Oct. 14, 2004

by Adam Lucas

Chalk one up for a well-rounded University of North Carolina education.

One of the classes on Rashad McCants's fall semester schedule is a social psychology course. Just a few weeks into the course, he already went wide-eyed when asked how he was enjoying the class.

"It's been really interesting, especially considering some of the things that have gone on lately in my life," McCants says. "We've talked about things like reputation and perceptions, and how people see you one certain way. Then, when they meet you, they might see you differently. I found that very interesting as far as my situation and how I act."

Within the team, McCants's reputation is old news. After some stumbles while they got used to him, his teammates have long since learned to understand -- and maybe even appreciate -- his personality. But he realizes outsiders still aren't sure what to make of his occasional scowl.

That's part of what happened this summer at the USA Junior National tryouts. According to teammate Sean May, who also tried out and was picked for the team, McCants was easily the best player in attendance, even though he was playing on a painful jumper's knee and had been advised to take six weeks off. But head coach Kelvin Sampson left him off the squad, causing some raised eyebrows around the college basketball world.

McCants admits that he could have handled the situation differently.

"The USA thing was a bad encounter," McCants says. "Some guys really didn't know me and had expectations before they met me. People have perceptions of you, and usually they follow those perceptions when they meet you."

Last year's leading All-ACC vote-getter also candidly admits he may have had a different summer agenda than some players who made the team. For most players, summer is a time to be selfish, a time to work on individual shortcomings. That's what McCants did, and that's why he wasn't overly burdened by being cut.

"My main reason for going up there was because Coach Williams wanted me to go and work with Sean and get my teammate skills up to par," he says. "In the summer, you want to be in the gym working on your weaknesses and strengths. When I went to USA tryouts, I was more of an individual player rather than a teammate. That may have been the wrong approach, but I didn't really go up there for the team, I went up there for the experience and to play against the other players.

"Not making the team wasn't disappointing, but it was motivating. Next time, if that same situation arises, I'll know how to handle it differently."

He's completely healed from the knee injury now, and has spent much of the summer watching constant replays of Carolina's second round NCAA Tournament loss to Texas. In that game, he missed a late shot that, if executed properly, could have sent the game into overtime.

It's a play that still causes him to wince. He's eager, as a junior, to write a new ending to Carolina's season, a more pleasant finale to watch during the summer of 2005.

"If my teammates have confidence in me like I have in them, we can go a long way," he says. "I'm willing to take the team on my back, just like Raymond is or Jawad is or Melvin is or Sean is. But everybody has to be confident enough to get on."

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.