomore still has all of his charm.

8 WAKE FORESTWith a new coach coming to theprogram, will this be the year?

10 NAMES AND PLACESThe 2014-15 mens basketballroster and schedule.

BOSTON COLLEGE

NOTRE DAME

Olivier Hanlan pledged hisloyalty by not leaving for the NBA.

The Irish hope for more in theirsecond season in the conference.

LOUISVILLE

FINDING A BALANCEFour returning starters move on

without Diamond DeShields.

MIAMIA young Miami squad takes the

court with nine newcomers.

12 N.C. STATEThe Wolfpack must go onwithout T.J. Warren, ACC P.O.Y.

VIRGINIA TECHThe Hokies have a new coach,

Buzz Williams, from Marquette.

7 DUKEThe Blue Devils are predictedto finish first in the conference.

6

11

13

The new kids on the block bringtheir Hall of Fame coach to the ACC.

GEORGIA TECHThe Yellow Jackets hope to

emerge from the ACCs cellar.

9

DTH ONLINE:Go to dailytarheel.com tonightfor the game story about UNCsseason opener with N.C. Central.

DTH ONLINE:Follow @DTHSports on Twitterduring the seasons for updateson the basketball teams.

Dylan Howlett, Daniel Wilco, RobbieHarms, Aaron Dodson, C Jackson Cowart,Joey DeVito, Ben Salkeld, Chris Haney,

Andrew Romaine, Andrew Tie, Ben Coley,Danielle Herman, Jane Zorowitz, DavidAllen Jr., Logan Ulrich, Jeremy Vernon,

Jake Barry, Patrick RonanSTAFF WRITERS

Grace RaynorSPORTS EDITOR

Carlos CollazoPatrick James

Brendan MarksASSISTANT

SPORTS EDITORS

Marisa DiNovis

KathleenHarrington

COPY CO-EDITORS

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ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS

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PHOTO EDITORS

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BASKETBALL 2014-15 is published by the DTH Media Corp.,

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2


3/14

PEOPLE TO WATCH

Theo Pinson could be the f lash-iest player of this years class.

He brings a playing style,athleticism and physical framecomparable to junior for ward J.P.Tokoto turns out, he can dunklike him as well.

The five-st ar forward/guardwon the Elite 24 dunk contest in2013 and has already showcasedthat ability in UNCs exhibitions.

Against Fayetteville State, Pinsonhad 15 points and eight rebounds.

Theo was Theo, said Coach Roy

Williams after the game. You know,four turnovers or whatever it wasand yet he makes a lot of thingshappen: offensive rebounds, madea couple (3-point shots).

Pinson has shown the abilityto do numerous things up anddown the court, and followedup his first exhibition game withan equally impressive showingagainst Belmont Abbey: sevenpoints, four assists, three s tealsand three rebounds.

And dont forget the dunks.

The biggest unk nown in thisyears class might be Joel Berry II,simply because his playing timecould be the most limited.

With a surplus of point guards,playing time at the 1 and 2 posi-tions will be at a premium.

Still, at 6 feet and 195 pounds,the four-star guard brings a bull-dog mentality to the guard posi-tion that compliments the gamesof Marcus Paige and Nate Britt.

He showed his ability to drive thelane and get into the paint in his first

exhibition against Fayetteville State,where he led the team with six freethrows on seven trips to the line.

In addition to getting to theline, Berry has shown he can be aplaymaker, with nine assists in hisfirst two exhibition games.

Joel can shoot it, too,said Marcus Paige after theFayetteville State game.

Thats one area of B errysgame that we havent seen yet inChapel Hill. He is just 1-for-6 fromdeep so far this season.

The 6-foot-8 forward/guardfrom Tomball, Texas, has made thebiggest impact of this freshmanclass so far.

After getting the starting nodon the wing against FayettevilleState, Jackson proceeded to leadUNC with 18 points.

In the next exhibition game,Jackson rated the No. 10 recruitin the 2014 class by Scout.com led the Tar Heels in scoring again,finishing with 18 points while con-verting three of four 3-pointers.

You know Ive seen himplay a lot guys, I mean he cameto our camp as a seventh oreighth grader, said Coach RoyWilliams. Ive never seen himget frazzled, Ive never seen himget frustrated.

He has a gift the ball justsort of finds his hands, and hesat the basket and theres nobodyguarding him and he lays it up.

The top-ranked player of thisclass has shown his talent already.

And it looks like hes here to score.

The North Carolina mens basketball team has the benefit of addingthe nations No. 7 recruiting class, according to Scout.com. Every

recruit two five-star recruits and one four-star should find timeon the court despite an extremely deep, well-rounded team.

Theo Pinson

Joel Berry II

Justin Jackson

UNC FRESHMEN

COMPILED BY CARLOS COLLAZO

Friday, November 14, 2014The Daily Tar Heel Basketball 2014-15 3

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4/14

No more hesitation for HicksBy Brendan Marks

Assistant Sports Editor

Hesitation.Pivot or hook. Or pass.

Maybe a jump shot.Isaiah Hicks thinks about it

for a second during this sum-mer practice. Rear end pressedup against the defender, heuses all of his 6-foot-8-inchframe to keep position. Andthen the defender pulls away.

Timeout. He missed hischance. He hesitated.

He just needs to relax,Coach Roy Williams said at

ACC media day. Its a hardthing for somebody to say,Relax and play harder. I mean,they dont exactly go together.

Relax and quit think-ing dont make those sillylittle mistakes.

Its something Hicks hasstruggled with before. After

being named 18th in the 2013

ESPN 100 ahead of futurefirst round NBA draft picksTyler Ennis and Zach LaVine Hicks arrived in Chapel

Hill to unrealistic expecta-tions. Amid P.J. Hairstonssuspension, Hicks was sup-posed to fill the void.

He didnt. In fact, Hicksdid the opposite. WithHairstons absence and James

Michael McAdoos presenceat power forward, Hicks wasforced out to the wing.

Uncomfortable shootingfrom deep but never givena chance in the post, Hickslooked lost for most of 2013-14.The Oxford native a five-starrecruit and the 2013 AssociatedPress North Carolina Player ofthe Year averaged a meager1.2 points per game in just 7.3minutes per contest.

But then came the off-season. McAdoos departurefor the NBA draft effectivelydubbed Brice Johnson thenew starting power forwardfor the North Carolina mens

basketball team. It also left the

sixth man job up for grabs.Hicks made his best caseover the summer. Back atpower forward, he once again

began bullying defenders, justas he had in high school.

(Being aggressive) is some-thing coach always talked tome about, Hicks said. Coachsays, Youve got to fit in thepost, score thats what you

want the big men to do.To date, the switch has paidoff. In UNCs first two exhibi-tion games, Hicks has missed

just one of his 14 shots enroute to a combined 27 points.

Hes a lot more comfort-able with his play than he was

when he was beating himselfup, Johnson said.

His performances againstFayetteville State and Belmont

Abbey havent clinched thesixth man spot yet. And whilehe likely will, his coach isntready to crown him just yet.

I dont know that hesgonna be the best playertomorrow, Williams said.

But the rest of the season?

I think he ll be better.No hesitation.

[email protected]

Friday, November 14, 2014 The Daily Tar Heel4 Basketball 2014-15

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5/14

New year, new role for Tokoto

DTH FILE/KATIE WILLIAMS

Junior forward J.P. Tokoto scans the court in an exhibition game against Fayetteville State. Tokoto scored six points in the game.

Tigers losetop scorer 5

years running

By Chris HaneyStaff Writer

For junior guard MontayBrandon and the FloridaState mens basketball team,the torment of the 2013-14season still lingers.

It definitely hurt,Brandon said. This summer

weve worked hard wit h thatone goal in mind, which isthe NCAA Tournament.

TheSeminolesmissed outon the tour-nament forthe secondconsecutive

year in 2013-14 and insteadwent to the National InvitationTournament. FSU made a deeprun in the NIT before losing toMinnesota in overtime of thesemifinals. Thirteen-year coachLeonard Hamilton and theSeminoles will look to improveon the mediocre campaign thatsaw a 22-14, 9-9 ACC finish.

Without a consistent defen-

sive effort, the squad insteadwas forced to outgun its oppo-sition. Even with the secondhighest ACC 3-point percent-age, the team struggled.

Hamilton is expectingbig offensive contributionsfrom his four returning start-ers, led by leading scorer,

junior guard Aaron Thomas.Thomas averaged 14.5 pointsand 4.2 rebounds per game in2013-14 as one of the nationsmost well-rounded guards.

