by Adam Lucas, Tar Heel Monthly

The walls in assistant coach C.B. McGrath's office are lined with videotapes. But when David Noel stopped by McGrath's office recently, there was only one particular game that interested him--Carolina's 90-84 loss in College Park last season. Due to an injury to Jawad Williams, Noel got the start in that game and posted his only double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

The game was a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating sophomore campaign for Noel, who had blossomed into a valuable contributor as a freshman. He put together an outstanding summer, earning raves from his teammates, but saw his momentum zapped by a thumb injury in preseason practice that cost him several weeks of practice and six games.

Although the injury did give him the time to pledge Kappa Alpha Psi, something he'd wanted to do since before arriving at Carolina, it cost him more than just playing time. It also robbed him of the confidence he'd developed as a freshman, an essential part of his game that had allowed him to go from walk-on to valued starter during Sean May's absence. While perusing a preseason magazine recently, the Durham native also discovered that the injury had once again dropped him below the radar of many basketball observers.

"I don't usually look at those basketball magazines," Noel says. "Out of the blue, I picked one up to see what they were saying about our team. There was an article talking about our key returning players and it listed all the guys, but nowhere in there was my name. It hurt a little bit, but at the same time it's a motivating tool for me to use. Nobody is looking for me now, so I want to do what I did my freshman year, except do it for the whole season."

To accomplish that, he paid close attention when meeting with Roy Williams and the assistant coaches this spring. The coaches gave him a list of things to improve, including--not surprisingly for a Williams-coached team--defense.

Over the past two years, Noel has frequently guarded bigger players in the post. But with the arrival of Marvin Williams and the Tar Heels' increased depth, it's possible that he may spend more time this season guarding opponents on the wing.

"I thrived on playing defense my freshman year," Noel says. "But because of my situation last year I wasn't able to play defense the way I needed to. One of the biggest things I needed to work on was my lateral quickness."

Noel edged out Jackie Manuel for the team's field goal percentage lead last year, sinking 56.2 percent of his shots. But many of those attempts came from point blank range, and the coaches asked him to improve his reliability out to 15 feet.

The goal for this season is simple: keep the high percentage, but do it from a greater variety of locations.

"Last year, Coach really didn't want me shooting outside because my jumper wasn't as good percentage-wise," Noel says. "But I've made some changes with that. I've brought my elbow in, and instead of bringing the ball back behind my ear, it's more above my forehead. When I catch the ball, I don't drop it, I just catch and go straight up. That helps me get more arc on my shot.

"I had no arc at all before. I jump so high when I shoot my jumper, that I shoot when I'm coming down. That's why it was so flat. Now I'm catching, jumping, and shooting at the peak of my jump."

And watching plenty of tape, which is why McGrath may notice a suspicious gap in his video library.

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.