Lucas: UNC Basketball Mailbag
March 24, 2009
By Adam Lucas Who are some Tar Heel players that made a significant contribution to the team during a red-shirt 5th year? What kind of scoring/rebounding numbers did they put up? This question is prompted by the return of Marcus Ginyard for the 2009-10 season, when he will be a fifth-year senior on a very young team. The three most recent examples would be Pat Sullivan, Serge Zwikker, and Kevin Madden. Zwikker redshirted during the 1992-93 season, his freshman campaign. His most memorable contribution to that squad was the fact that any time a Carolina player hit a 3-pointer (thank you, Donald Williams), Zwikker would stand up to his full 7-foot height on the bench and raise both arms to signify a trifecta, thereby blocking the view of the entire lower deck. Zwikker was a classic big man project who developed into a reliable player as an upperclassman. As a senior, he averaged 11.5 points (seemingly half of them on a deadeye baseline jumper) and 8.1 rebounds per game. He also wore a delightful headband, a trait I suspect Ginyard will not emulate. Sullivan was originally a member of the heralded recruiting class that entered before the 1990-91 season and included Eric Montross, Clifford Rozier, Brian Reese and Derrick Phelps. He was an important part of the rotation for his first three seasons, and averaged 6.4 points per game as a junior, during which time he set a record for the number of times that Dean Smith said, "Pat had a good game," in postgame press conferences. Sullivan also, of course, hit a very memorable free throw against Michigan in the '93 title game and then celebrated with an off-key rendition of "One Shining Moment" during a nationally televised postgame interview. But with the Tar Heels loaded with talent for the 1993-94 season, Sullivan voluntarily took a redshirt. Unfortunately, his fifth season was hampered by back problems, as he missed the first 21 games of the 1994-95 season before playing in the final 13 games, including the Final Four in Seattle. He averaged 9.2 minutes, 2.2 points, and 1.4 rebounds per game as a fifth-year senior. Sullivan's lasting legacy is that he is one of very few Tar Heels to play on three Final Four teams. He also coached in the 2000 Final Four as a member of the UNC coaching staff.
Madden was a highly touted recruit from Staunton, Va., who averaged double-digit minutes as a freshman during the 1985-86 season. He redshirted as a sophomore to concentrate on academics and was a stellar contributor over the next three seasons. As a senior, he averaged 26.4 minutes, 10.1 points, and 4.7 rebounds per game. A knee injury during his senior year snuffed out what would have been a likely NBA career. Please help me understand what the NCAA is doing with the basketball courts. I'm watching all the games I can possible can but I don't know why the court in Greensboro has to look the same as the one in Philadelphia or Boise. What is the NCAA thinking, don't they know that the "variety and different styles and the uniqueness of the arenas" is what draws the fans to watch these games? Also, please tell me how many ACC Officials are calling games in the NCAA? First, about the floors, the NCAA's goal is for everything to be completely uniform in every single venue that hosts the tournament. That extends to the courts used as a playing surface and even beyond the court, as everything "backstage"--interview areas, the waiting area that includes a Guitar Hero game, even the blue carpet that's laid down on top of the regular backstage arena flooring--is identical from venue to venue. When Carolina arrives at the FedEx Forum later this week, everything will look very similar to what they saw in Greensboro, despite the fact that they're an expensive plane ride (as fans know) away from home. This might be an example of the NCAA's detail obsession being a good thing. The idea is for players from all schools at all venues to have the same experience. You don't want a team to get cheated out of part of the event just because it was assigned to a venue that was lacking in creature comforts. Now, about the officials, I could tell you that information. But then I'd have to kill you. Instead, I'll just let you know that there's an interesting website out there that might be helpful. And if you combine that with the boxscores from this past weekend, you'll have the answer. Sorry for being vague, but as you've probably noticed, coaches and players are fair game for public criticism and evaluation, but officials are not. Let me also say this: officials have an impossible job and I couldn't do it. They take an extreme amount of abuse and for the most part grade out very well. It's also stunning when you realize that they're real people. In Atlanta for the ACC tournament, two regular officials ate dinner at a table next to my wife and I, and it was sort of like being a kid and seeing your first-grade teacher at the grocery store. Turns out they eat just like real humans! A couple of other official-related links you might enjoy. First, a story on the selection process for NCAA tournament refs. Read it closely and compare it to NCAA box scores and you might find yourself--considering the stated criteria the NCAA is supposedly using--scratching your head. And second, a look at the standby official, which is a phenomenon that only pops up at tournament time. You'll note from the first link that the NCAA tries to either avoid familiarity between officials and teams or balance it between the two teams. That brings up an interesting question--what impact does it have if a game official is well acquainted with a particular team? Depending on your perspective, you could argue that familiarity is either an asset or a hindrance. It allows an official to develop a relationship with coaches and players, which enables them to have discussions about the way a game is being officiated rather than just blowing the whistle. But you also could argue that familiarity forces them to develop certain expectations of how teams and players might play. Evaluations from first- and second-round games are used to determine which officials advance to the next rounds. Keep an eye on the box scores to see who progresses. Brownlow's Down Low Lauren writes: Ellington has tended to go about things in different ways when it comes to his scoring. For example, he had 23 points against Miami at home but did not score in the first half. He had 25 points against Clemson but hit his first shot of the game, a three-pointer. Against Maryland, he had a season-high 34 points after hitting his first three-pointer. Then against Virginia at home, he struggled but eventually had 20 points after starting the game 2-of-7. Remembering games like those, I assumed it wouldn't be a factor at all. I was wrong. Ellington has made his first shot in 12 games. In those 12, he has shot 59.3% from the field and a scorching 49.2% from beyond the arc, averaging 18.5 points and 2.7 made three's per game. Interestingly enough, he has shot the same percentage from two-point range as from the foul line (67.5%) in those 12 games. But in the 22 games when he has missed his first shot, he has shot 41.7% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc, averaging 14.2 points per game. He has scored 23 or more points in Carolina's last three games and in two of the last three, he has hit his first shot of the game. In fact, if you take away his 0-of-3 start against Florida State in the ACC semifinals, he would have made 28 of his last 46 shot attempts and ten of last 19 three-pointers. Ellington has at least one rebound, assist or steal before scoring in 22 of Carolina's 34 games this season. Three of his biggest scoring games this season - at home against Miami, Maryland and in the ACC Tournament against Florida State - have been started by an offensive rebound. Of Ellington's first baskets, 13 have been three-pointers and 13 have been transition baskets. Three have been offensive rebounds and put-backs. There have been all kinds of notes about Carolina being undefeated when Ellington shoots over 50 percent. Well, Carolina is undefeated this season when Ellington's first basket is a three-pointer. Against LSU, he hit his first three with 15:44 to go in the first half and did not look back. In three of Carolina's four losses this season, Ellington has been held scoreless for over five minutes and has begun each game without scoring for a combined 26 minutes, 24 seconds. Carolina is 11-1 when Ellington makes his first basket (the lone loss was to Boston College) and 19-3 when he misses his first attempt. Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball. |
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