Joining Thomas, in whatcould be one of the best

backcourts in the ACC, arefellow junior guards DevonBookert and Brandon.

Bookert will use his consis-tent long-range shooting tostretch defenses out, buildingon an impressive collegiatecareer 3-point shooting aver-age of 46.6 percent.

Jack-of-all-trades Brandongives the Seminoles flexibility

with his size and athleticism.At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds,Brandon is a matchup night-mare for opponents, especial-

ly since he can play anywhereexcept center.

The already impressivebackcourt could be even morepotent with the belated addi-tion of the Seminoles 2013-14top recruit, freshman guard

Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Thehighly touted guard was ruledacademically ineligible in2013, but now that Rathan-Mayes has his academics inorder, he could be a dark horsestandout player in the ACC.

FSU also boasts one ofthe largest frontcourts in thenation. The fourth returningstarter, Slovakian junior cen-ter Boris Bojanovsky, leads atrio of 7-footers on the roster.

Alongside the 7-foot-3, 240-pound Bojanovsky are 7-foot-1,292-pound junior Michael Ojoand 7-foot, 240-pound redshirtgraduate Kiel Turpin. All threegive the Seminoles a toweringdefensive presence, but onlyBojanovsky has shown offen-sive capabilities as well.

Working on just being con-nected, all getting on the same

Seminoles hungry to return to NCAA Tournamentpage, Thomas said. Weredoing a lot of pick-and-rollthings, getting our big meninvolved more. Coach stressedthat a lot, getting our big menthe ball more.

A more-experienced lineup,along with added depth fromanother solid recruiting class,

gives Hamilton a competitivesquad that can contend withany team in the ACC. New andold ACC teams alike would be

wise not to overlook FSU ontheir schedules.

We have not been themost talented team in the

ACC, but I think weve been

able to respond appropri-ately and win enough games,Hamilton said. Now hopeful-ly with a little more depth andimproved offensive skills, this

will be another year where wewill surprise a lot of people.

[email protected]

DTH FILE PHOTO

UNC guard Marcus Paige (5) looks to make a shot against Florida State on March 3, 2013, the last

time UNC played Florida State at the Smith Center. The two teams met twice in t he 2013-14 season.

Friday, November 14, 2014The Daily Tar Heel Basketball 2014-15 5

By Daniel WilcoSenior Writer

From third grade throughthe middle of sixth grade, J.P.Tokoto lived with his grandpar-ents off and on. They were clos-er to his school in Rockford,Ill., and, more importantly,closer to his first love soccer.

Tokotos grandfather, alsoJean Pierre Tokoto, hadplayed on the Camerooniannational soccer team in theearly 1980s. In the 90s whenhe began to coach, naturally,his grandson began to play.

Every day after school, theelder Jean Pierre would pickup the younger, grab a biteto eat and hit the road. Theelder coached two teams, andthe younger played with both.

Practice was more than anhour away, so many nights

were spent on long drives toand from the field, just thetwo J.P. Tokotos and lengthystretches of highway.

My grandfather is a musicguy, so any time I had a chance,I was putting on new music forhim, Tokoto said. Sometimeshed say, Change it. Sometimeshed say, Play it again.

But most of the time, onthose long drives before andafter practice, Tokoto slept.

Now, nine years later, and

800 miles from his grandfa-thers home in Rockford, itsimpossible to sleep on Tokoto.

The 6-foot-6 junior forwardhas found his role on the star-studded No. 6 North Carolinamens basketball team.

Right now, Im a facilitator.Tokotos facilitating is best

measured by the momentumlitmus test that is UNCs bench.

Its during the preseasonexhibition games against oppo-nents who could manage to get

blown out by the WashingtonGenerals where tedium caneasily take hold and the benchselectricity can start to fade.

Tokoto is the arch-neme-sis of tedium.

Its here where he resumeshis relentless assault on the

basket, where each new strikeseems primed to rip the rimfrom its hinges.

Its here where, on a fastbreak, he cocks the rock backuntil it touches the embroi-dered TOKOTO on his jerseyas if to ensure the ball remem-

bers his name before he slamsit through the rim, knocking itunconscious and bringing life

back to the Smith Center.Its here where the bench

erupts, waving towels andthrowing their hands ontheir heads, in utter shockand amazement.

Its here where the facilita-tor manufactures momentum.

In sixth grade, Tokotomoved back to Wisconsin and

was faced with a choice. Hecould find a new soccer teamand play without his grandfa-ther for the first time since he

was 3 years old, or he could lis-ten to his friend, C.J. Malone.

Malone wanted to convinceTokoto to try out for a local

AAU basketball team. Tokotorelented and tagged along.

I went, had a great time,loved it, he said. I had tochoose one or the other. Idecided to focus on basketball.

Recently, Tokoto hasswitched his focus again.

Its another part of the facili-tator pass first, ask ques-tions later. The turnover-proneTokoto, who was second onthe team in turnovers last year,

worked on control all summerwith Coach Hubert Davis.

In two exhibition gamesthis season, Tokoto has logged14 assists and one turnover.

That level of near-flawlessdistribution is essential forCoach Roy Williams Usain-Bolt-esque transition game,and though he said Tokotosperformance so far has facili-tated that tempo, theres roomfor improvement.

They still look like a Model

T. Ford out there compared tothe way I want them to run,

Williams said after UNCs 112-34 defeat of Belmont AbbeyNov. 7. Its nowhere near

where I want it to be, but Ithink were going to get there.

Defensively, the only UNCrepresentative on the 2014

ACC All-Defensive Team hasone thing in mind: Createhavoc like I did last year.

Tokoto, who led UNC with55 steals in the 2013-14 season,credits his defensive diligenceto his years on the pitch andthe quick feet that long hoursof soccer practice gifted him.

Still, despite these improve-ments, Tokoto realizes hes justone cog in the North Carolinamachine that has its sights setas high as they can go.

If everything goes the waywe want it to I imagine thisteam going all the way to thechampionship, he said. Coachhas said that he sees we havethe tools, we have the players,

we have the atmosphere.All they need now is some-

one to bring it all together a sparkplug when momen-tum is scarce and a bellowsto stoke the fire when its hot.They need a facilitator. Theyneed Tokoto.

[email protected]

By Joey DeVitoAssistant Online Editor

Clemson mens basketballcoach Brad Brownell finallythought this would be the

year but he was wrong.Brownell was under the

impression that his lead-ing scorer, forward K.J.McDaniels, would returnto the program. DuringBrownells four-year tenureat Clemson, the Tigers have

neverreturnedtheir lead-ing scorer

from thepreviousseason.

But McDaniels, who wouldhave been a senior this season,had other plans.

The team leader in points,rebounds, steals and blockedshots decided to forgo his finalcollegiate season to play in theNBA, where he is currently amember of the Philadelphia76ers, drafted in the secondround with the 32nd overallpick in Junes draft.

I mean, this is unbeliev-able that were five yearsin a row going without theleading scorer coming back,Brownell said.

I remember saying this lastmeeting that we probably havehim back finally, but we dont.

Brownell will now turn totwo upperclassmen, seniorpoint guard Rod Hall and

junior center Landry Nnoko,to lead the Tigers to an NCAATournament berth that evad-ed them last year, and for thetwo years prior to that.

Clemson hasnt made itto the NCAA Tournamentsince 2011. After missingthe 2014 tournament, theTigers played in the NationalInvitation Tournament andadvanced three rounds beforefalling in the semifinal toSouthern Methodist.

This season, Nnoko bringstwo years of collegiate experi-

ence, but has only played orga-nized basketball for five years.

He picked up the game inhigh school after he moved toOrlando from Cameroon.

First time watching it, Ijust fell in love, Nnoko said.

My neighbor had a goalin his driveway, and I juststarted shooting with himand then he asked me if I

wanted to start playing withhis club. I was like, Youknow, why not?

Coming to Clemson,Brownell said Nnokos biggestproblem wasnt his skill, buthis confidence.

Hes starting to feel goodabout himself, Brownell said.And as he becomes more

confident and a better playerhell get there, I just hope itssometime this year.

But as he enters his juniorseason, Nnoko feels it is histime to shine.

I definitely have to stepup, Nnoko said.

Theres three leaders onthis team now me, Rodand Damarcus (Harrison).

We have to implant ourdefensive mindset into all the

young players.Nnoko and Hall said they

want this Clemson team to beknown for its defensive inten-sity just like last year.

The Tigers took down Dukein 2013-14 behind a stiflingeffort from their defense limiting the No. 1 scoringoffense in the ACC to 59 points.

