by Adam Lucas, Tar Heel Monthly

The list still sits in his locker, a tangible reminder of how Jackie Manuel spent his summer. It's divided into categories, with the most prominent headed "Shooting."

Below the header, there's a list of points of emphasis Manuel tried to follow this summer:

Good follow through.

Get good arc on the shot.

Have a good base.

Receive the ball with your elbow in, ready to shoot.

All the above are part of a complete overhaul of Manuel's shot that was begun almost as soon as the Tar Heels got back from Denver and last year's NCAA Tournament. The senior has worked extensively with assistant coach Joe Holladay and administrative assistant/assistant strength & conditioning coordinator Jerod Haase on his mechanics, beginning when Holladay videotaped Manuel's shooting motion and sat down with him to make some corrections.

"I've spent countless hours working on it this summer," Manuel said. "I've been in the gym every day shooting between 500 and 1,000 shots. I'd do some ball-handling drills with Wes Miller and then work on my shooting."

The results are noticeable enough that both Raymond Felton and Jawad Williams immediately singled out Manuel's improved form as the element of this year's team most likely to surprise people. He attempted just ten three-pointers last year, making two, and while he's not likely to become a three-point bomber anytime soon in Roy Williams's offense, he does think he's capable of expanding his range beyond the transition layups he made so frequently as a junior.

"Everything about my shot is more fluid," Manuel said. "The form, the rotation, and the accuracy have all improved. A lot of people told me that the past couple of years when I shot the ball, it looked like it was coming out of both hands. I've worked on that, and now when I get ready to release, you're only going to see it coming out of one hand."

Perhaps more than any of his other classmates, the Florida native has undergone significant changes during his time in Chapel Hill. As a sophomore, his defense was instrumental in the Preseason NIT wins over Kansas and Stanford, but by the end of that season, he'd lost his place in the starting lineup to Melvin Scott.

Roy Williams chose to keep Scott as a starter, believing Manuel's energy and defensive effort would be a valuable asset off the bench. The plan worked perfectly through most of last season, and Manuel was continually cited as the player who most quickly bought in to Williams's style of play.

"Some people have to experience things in order to learn," Manuel says. "Other people can just be told. I'm one of those people you can just tell. When Coach Williams came in, I knew he had been very successful with that he had done. So it made sense that if I wanted to be successful, I should buy into what he was saying. If you don't try it, you'll never know."

Most of the players arrived back in Chapel Hill in August spouting similar sentiments, saying they're taken the "buying in" theme of last year more seriously. But after a 19-11 finish when things didn't always go smoothly, Manuel is well aware that there may be some skepticism concerning the team's commitment until it's actually proven on the court.

"Anybody can say anything they want," he says. "Until we step out there and do it, we haven't proven anything. Until that, people will be skeptical. But I know, and the guys know, we can do it."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.