Season: 2003-2004
Record: 19-11 overall, 8-8 ACC(5th place)
ACC Tournament: Lost to Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals
NCAA Tournament: Lost to Texas in the 2nd Round
Roster: Justin Bohlander, Raymond Felton, Damion Grant, Jesse Holley, C.J. Hooker, Jackie Manuel, Sean May, Rashad McCants, Phillip McLamb, Jonathan Miller, David Noel, Damien Price, Byron Sanders, Melvin Scott, Reyshawn Terry, Jawad Williams
Source: UNC Media Guide
Okay, the argument can be made that this team should be ranked below the 1990 team. The 2004 version, Roy Williams first at UNC, won two fewer games, finished two spots lower in the ACC and was eliminated a round earlier in the NCAA Tournament. So why ranked them a spot higher than 1990? Well, because even with these factors considered I think the 2004 team was better than 1990. And yes this is not necessarily grounded in logic and might be based on projecting the following season on these two in ranking them.
Interestingly enough 1990 and 2004 very similar in many ways. Both seasons were transition seasons overcoming chemistry issues from the previous season though the 2004 was dealing with something far bigger than 1990 did. Both beat the #1 team in the nation at some point during the season. Also, both 1990 and 2004 preceded Final Four teams with the latter resulting in a national title.
From a player standpoint, 2004 was about watching the team grow and adapt to Roy’s new system. Rashad McCants’ slowness to adjust has been well documented and probably not in total fairness at times, still McCants was the best shooter on the team and led the team with 20.0 ppg. Raymond Felton led the ACC in assists showing significant progress over his freshman season. Sean May led the ACC in rebounding with almost to 10 per game. This core of three players surrounded by guys like Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott formed a solid team that basically one season away.
What I find interesting is despite the previous season of trouble the 2004 team was highly regarded by the polls as well as being painfully close to winning several games they would ultimately lose. The 8-8 ACC mark included three OT losses(one of them triple OT at home versus Wake Forest) and a two point loss to UVa late in the season. The main issue the 2004 team had was with their offense. The Heels only shot 45% from the floor which was the lowest mark for a UNC team since 1968 with the exception of(say it with me) the Doherty years. UNC needed to learn how to win the close ones, a lesson what was very handy the following season.
Looking back, if 2004 team was anything, it was like waking up from some strange nightmare. What makes most nightmares so disturbing is they usually string together a series of events that scare the life out of you and despite you most fervent desire to stop it you can’t. Then all of sudden, it ends because you wake up and find yourself a little shaken and confused. It takes you a few minutes to clear your head at which point you tell yourself over and over it was only a dream. 2004 was necessary to clear the head and help us believe that the nightmare was over. In many ways it has that groggy, confusing feel about it and it honestly took seeing the Heels playing Air Force in the NCAA Tournament to truly believe the nightmare was indeed over.
Countdown So Far
#25. 1990
#26. 2003
#27. 2002
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This was a rugged year for the players and coaches. The only player that bought into Roy’s system from day one was Jackie Manuel and he is the one who was told he could not shoot anything but lay-ups. May had considerd transferring to Indiana and all of the players were asked to do things they had never done before. McCants was a nightmare to deal with no matter what the coaches said publicly. I went to the Clemson game in Clemson. As is Roy’s habit, he came out during early warm-ups to greet the parents sitting behind the bench and McCants’ father turned his back on Roy and refused to speak to him. McCants himself could be a good kid but the guidance he was getting from other sources was not helpful. It’s no secret that McCants was being “encouraged” to leave after the season whether the team won the NC or not. Once the season was over Roy told his friends that it was by far his toughest year as a coach. The payoff for all of the stuff from this year was all worth it the next!
This season is very well documented in Adam Lucas’ book
“Coming Home Again.” If you all haven’t read it, you should.
Sean May is on record as having told Roy heading into 2005 that it was obvious certain players on the team were a bit sensitive and if Roy ever needed a player to call out or make an example of then use him. I am persistently amazed at the number of folks who trot out the “Roy never won a title with his own players” like that is some sort of indictment against him. In my opinion it is more difficult to come in and win a title in your 2nd year with players brought in by a different coach using a different system. It takes a great coach to walk into the situation UNC had, assume command and get everyone functioning on the same page by the 2nd season to the point they win a title. Roy may not have recruited those players(save QT and Marvin) but that was his team when they won the ring.
my freshman, sophomore, and junior years at carolina were #’s 27, 26, and 24, respectively. however, ‘05 was my senior year in chapel hill. so can i really complain?
god bless roy williams.
I think it is not too much of a stretch to say that no Senior class ever has, or (hopefully!) ever will, appreciate a title run as much as Fiddler’s class did.
And no three guys felt better than Jackie, Jawad and Melvin having endured the worst UNC season since the 1920s and capped off their careers with a title.
I LOVE talking Heels basketball in JULY!!! Thanks for everything you all do for this site.
What better than “Roy won his title with some of Doherty’s players”? To have overcome the problems the program was going thru was nothing short of sensational.I saw some stuff about Coach Doherty not long ago. I hope he does well and can come back to Chapel Hill as part of the Carolina Basketball family with pride. It was in my opinion a little too early for all the pressure of a major program. He should have asked for Dean’s guidance.