Defense has always beenour key, Hall said.

The defense is going totake care of our offense.

Hall said he knows thatit will be tougher withoutMcDaniels play on both endsof the floor, but he is confi-dent in the new team.

Yeah were going to missK.J., he said. But at the endof the day were a differentteam and we got better overthe year.

[email protected]


6/14


By Jeremy VernonStaff Writer

They won the conferenceregular season and tournamentchampionship. They made it

to the Sweet Sixteen. They arereturning their top scorer andthree of their five starters from

2013-14, and

yet themembersof the

Virginiabasketball team are still viewedas underdogs in a stacked ACC.

UVa. was picked to fin-ish fourth in the conference

behind Duke, North Carolinaand Louisville. And althoughfans are grumbling, players andcoaches arent distracted. Theyknow what they are capable of.

Its not something youreally process, said redshirt

junior Malcolm Brogdon.We actually embrace thatunderdog role; it just addsfuel to the fire.

Brogdon led the Cavaliersin scoring and steals last

year after sitting out for the2012-2013 season with a footinjury. This year, the Atlantanative was named to the pre-season All-ACC team, and is

poised for another big year.Along with Brogdon are two

pieces from the team that wonits first ACC regular season titlesince 2007 and its first tourna-ment title since 1976 last sea-

son. Sophomore point guardLondon Perrantes and juniorJustin Anderson, who willslide into the position that JoeHarris occupied, both return.

In the frontcourt, DarionAtkins and Anthony Gill willbe called upon to fill the voidthat Akil Mitchell left aftergraduating. Atkins, one of fewCavalier seniors, said that he isready to step up.

In the offseason Ive justbeen working on gettingstronger, he said. NaturallyIm a pretty good defensiveplayer and rebounder, so Ive

just been primarily workingon my offense.

Once again, the key for the

Cavaliers will be predicated ondefense and selfless play.Last season, UVa. gave up

55.7 points per game, goodenough for first in the country,

while no Cavalier averagedmore than 13 points per game..

Were more of an equal-opportunity team. I think thathas become more our way with

what weve had, Coach Tony


North Carolina guard Nate Britt (left) drives the ball past Virginia forward Anthony Gill. UNC lost to UVa. 76-61 on Jan. 20 at Virginia.

Reigning ACC champs now underdogs

Bennett said. There is roomfor some big games, but nor-mally teams who rely on oneguy are easier to shut down.

Virginias scheduleincludes tough non-confer-

ence games against No. 15Virginia Commonwealth andNo. 25 Harvard, as well as

ACC games at North Carolinaand Louisville.

With the odds stacked

against a repeat performance,Atkins and the group embracesthe underdog role.

We had a little saying lastyear. We said, They neverreally loved us, Atkins said.

We love being the under-dog, and were ready to showthat we should be No. 1 inthe ACC.

[email protected]

Syracuse, Boeheim remain

competitive despite losses

COURTESY OF THE DAILY ORANGE

UNC mens basketball players watch as former Syracuse forward Jerami Grant dunks in a game.

By Logan UlrichStaff Writer

Every coach is competitive.But Hall of Fame Syracusecoach Jim Boeheim takes it toanother level.

The man with the second-most wins all time in college

basketballwont evenlet up fora game ofCandyLand

with hisdaughter.

I never let my daughterbeat me, Boeheim said. Inever would. She knows that.

She understands her dadhas to be that way to survive.

In 2013-14, Syracuse went25 games before its first loss.This season, Syracuse is bare-ly ranked among the nationstop-25 teams.

Syracuses No. 23 rankingreflects not only the players theteam lost, but the increasedlevel of competition it will face.

It was a constant battle,Boeheim said. We had agreat start, but were really

winning games by the thin-nest of margins against

everybody. Not just the goodteams, but everybody.

Louisville only increases thedegree of difficulty, giving theconference four Hall of Famecoaches and four top-10 teams.

From top to bottom, thisconference is unbelievable,redshirt junior guard Trevor

Cooney said.In addition to a tougher

schedule, sensational fresh-man point guard Tyler Ennisleft for the NBA. The teamalso lost forwards C. J. Fairand Jerami Grant.

The trio scored 60 percentof Syracuses points last season.

To reload and try to staycompetitive, Boeheim will relyheavily on Cooney and seniorforward Rakeem Christmas.

Both guys have hadtremendous starts to theircareers, Boeheim said.Theyve brought a lot to theprogram, but I believe thattheyve got a lot more in them.

Cooney shot 240 3-pointerslast season and made 37.5 per-cent of them. No other return-ing Syracuse player had morethan 43 3-point attempts,leaving the fourth-year guardas the only proven threat onthe perimeter. Christmas aver-aged just under six points pergame in his third year.

I think I have to be more

this year, Christmas said.A pair of fresh faces, incom-

ing freshmen guard KalebJoseph and forward ChrisMcCullough, are expected toreplace lost starters and keepthe team competitive.

Joseph will be charged withfilling the void left by Ennis,

whose clutch shots and unchar-acteristic poise for a freshman

were a huge part of 2013-14.So far through practice and

preseason exhibition games,Joseph has shown hes just astalented as his predecessor.

Hes really explosive,Cooney said. Hes quick, hegets up and down the floor.

But the real test will comewhen the games start tocount. Boeheim says a suc-cessful season depends on

both old and new playersstepping up.

But if the season goessouth, Boeheim always hasCandyLand to fall back on.

[email protected]

Pittsburghrelies on depth

DTH FILE PHOTO

Pittsburghs Cameron Wright shoots over North Carolinas Nate

Britt. The Tar Heels defeated Pitt in the 2013-14 season 75-71.

6

By David Allen Jr.Staff Writer

What sticks out for senior

Cameron Wright as he entershis final season with thePittsburgh basketball teamis the last-second shot fromTyler Ennis to give then-No.

1 Syracusea 58-56 winin front ofa shockedPanthercrowd.

I didnt think it wasreal, honestly, Wright said,remembering the moment.I didnt know what had hap-pened, we were winning theentire game it felt like.

That loss still haunts Wrightbut was just one of 13 gamesthat were decided by five

points or fewer in the Panthersinaugural Atlantic CoastConference season.

This year Coach JamieDixon and a veteran Panthersteam which returns 59percent of its scoring from last

year and three key starters look to improve in those games

without Lamar Patterson, lastyears leading scorer and anAll-ACC selection.

We lost some close games,and we lost some games weshouldnt have, to be honest,Dixon said, If you want to

win the conference, youve gotto win your home games.

Dixon was pleased withfinishing 7-2 on the road,

but the 4-5 rec ord at ho mewill be an area for improve-ment moving forward.

The Panthers will callupon a veteran backcourt of

Wright and James Ro binsonto help guide this team intaking its game to the nextlevel.

Wright is the top return-ing scorer for the Panthers,averaging just over 10 pointsper game. He also finished indouble digits in 20 games last

year.But an injury will keep

him out at least the first fivegames, which will include

Pittsburghs trip to Hawaii forthe Maui Invitational.

Robinson will join Wrightas the 2-guard, where he looksto build off a stellar season

which included finishing sixthin the nation in the assist perturnover department and wasa finalist for the Bob Cousyaward for the nations top pointguard, with 148 assists.

Playing with Cam, he real-ly makes the game easy forme, Robinson said. I know

where hes going to be at onthe court, he knows where Imgoing to be.

The friendship and expe-rience between these twoguards will be the founda-

tion of the roster, but Wrightnoted that the team has beengrowing stronger as a unit.

Ive never been a part of ateam that has been so close inall my life, Wright said.

Im really looking forwardto getting out there on thefloor with these guys.

The frontcourt will bemore of a rotating cast forPittsburgh, with DurandJohnson and Joseph Ucheboheadlining the group who willsee minutes for the Panthers.

Johnson is coming off agruesome ACL tear from lastseason and looks to build uponhis hot start in the 2013-14campaign, when he averaged

8.8 points and three reboundsper game in 16 games.And with a home schedule

that features North Carolina,Louisville and Syracuse again,Johnson and the Panthers

will have plenty of chances forTyler Ennis-redemption.

Were still a team thatsfinding our identity, findingour rotation, as are all teamsat this point, Dixon said.

[email protected]

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7/14

Friday, November 14, 2014The Daily Tar Heel Basketball 2014-15

Meeks drops the weight, keeps the flair

DTH FILE/CHRIS CONWAY

Kennedy Meeks, a sophomore forward from Charlotte, dropped 50 pounds in the past

year. Coach Roy Williams said it has made Meeks a much more explosive player.

By Robbie HarmsSenior Writer

Kennedy Meeks likes to makepeople laugh, and he likes to smile,and these two things are related,

so Kennedy Meeks is happy.Like at this years Late NightWith Roy. Meeks, a for wardon the North Carolina mens

basketba ll team, took th e micat midcourt and made anannouncement.

I will be singing I Will AlwaysLove You, by Whitney Houston,he told the crowd, and right thenit was possible to see every singleone of Meeks teeth, such was themagnitude of his grin.

Why did you look at mewhen you said th at? host Bobb yFrasor asked.

Meeks opened his mouth tosay something, leaned over to themicrophone. No words emerged,so there stood Meeks, speechless

and smiling.What followed, of course, wasone of the more memorable LateNight skits, with Meeks passion-ately lip-syncing the Grammy-

winning love song, falling to hisknees histrionically, then layingon his back on the court. Henever broke a smile.

Thats Meeks: a 6-foot-9 soph-omore from Charlotte who lovesto keep his teammates loose.

Loose? What does loosemean? Meeks asks after UNCs112-34 exhibition win againstBelmont Abbey on Friday.

Like, unworried, not uptight.Oh, yeah. Yeah, Meeks says.

THE CHRONICLE/JESUS HIDALGO

Freshman center Jahlil Okafor came into the Duke program as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2014 class. Okafor was named the AP Preseason Player of the Year.

Freshmen talent is aplenty for Blue DevilsBy Ben Salkeld

Staff Writer

It might be a while beforeDuke fans forget their teamsearly NCAA Tournamentexit at the hands of No. 14seed Mercer in March. Butfor the Blue Devils on thecourt, last seasons short-

com-ings arealreadyin therearviewmirror.

If you take anythingfrom the last season to thenext season, I think itsa mistake, Coach MikeKrzyzewski said.

You have to start outfresh ... Youve got to con-centrate on who you areright now.

Who are the preseasonNo. 4 Duke Blue Devils rightnow?

Well, for starters, theyhave the Associated PressPreseason Player of the Yearin 6-foot-11, 270-poundtrue freshman center JahlilOkafor.

Hes as talented as every-body says, senior guard

Quinn Cook said.Hes dedicated to the

game. He takes it seriously.He wants to win.

If he is as good as theysay he is, Okafor will bea double-team magnet, adefensive anchor below the

basket a nd a post pres encethat the Blue Devils didnthave last year.

Cook, a team co-captain,said Okafor is already the

best scorer on t he team.What might make him evenmore dangerous, however,is the ways in which he canopen up the floor for histeammates.

Its really good for me and

our unit to have a force likethat in the middle some-one whos going to demandso much attention, said

the nation is nothing short ofdangerous in its own right.

The Blue Devils also wel-come two recruits who haveplayed alongside Okafor inthe Team USA basketball

youth system.Top-ranked point guard

recruit Tyus Jones will likelybe the new floor general forthe team, and forward Justise

Winslow has elite athleticismon defense.

(Winslow) is going to beone of the unique players in the

ACC this year, Jefferson said.Hes going to be one of

those do-it-all guys for us.The high level of talent

and maturity possessed bythe freshman group, whichis rounded out by the 2014recruiting class sixth-rankedshooting guard in Grayson

Allen, should allow the new-comers to make an immediateimpact on the team.

(The freshmen) embracedthe upperclassmen,Krzyzewski said.

The guys right now dontlook at each other as fresh-men and sophomores and

juniors and senior. They just

Amile Jefferson, a juniorforward and Cooks fellowco-captain.

Its going to make thegame easier for all our guys.

With Okafor at center,Jefferson can move to hisnatural position at the powerforward spot, where he sayshe hopes to improve theteams rebounding num-

bers which ranked 193rdin rebounds per game inDivision I last year.

As an added bonus,Okafors defensive prow-ess should allow guards likeCook and junior RasheedSulaimon to play moreaggressive defense, knowing

that they have a rim protec-tor behind them.

The rest of Dukes ESPNtop-ranked recruiting class in

look at each other as Quinnand Tyus and Justise, andthats a little bit unusual. Itsunusually good.

Duke had elite recruits andtop-notch talent last year andfailed to convert it into a deeprun during March.

Jefferson said he hopes thisteam can change that fortune.

For me personally, itssomething that is one of ourgoals for this season tohang a banner, he said.

Its a process. Our guys aredoing the things right nowto be worthy of winning, and

winning big.

[email protected]

7

Physically, the changes that (Kennedy Meeks has)made is making him a more explosive player.Roy Williams,mens basketball coach

Thats the most important partabout it.

Its settled, then: Meeks, whohad 14 points on six-of-sevenshooting in 12 minutes Friday, is asmiling motivator.

Thats it? A big goofball? No.Meeks is more.

Hes a graceful giant, a big manwith a soft touch both around therim and away from it. He shot55 percent from the field lastseason and started 50 percent ofgames. He averaged about eightpoints and six rebounds a game.Now, hes a breakout candidate,a player many expect to solidifyUNCs ever-evolving frontcourtthis season.

Why? First, a story.Meeks smiled after he provedthem wrong. They had saidhe couldnt windmill. So therehe was, wearing a tight-fitting

black ta nk that paraded a new-found chiseled frame, throwingdown a windmill at a Charlottegym this summer.

He smiled, but not that smile.Not the one from Late Night,

not the one splashing his facewhen hes excitedly whipping atowel on the ground, watching histeammates from the bench.

No, this smile was different.It was more a Yep, I just

did that smirk, a gesture that

cemented the emergence of thenew Kennedy.

This one is for the peoplewho said I couldnt wind-mill, reads the caption to hisInstagram video of the dunk,followed by nine emojis, three ofthem smiley faces.

The new Kennedy is a fitterKennedy, 50 pounds lighter andone year wiser.

Its something Ive been work-ing on for a long time, Meeks,listed at 270 pounds but closer to266, says of cutting weight. Itsfinally paid off.

Physically, the changes thathes made is making him a moreexplosive player, said Coach

Roy Williams.Im really proud of what hesdone. It takes a lot for him to beable to lose that much weightin a years time, junior forwardBrice Johnson says.

Hes a lot more explosive thanhe was last year. And hopefully,hell have a lot more dunks thanMarcus (Paige) this year.

The new Kennedy has not,however, lost his charm. He stilladheres to the same philosophy.

No matter if we were tolose a game, just keep smiling,Meeks said.

[email protected]

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8/14

But the rope didnt beginwith cancer. It arrived threeyears ago with a stranger,who, it turns out, was familyall along.

Both ends of the rope

Its spring 2011, and RodneyCooks in trouble. Hes 63,retired, and his heart is failinghim. He needs a new one, and

bad. His name goes on a trans-plant list. Theres no guarantee.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011comes, and with it a RamsClub speaking engagementat a Raleigh country clubfeaturing coaches Hatchell,

Williams and Butch Davis.Rodneys son, Travis, a36-year-old senior managerat an appraisal company, hadtickets for his dad, who wentto UNC for undergrad andlaw school from 1965 to 1974.

Rodney had never heardHatchell speak. It matteredlittle. Because, as Hatchellslongtime executive assistantJane High says, You neverknow when you give a speech

who youre going to speak to.It began with a simple

question from an audiencemember to Hatchell: Howhad UNCs 2010-11 teamturned an unspectacularregular season into a Sweet 16trip? Simple: Hold the Rope.

UNC lost four straight toend the regular season. Beforethe ACC Tournament began,Hatchell opened an email fromBrenda Paul, the womens

basketball coach at Young

Harris College in Georgia. Itwas the story of Hold the Rope.Hatchell ran to a pet store and

bought a blue, white and blackchew rope. She gave every play-er a copy of the story. If you canHold the Rope for each other,Hatchell said, if you can believein this, we will win the ACC.Every huddle in Greensboroclosed with a mention of Holdthe Rope. UNC won fourgames in four days and the

ACC title, then rattled off threestraight NCAA Tournament

wins before losing to Stanford.A month later, she tells the

country club audience the par-able and its basketball applica-tion. And there, seated some-

where in the throngs of UNCrevelers, Rodney Cook has anepiphany, the kind that shakescobwebs from a sputteringheart and makes it glow. It

just hit me, he said. The eventends, and Rodney walks out ofthe clubhouse with Travis. Hegrabs his son and leans in.

Travis, he says, I want youon the other end of my rope.

The next morning, a phonerings at the Cooks Raleighhome. Its Duke UniversityHospital, and doctors thinktheyve found the right heartfor Rodney. He calls his kids.Its time to Hold the Rope.

They need one first. Traviscalls Jane High on his way to

the hospital and introduceshimself. Rodneys got hisheart, Travis says. He wants to

buy a rope like Hatchells. Thecoach gets on the line andsuggests meeting near the petshop where she bought thefirst rope. But Travis wantsto see his dad before he goesunder. Travis, you go to thehospital, Hatchell says. Letme see what we can do aboutgetting you a rope.

Hatchell has all-day meet-


The Manning era begins at Wake Forest

DTH FILE/HALLE SINNOTT

UNC forward Brice Johnson (11) blocks a shot by Wake Forest guard Codi Miller-McIntyre (0). UNCdefeated Wake Forest 105-72 on Feb. 22, 2014 at the Smith Center. They will meet again Jan. 21.

By Patrick RonanStaff Writer

Wake Forest faithful got thechange they were looking for the Jeff Bzdelik era is over,

and Danny Manning made themove from Tulsa to the ACC.

It would be hard to blameWakeForestmens

basketballfans for

wanting achange, as

the Demon Deacons went fromone of the best programs in theconference to an ACC bottom-feeder in less than a decade.

Since Chris Paul leftWinston-Salem for the NBAafter a 27-6 2004-05 season,the Demon Deacons have gonea combined 144-140, with justa pair of 20-plus-win seasons

and NCAA Tournament bids.Manning proved to be anincredible player in his col-lege days, single-handedly

willing the Kansas Jayhawksto the 1988 national champi-onship on a team nicknamedDanny and the Miracles.But it might be difficult forManning to pull off any feats

of brilliance in his first year atthe helm .

The Demon Deacons returntheir two leading scorers inguard Codi Miller-McIntyreand forward Devin Thomas.

But aside from the twojuniors, Wake Forest doesnthave a single returning player

who averaged more than 3.3points per game last season.

Manning will have todeal with effects of theBzdelik departure, as well.Experienced junior forwardsTyler Cavanaugh and Arnaud

William Adala Moto bothtransferred, but the biggest

blow might be losing highlyrecruited guard SheltonMitchell, who was releasedfrom his letter of intent inlate April before committingto Vanderbilt in May. Shelton

was the only Wake Forestrecruit ranked by Rivals or

ESPN.Manning made it clearabout who hes expecting tolead the Demon Deacons backto the top half of the ACC.

Our junior class is the back-bone of our team, he said.

We have five guys that havebeen in the ACC action for awhile. They understand the

rigors, they understand howtough it is to be successful inthis league and theyre sharingthat message with our new-comers and our young guys.

From the sounds of Miller-

McIntyre and fellow juniorAaron Rountree, it didnt takesuicides or wind sprints to getthe players attention.

He will get on us like noother, and thats definitely a bigdifference for us because wenever really had something likethat, Miller-McIntyre said.

But the fact that hesplayed in the NBA for theamount of time that he hasand has succeeded there great college player, obviously.

When he tells us something,its almost like, okay, we haveto listen.

And if he needs to get hisplayers attention, Manningisnt afraid to pull out his

secret weapon substitutingthe basketball for a balled-uptowel wrapped in duct tape.Its something he says hepicked up from Kansas coachBill Self while Manning was apart of Selfs coaching staff.

When they come to bas-ketball practice and theydont see any basketballs,

8

think I have to give them asmuch as I did last year.

Maybe hes right maybehe wont have to. JustinJackson, Kennedy Meeks,Brice Johnson and J.P. Tokoto,Paiges anticipated fellowstarters, have shown theyrecapable of lightening hisload. Through two exhibitiongames, Paige is averaging just

15.5 minutes per game, a farcry from the 35.6 he gave in2013-14. Against Belmont

Abbey, Paige totaled a merenine points, the second lowesttotal amongst UNC starters.

I mean Marcus has provedhimself at the end of games,said Johnson, Paiges room-mate and teammate. We justhave to find somebody elsethat can do it, too.

This year were just goingto have to see what close

games we get to and see whosgoing to step up if its not him.Who will it be? Thats still

an unknown.But for Williams, one thing

remains certain.If theyre all like Marcus,

I would pay our administra-tion to let me coach instead ofthem pay me, he said.

Nobodys perfect. But hesdarn near perfect.

[email protected]

pie or something.Its a problem I have now.

Every time I see something Ihave to eat it. Im really on asee food diet for real now.

Johnson arrived to ChapelHill in 2012 weighing 187pounds. As a freshman, hissmaller size dictated his styleof play: a lot of quick shots.

Any time Johnson got somespace, he fired. And if he gota little more, he finished theplay off with his trademarktomahawk dunk, accented

with a powerful yell andpound of his chest.

Our freshman year, hewas kind of our energy guywhod come off the bench, geta dunk and scream or flex hismuscles, junior point guardMarcus Paige said. Or flex

whatever he had.In high school, the muscles

worked. Johnson establisheda reputation of being a bangerinside. As a senior at EdistoHigh School in his home stateof South Carolina, he averaged25.4 points, 14.3 rebounds and8.3 blocks a game.

Yet the college game

brought greater physical-ity, with forwards 40 and 50pounds heavier than him.Even worse, Johnson spenthis first two years at UNCplaying a lot at the center posi-tion. So, add another 20 or 30pounds to the players Johnsonmatched up with as a center.

Williams had to convinceJohnson that gaining weight,though a trying process,

would benefit him in the longrun. That the weight gain

wouldnt affect his athleti-cism. The athleticism that ledhim to two high school statetitles in the high jump duringtrack and field season.

Theres a transitionperiod for Brice, Williamssaid. Brice is worrying aboutthe extra weight affecting hisrunning or jumping. So I say,Its not going to do that if youput it out of our mind that itcan affect your strength andability to get that rebound.

The two-year transition onthe path to building a biggerBrice has been rough, espe-cially this summer when theforward battled recurring ankleinjuries, and running up anddown the court with the new

weight didnt seem to help.

I wasnt really comfortablewith (the weight), he said.I started to get out of shape.It started to affect me a lot.Then, as conditioning started,I started to get a lot morecomfortable with it.

Johnsons current comforthas been determined by hisroutine, which relies heavilyon two things: Eat as muchas I can. Lift weights, he says.

Hes anxious to test outhis new frame in the r egularseason.

I wont be bullied, he said.I can be the bully now.

And though he hasnt saidit, Johnsons weight gainhas led to perhaps his big-gest accomplishment yet atUNC. His more solid stature,coupled with his veteran lead-ership, has Johnson poised toclaim the full-time startingpower forward job that evad-ed him for quite some time.

In two seasons as a Tar Heel,Johnson has started just fourout of the 70 games hes played.

Im gonna have to earnevery thing I get, he said.

Earn every single pound andevery single minute as a starter.

[email protected]

BRICE JOHNSONFROM PAGE 1

MARCUS PAIGEFROM PAGE 1

youre like, Its going to be aconditioning day if we dontget this right, Manning said.

It gives us a chance to reallylock in and focus because, youknow, you cant dribble those.

Wake Forest will have to

find some proven scorers ifthey want to improve on last

years 17-16 mark. But it seemslike there might finally be somecontinuity in the locker roomfor the first time since the lateSkip Prossers coaching tenure.

For us, (Mannings) justbrought in a winning cultureand just a new level of excite-ment, Rountree said, almostlike a breath of fresh air.

[email protected]


Marcus Paige was selected as the preseason ACC player of the year at the conferences annual

media day Oct. 29. Paige led the Tar Heels during the 2013-14 season with 17.5 points a game.

DTH FILE/MATT RENN

Brice Johnson has gained 40 pounds since he arrived at UNC as a freshman in 2012. The junior

forward hopes the weight gain, and his court experience will translate to a starting role this season.

SYLVIA HATCHELLFROM PAGE 1

COURTESY OF RODNEY COOK

Sylvia Hatchell and Rodney Cook have held each others ropes,

first for Cooks heart transplant then for Hatchells leukemia.

ings with recruits. But she

plucks a 20 from her pocket.Jane, she says, go out to thepet store and get a rope. Andtake it to Duke.

High does, finding Travis, bythen only a voice on the phone,

when she grabs the rope fromher shopping bag and waves itin the hall. She presents it toRodney, along with a printedcopy of Hold the Rope anda personal inscription fromHatchell: To Rodney: Wereholding the rope for you. Love,Coach Hatchell. High wishesthe Cooks well and leaves.

Thats the last they hear ofRodney for a while. They dontknow the heart wasnt a match,that Rodney waited two more

weeks for the right heart whileonline well-wishers floodedhim with pledges to hold hisrope. They know nothing untilHigh returns to Duke Hospitalto await a sister-in-laws sur-gery and spots a familiar manacross the waiting room.

Jane, Travis Cook says, mydads in surgery right now.

Rodney returns home a fewdays later. Hes out of the hos-pital all of 15 minutes whenhe calls Sylvia and Jane. Hereaches Hatchell on her cellphone while shes fishing. I

want to come see you when Iget stronger, Rodney says.

He does, in June 2011, buthe arrives early for his 1:30

p.m. appointment. He has totrack down Hatchell while sheeats a hot dog at Suttons DrugStore. Rodney forks throughthe crowd, heads straight forcoach. He wraps his armsaround her neck. And he handsHatchell a check for the JessicaBreland Comeback Kids Fund,named for the UNC forwardand eventual WNBA starter,

who beat Hodgkins lymphomawhile playing for Hatchell.

I want to give back,Rodney says to Hatchell,because you gave to me.

Rodney, now, is family. Heappears at every team function.It was meant to be, he says, thisunexpected union between a

man with a new heart and acoach with a new rope.

But see? said HatchellTuesday. I always say, justlike me having cancer: Theresa reason for everything. Andlike I told my team and I toldSammy, You know what? Ifmy team hadnt been playing

badly in February, BrendaPaul would never have sent methat story, and Rodney Cook

would never have happened.She smiled.

Isnt that something?

A matter of perspective

It did happen for a reason,didnt it? She was already alongtime benefactor of theLineberger Center. The N.C.Cancer Hospital named aclassroom after her in October.She wants to build a workoutroom for chemo patients there,something more than the lonetreadmill at the end of thehall, to give them the antidoteof exercise that proved para-mount to Hatchells recovery.But would her advocacy reachhave stretched this far without

warding off leukemia?No, no, no, Hatchell said.

Theres no way.Would Wingate University

senior guard Jasmine DeBerry,a Charlotte native, havedonated marrow on behalf ofthe stricken coach whose UNC

basketball camps she grew upattending? Would she havefound a perfect match with a9-year-old girl who had leu-kemia, gone to Georgetown togive the marrow, or been giventhe chance to meet the girl nextJuly with Hatchell by her side?

Would Rodney Cook havetaken a call from an in-lawin Mount Airy on New YearsDay 2013, whose friend hadslipped into a month-longcoma? Would that friends

wife have heard of the ropestory and of the man whopersonified its core? WouldCook have driven to the manshospital with a rope signed byHatchells team and told themoral by which he will alwayslive as he has to anyone

who has reached out to him?Its a matter of perspective,

isnt it? Cook said.So many times, we get

so much junk in the way,you know? Hatch ell said .Distractions and things,and trust me: Cancer fil-ters all of that out. You seemuch more clear what reallymakes a difference.

Like doctors and donors,

friends and family, randomacts of kindness in the nameof a not-so-random cause:Carrying someone whenthey dont have the strengthto stand, holding the otherend of their rope just as somany did for Rodney Cookand Sylvia Hatchell.

Remarkable, isnt it, whata dogs chew rope can do forthe soul?

[email protected]


9/14


201415WOMENS BASKETBALL

No. Player Year Pos. Height0 Jamie Cherry FR G 5-8

1 Stephanie Mavunga SO F 6-3

2 Latifah Coleman SR G 5-93 Megan Buckland JR* G 6-0

10 Danielle Butts SR G 5-10

11 Brittany Rountree SR G 5-9

13 Hillary Fuller SO* F 6-215 Allisha Gray SO G 6-0

22 NDea Bryant JR G 6-0

24 Jessica Washington SO G 5-830 Hillary Summers SO* F 6-2

31 Erika Johnson SR F 6-1

34 Xylina McDaniel JR F 6-2

*denotes redshirt

201415 WOMENS BASKETBALL ROSTER

SCHEDULE

UNC womens basketballhopes to overcome losses

By Pat James

Assistant Sports Editor

For the North Carolinawomens baske tball te am,the end of 2013-14 wasmarred by loss.

After building a six-pointhalftime lead in the Elite Eightof the NCAA Tournament, theTar Heels fell to the StanfordCardinals in a heartbreakingdefeat losing by nine points.

And nearly three weeksafter the loss, UNC was dealtanother devastating blow when

ACC Rookie of the Year andespnW National Freshman ofthe Year Diamond DeShieldsannounced she would transfer.

But despite both losses, its

what UNC gains in the returnof Hall of Fame coach SylviaHatchell, who missed all ofthe 2013-14 season after beingdiagnosed with leukemia, thatthey hope will allow them to

build upon their success.Last year, we had to worry

about her health and how shewas doing, like day-to-day justchecking up on her, said seniorguard Danielle Butts at ACC

womens basketball media day.Just to have her back and topractice and just getting back inthe flow is definitely a blessing.

We missed her a lot, andthe fact we dont have to

worry about her as muchbecause shes right there with

us every day in practice andwhen were in weights, in filmand stuff like that, just makesour motivation more.

Excluding DeShields, pre-season No. 13 UNC is return-ing its entire starting lineup.

After posting a 27-10record in the 2013-14 season,UNCs finish in the NCAATournament was the furthestthe team advanced in post-season play since the 2007-08campaign. Hatchell said that

while shes been anxious abouther return, she has one fear inthe back of her mind.

I just dont want to messthem up, Hatchell said. I just

as one. And I believe teamworkand togetherness will be thekey to our success this year.

With all of the key ingre-dients of a championship-caliber team, Hatchell saidshe hopes to provide her team

with the ultimate gain.I want to bring out the best

in them both on the court andoff the court, and I want to putsome rings on their fingers,she said. I want to bring somechampionships to these youngladies and something they canhave for the rest of their life.

[email protected]

DTH FILE/JOHANNA FEREBEE

Guard Allisha Gray (15) averaged 13.9 points a game in 2013-14.

2014 Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine ShootoutThe North Carolina womens basketball team will compete in the Rainbow Wahine Shootout in Honolulu,

Hawaii on Friday, Nov. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 30.

FRIDAY SATURDAY

SUNDAY

8 p.m. ESTStanford vs. UNC

10:30 p.m. ESTPrairie View A&M vs. Hawaii

8 p.m. ESTPrairie View A&M vs. UNC

10:30 p.m. ESTStanford vs. Hawaii

8 p.m. ESTStanford vs. Prairie View A&M

10:30 p.m. ESTUNC vs. Hawaii

Georgia Tech ready to put toughness to testBy Andrew Romaine

Staff Writer

Corey Heyward was frankas he leaned into the micro-phone at ACC Media Day.

Asked to clarify the sourceof the collective chip on the

shoul-

dersof theGeorgiaTechmens

basketball team, the sopho-more guard didnt fumble for

words.Were ranked at the bot-

tom of the ACC and I thinkwere better than that,Heyward said. So the chipcomes from feeling like wevegot something to prove.

To be exact, the YellowJackets were picked bymembers of the media tofinish 13th out of 15 ACCteams. Its a fair projection:Theres not much on paper

to indicate that GeorgiaTech will be vastly betterthan last seasons 6-12 con-ference record.

But Heyward and histeammates have hope hopethat stems from a growingcomfort with fourth-yearcoach Brian Gregorys sys-tem, a belief that last seasonsstrong finish will carry overto this year and a hunchthat junior forward MarcusGeorges-Hunt is primed for a

breakout year.This is a great group,

Georges-Hunt said. This isthe first time that every playeron the team was recruited byCoach Gregory. Were tryingto surprise a lot of people.

It wont be easy for theYellow Jackets to turn heads.They know as well as anyone

how brutal the ACC gauntletcan be. And with significantlyless talent than the confer-ences top dogs, Georgia Tech

will rely on toughness andphysicality to navigate therocky road ahead.

The preparations began inthe offseason. Georges-Huntand Heyward, the teams like-

ly leaders, both shed weight,giving up fast food and ramp-ing up their training regi-mens. Georges-Hunt said therest of the team has shownan equal willingness to makesacrifices, taking a workman-like approach to practices andtraining sessions.

But Gregory knows whohis leaders are, and he willrely on them to set the tonehe wants on the court.

When people leave thearena, Gregory said, I wantthem to say, Man, thats thehardest-playing team Iveever seen. Thats a physicalteam and theyre not afraid toknock somebody down oncein a while.

Having been denied apostseason appearance ineach of their past four sea-sons, the Yellow Jackets have

been ha rdened b y advers ityin recent years. Injuriesplagued the team for muchof last season and promising

big man Robert C arter Jr.transferred to Maryland thispast summer.

In this league, one of thethings you learn is that if

youre not a team that canfight through adversity and if

youre not a team with a highlevel of resolve and resilience,then youre really in a toughspot, Gregory said.

A postseason berth is a talltask for this years GeorgiaTech team. But at least the

Yellow Jackets know whattheyre up against. Andtheyre ready to do battle.

I see ourselves as a teamthats fighting to make animprint, especially in the

ACC and college basketball,Heyward said.

Were a team of guys thatwants to fight.

[email protected]

DTH FILE/DANIEL WILCO

UNC guard Marcus Paige dunks in a game against Georgia Tech.The Tar Heels beat Georgia Tech away 78-65 on Jan. 29, 2014.

want to add to what they did

last year. They went to the EliteEight and missed the FinalFour by only three buckets, andI just dont want to mess themup. I just want to add to it andhelp them get to the next level.

In order for the Tar Heelsto reach that point, the teammust supplant DeShields pro-duction on the offensive end ofthe floor which accountedfor 18.0 points per game.

But with an ACC-bestthree players named to theBlue Ribbon Panel Preseason

All-ACC Team in sophomoresAllisha Gray and StephanieMavunga and junior XylinaMcDaniel, as well as a roster

with seven upperclassmen, the

team makes up a dominantoffensive threat with four keytraits, Hatchell said.

We have leadership, wevegot experience, weve gotdepth and great chemistry,she said. And I feel like wevegot a great game plan as far ashow to implement on that.

Senior guard LatifahColeman said the teams chem-istry could carry it to success.

The one thing we need tomaintain and abide by is theidea of togetherness, she said.Coach always says, Were fiveindividuals working together

9

DATE TIME OPPONENT TV

Fri. Nov. 14 4 p.m. vs. Howard

Sun. Nov. 16 2 p.m. vs. UCLA

Wed. Nov. 19 6 p.m. vs. Oklahoma State ESPN3

Sun. Nov. 23 6 p.m. at Oregon Pac-12 Network

RAINBOW WAHINE SHOWDOWN

Fri. Nov. 28 8 p.m. vs. Stanford

Sat. Nov. 29 8 p.m. vs. Prairie View A&M

Sun. Nov. 30 10:30 p.m. vs. Hawaii

ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE

Thurs. Dec. 4 7 p.m. at Rutgers Big Ten Network

Sun. Dec. 14 2 p.m. vs. Appalachian State

Tues. Dec. 16 6 p.m. vs. Oregon State ESPN3

CAROLINA WOMENS CHALLENGE

Fri. Dec. 19 7 p.m. vs. Maine

Sun. Dec. 21 3 p.m. vs. Elon

Tues. Dec. 30 2 p.m. vs. Albany

Fri. Jan. 2 2 p.m. vs. East Tennessee State

Sun. Jan. 4 3 p.m. vs. N.C. State RSN/ESPN3

Thurs. Jan. 8 7 p.m. at Pittsburgh

Sun. Jan. 11 3 p.m. vs. Georgia Tech RSN/ESPN3

Thurs. Jan. 15 7 p.m. vs. Notre Dame RSN/ESPN3

Sun. Jan. 18 2 p.m. at Clemson

Thurs. Jan. 22 7 p.m. at N.C. State

Sun. Jan. 25 5 p.m. vs. Duke ESPN2

Sun. Feb. 1 2 p.m. vs. Boston College ESPN3

Thurs. Feb. 5 7 p.m. at Syracuse ESPN3

Sun. Feb. 8 1 p.m. at Virginia Tech RSN/ESPN3

Thurs. Feb. 12 7 p.m. vs. Florida State RSN/ESPN3

Sun. Feb. 15 1 p.m at Louisville ESPN2

Thurs. Feb. 19 7 p.m vs. Wake Forest ESPN3

Sun. Feb. 22 3 p.m. at Miami RSN/ESPN3

Thurs. Feb. 26 7 p.m. vs. Virginia RSN/ ESPN3

Sun. March 1 3 p.m. at Duke ESPN2

The North Carolina womens basketball

team faces one of the toughestschedules in the nation, with 10 gamesversus teams in the preseason top-25.

919-929-0246UNC Campus Carrboro

412 E. Main Carrboro

EARLY WEEK

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10/14

Friday, November 14, 2014 The Daily Tar Heel10 Basketball 2014-15

Hanlans return solidifiesEagles squad makeover

DTH FILE PHOTO

J.P. Tokoto (13) defends guard Alex Dragicevich in the Jan. 18, 2013 , game

against Boston College. The Tar Heels pulled out an 82-71 win.

By Jane ZorowitzStaff Writer

Its not a stretch to say theNotre Dame mens basketballteam wasnt too pleased withits inaugural season in the

Atlantic Coast Conference.After finishing 15-17 overall

and 6-12 in the conference,its not difficult to see why.

We certainly got baptizedby fire last year, Coach MikeBrey said. It was a rudeawakening being a newcomerin this league.

But a year later, theFighting Irish are looking to

Notre Dame looks for more in second year in ACCredeem themselves and makea name in the ACC.

With the return of seniorsJerian Grant, who decidedto return after an academic-related suspension duringthe 2013-14 year, and PatConnaughton, Notre Dameis looking for a return to theNCAA Tournament.

You go through a year likethat, you go through a tough

year, and youre able to getthrough it with your team-mates, and I think that bringsa lot of guys closer together,Connaughton said. I thinkeveryone is motivated to do

better, and everyone is moti-vated to have each othersbacks and try to show theACC the way we used to play.

When he says the way weused to play, Connaughton isreferring to Notre Dames pres-ence in the Big East; but early

in confer-ence playin the2013-14season, it

becameclear thatthe team

had to approach its new ACCopponents differently.None of the teams are the

same from the Big East, Grantsaid. You cant just figure out

what theyre doing from whothey played last year. I feel likein the Big East you knew what

you were going to get.And Brey agreed.

You know, when yourein the Big East all those

years, you have your break-down drills before you playGeorgetown and before youplay Connecticut, and we real-ly didnt have that, he said.

He also said, however, thathe thinks the team has a little

better feel for the league now.And the 1-2 combinationof Connaughton and Grant

with 13.8 and 19 pointsper game respectively in the2013-14 season definitely

wont hurt the Irish.With (Grant) and

Connaughton as seniors, Ithink those are two of the 10or 12 best returning players inthe league, Brey commented.Pretty good place to start.

We feel we can play our wayback into the mix of things inthis league.

Notre Dame is lookingto improve defensively andalso try not to focus only onthe Dukes and the NorthCarolinas, overlooking thegames it is expected to win.They learned the hard way that you cannot do that in apower conference like the ACC.

I dont think were justtrying to be better than lastseason, Connaughton said.I think were trying to bringNotre Dame basketball backto where it was in the Big East,

when we were at the top of theleague year in and year out.

[email protected]

Boston College and its

new coach are looking toturn the program around.

Game 1Wednesday Nov. 26

Noon


2:30 p.m.


7 p.m.


9:30 p.m.

Game 5Thursday Nov. 27

1 p.m.


7 p.m.


3:30 p.m.


9:30 p.m.

Game 9Friday Nov. 28

2 p.m.

3rd and 4th place

Championship

Game 10

Friday Nov. 284:30 p.m.

1st and 2nd place


10:30 p.m.

7th and 8th place


8 p.m.

5th and 6th place

UCLA

LL

W W

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS TOURNAMENT BRACKET:The North Carolina basketball team will travel to Paradise Island in the Bahamas Nov. 26 to face off against Butler in the fi rst game of

the 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. There will be four top-25 teams at the event ( Wisconsin, UNC, Florida and Oklahoma).

SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.ATLANTISBAHAMAS.COM DTH/HEATHER CAUDILL

W W

W W

L

L L

L

DATE TIME OPPONENT TV

Fri. Nov. 14 8 p.m. vs. N.C. Central ESPNU

Sun. Nov. 16 6 p.m. vs. Robert Morris ESPNU

Sat. Nov. 22 2 p.m. at Davidson Time Warner

Wed. Nov. 26 Noon vs. Butler (Bahamas) ESPN2

Thurs. Nov. 27 TBA vs. Oklahoma or UCLA (Bahamas)

Fri. Nov. 28 TBA vs. UAB, Florida, Georgetown or Wisconsin

Wed. Dec. 3 7:30 p.m. vs. Iowa ESPN

Sun. Dec. 7 3 p.m. vs. East Carolina ESPNU

Sat. Dec. 13 Noon at Kentucky CBS

Tues. Dec. 16 7 p.m. at UNC-G ESPN2

Sat. Dec. 20 1 p.m. vs. Ohio State (Chicago) CBS

Sat. Dec. 27 4 p.m. vs. UAB ESPN2

Tues. Dec. 30 TBA vs. William & Mary

Sat. Jan. 3 TBA at Clemson ESPN

Mon. Jan. 5 7 p.m. vs. Notre Dame ESPN or ESPN2

Sat. Jan. 10 2 p.m. vs. Louisville ESPN

Wed. Jan. 14 7 p.m. at N.C. State ESPN2

Sun. Jan. 18 6:30 p.m. vs. Virginia Tech ESPNU

Wed. Jan. 21 7 p.m. at Wake Forest ESPN2

Sat. Jan. 24 2 p.m. vs. Florida State ESPN or ESPN2

Mon. Jan. 26 7 p.m. vs. Syracuse ESPN

Sat. Feb. 31 TBA at Louisville ESPN or ESPN2

Mon. Feb. 2 7 p.m. vs. Virginia ESPN

Sat. Feb. 7 3 p.m. at Boston College ACC Network

Sat. Feb. 14 Noon at Pitt ACC Network

Wed. Feb. 18 9 p.m. at Duke ESPN/ ACC Network

Sat. Feb. 21 Noon vs. Georgia Tech ACC Network

Tues. Feb. 24 8 p.m. vs. N.C. State ACC Network

Sat. Feb. 28 2 p.m. at Miami CBS

Tues. March 3 7 p.m. at Georgia Tech ESPNU

Sat. March 3 TBA vs. Duke ESPN

said. Hes a guy that can scorethe ball, and hes great in the openfloor. But hes also a guy that canget other people shots.

While Christian was able toretain the Eagles best player, otherkey contributors didnt follow suit.

With forward Ryan Anderson andpoint guard Joe Rahon the teamsrespective leaders in reboundsand assists both moving on, thecoaching staff is making changes toreplace the transfers production.

Rahons departure has forcedHanlan into assuming full-time

point guard duties, something hefeels quite comfortable with.Not playing with another point

guard, itll be a lot easier for me,Hanlan said. Itll be a lot easieron my teammates, too not hav-ing to adapt to two different typesof point guards.

Andersons absence opens t hedoor for the return of 7-foot-1Dennis Clifford, who missed near-ly all of the 2013-14 season with aknee injury.

Hes a guy that can run the floorunbelievably well; hes got greathands, he has great touch, he hasgood feel, Christian said. To seehim play pain-free basketball andenjoy the game has been rewarding.

Christian, the winningest coach

in Mid-American Conference his-tory, has emphasized defense to

complement an efficient yet slow-moving offense, which finishedninth in the ACC in field goal per-centage but last in shots attempted.

In terms of efficiency, we hadone of the top offenses in the ACC,Hanlan said. If we can just focuson defense and get those little stopsand get five or six more shots agame Well improve a lot.

After dropping nine games decid-ed by four points or less, Christian

brought in two fifth-year transfers Southern Mississippi forward

Aaron Brown and Old Dominion

guard Dimitri Batten to bolsteran already veteran-laden team.Theyve changed our culture

because theyre competitive guys whohave won, Christian said. Theyveinfluenced practice and were estab-lishing the habits that we want.

Despite low expectations,Christian is hoping the offseasonchanges can propel the Eagles totheir first NCAA tournament bidsince 2009.

Sometimes when thereschanges, guys emerge, Christiansaid. They get a different outlook,maybe a clean slate or maybe a partof their game emerges that didntemerge in the past.

And I think we have some ofthat, which is exciting.

[email protected]

By C Jackson CowartStaff Writer

Following a disappointing seasonin which the team finished secondto last in the conference, BostonCollege (8-24, 4-14 ACC) is hopingthat significant changes in the pro-gram will inspire future success.

But the one change the teamcouldnt afford was losing its pre-

mier playmaker,Olivier Hanlan, tothe NBA.

I was prettyclose (to leaving),

said Hanlan, whowas the ACCsthird-leading scorer in 2013-14

with 18.5 points per game. It waspretty crazy last year in terms ofhaving a coach get fired, certainplayers leaving. I feel like that

would be crazy for any player.But after flirting with early entry

into the draft, the Eagles top scorersaid returning for his junior yeargave him the best chance to improve.

Improvement has defined thedo-it-all guards career. Afterreceiving only a few scholarships asa three-star recruit out of Canada,Hanlan burst onto the scene as afreshman, winning the 2012-13

ACC Freshman of the Year award.He followed it up with an All-

ACC Third Team spot as a sopho-more, finishing top two on theteam in points, assists, rebounds,steals and minutes.

Yet despite his breakout perfor-mance, the ACCs leading returningscorer remains overlooked.

Im kind of used to having that people underrating me or notlooking at me as much as at otherplayers, Hanlan said. I use it asmotivation and its kind of a chipon my shoulder, to be honest.

Despite feeling underappreci-ated, Hanlans impact did not gounnoticed by newly-hired coachJim Christian, who knew thatsecuring the young stars commit-ment to return was pivotal to hisnew teams success.

Hes got the attitude that youdwant for a great player, Christian

201415 MENS BASKETBALLSCHEDULE


11/14


DTH FILE PHOTO

UNC forward Brice Johnson (11) looks to shoot past former Miami forward Julian Gamble (45).

Miami hopes to weather youthBy Ben Coley

Staff Writer

In past seasons, Miamicoach Jim Larranaga hasthrived on experienced teams.In 2006, his George Masonteam reached the Final Four

with five returning starters.Just two seasons ago, he ledMiami to the Sweet Sixteen

with sixseniorson theroster.

Butin the 2014-15 season,Larranaga wont be as fortu-nate.

Junior center Tonye Jekiriand sophomore guard ManuLecomte are the only returning

scholarship players from the2013-14 team. Miami has ninenewcomers, including threefreshmen and three eligibletransfers.

Larranaga said, with hispast experienced teams, theplayers enter the season witha clear vision and only certainareas need to be tweaked. Butthis year, Larranaga expectsgrowing pains.

A team that brings in ahandful of new players and

has a couple of great fresh-men, they may show that theyhave great talent, Larranagasaid. But if you get into theNCAA Tournament and theydont know anything about theopponent, they could be easilycaught off guard and not playtheir best.

Among the new cropof players is junior guardSheldon McClellan who trans-ferred from Texas. As a sopho-more with the Longhornsduring the 2012-13 season,McClellan put up 13.5 pointsper game and shot 83.3 per-cent from the free throw line.

For McClellan, sitting outlast season was uncomfort-able, but he said it gave himtime to work on his game.

It was very frustrating tosee my teammates struggleon the court. Me and (AngelRodriguez) wanted to be outthere, McClellan said. Butat that point, we were focus-ing on ourselves. I definitelygot better in my year off

both offensively and defe n-sively. So I looked at it as apositive.

With its two leading scor-ers gone in guards RionBrown and Garrius Adams,

Miami will have to find a newsource of offense. ReturnersJekiri and Lecomte both aver-aged fewer than 10 points pergame last season.

But Rodriguez, a redshirtjunior transfer guard fromKansas State, said any playeron the team is capable of car-rying the offensive mantle ineach game.

I truly think that we have alot of weapons and that it could

be anyones night, Rodriguezsaid. Thats one of the beautiesof this team. Its an advantagefeeling comfortable giving the

ball to each other.To be successful, Larranaga

said one player cant carry theload. Instead, there needs to

be a strong supporting cast in

place to go far in the NCAATournament.

You have to have an NBAfirst-round pick probably to

win it all, but he cant do itby himself, Larranaga said.One, two or three guys cantdo it by themselves. Theyhave to have enough support.

And with so many newfaces, Miami will need all thesupport it can get.

[email protected]

11

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12/14

Wolfpack moves on without Warren



UNC guard Marcus Paige (5) reaches up to block a shot by N.C.

State guard Anthony Barber (2) on Feb. 1. UNC won 84-70.

UNC guard Nate Britt (0) makes a layup during the game against

the N.C. State Wolfpack on Feb. 1, 2014, at the Smith Center.

By Danielle HermanSenior Writer

N.C. State hasnt even start-ed its season, yet the Wolfpackis already talking about loss.

Its understandabl

the dth presents the 2014-15 basketball tab

Documents