Oh yeah.
Deon Thompson has been selected to represent the United States on World University Games basketball team. Thompson, who will be the focal point of the Heels offense in 2009-10 will certainly benefit from playing on the international stage through the summer.
Team USA will practice in Colorado through June 24th before heading to Serbia for the World University Games which will take place July 2-11.
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Everyone is predicting Ed to be a monster next year, and rightfully so, but we all know what Deon did when Hansbrough was out last year, and I think we will see a lot more of that next year. Don’t be surprised if Deon makes a run at 1st Team ACC/ACC POY.
On a different note, for those of you like statistical analysis/predictions, here is John Hollinger’s predictor of which prospects will be the best in the NBA:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=DraftRater-090618
Number 1? Ty Lawson.
Number 8? Danny Green.
http://www.replayphotos.com/uncphotostore/sports-illustrated-collection-print/university-of-north-carolina-tyler-hansbrough-2009-ncaa-south-regional-round-2_55345.cfm
Here’s the link to your photo online at the ncaa bb regional at Greensboro – THF – enjoy, I found it in the UNC photo area under the SI images.
I think Deon is going to be a beast as well, it just felt as though he did so well when TH was out then he didn’t get the minutes he felt he deserved. Hopefully that translates into a raging Deon working hard every night and playing smart b-ball.
I’m interested to see how Zeller progresses as well, he seems to be left off of any post regarding next season.
Go Heels!
Deon needs to BE THE MAN in the post – he needs to go into this tournament and next season with a chip on his shoulder. He needs to think – I’ve been playing in someone else’s shadow for a few years, and it is MY TURN. I’m not going to give the team “good minutes” – I’m going to DOMINATE. If he does that, it’ll be scary.
I’ve always liked the way he uses the glass. I don’t want him to stop attacking the basket and making tough shots off the glass! He doesn’t have to start playing exclusively in back-to-basket postup mode. He is dangerous on the move going to the hoop because he has a shot most post players never develop. I hope the other post players notice this and use the glass, too.
I’m not trying to be negative but I’m not sure if Deon has the Fire to be a monster in the middle.
Roy is absolutely not going to have Deon be “the man” next year. Ed Davis, Deon, and Zeller are going to form a three-headed front-court monster that will serve as the focal point of the team, mostly because our guard play won’t be very good (given the inexperience).
http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2009-06-18/thompson-already-embracing-leader-s-role
Keith, I think you may be right in the sense that he doesn’t have the intensity required to be an all out monster in the paint. He does , however, have a good skill set and efficiency with his shots. I think he could take a bulk of the amount of shots in the post and still be effecient. And, while intensity may not show up on his face or in his willingness to attack, he played big in big games, which is kind of a strand of intensity in itself. He just loves showing up for Duke. You knew when he hit his first two shots, because the defense was gearing for Lawson & Ellington, it was going to be a long night. Its up to Drew to keep that spacing alive.
JB,
I agree 100%
We all have high hopes for next season. I know it is going to be a lot of fun for me to watch this team, as there seem to be more unknowns than absolutes. I think it is a must for us to get good production out of Deon & Ginyard if we are to expect anything resembling a return trip.
I can see us in the sweet 16 for sure and maybe an 8 depending on our guards
whats great is almost being able to RELAX all season, (except for the Dook games, of course).
True. There’s really no pressure at all.
Josh-
I recall the summer of 2005, after the title run, a friend of mine (who is neither a UNC or Dook fan) pointed out that Dook was still the premiere program…blah, blah. His reasoning was simply that, with the recruiting class and returning players, Dook was going to have a sensational year in 2006 and beyond. He also felt that the 2005 UNC squad was a “once-in-a-decade (his exact words)” gathering of talent and that UNC would be marginally competitive for the rest of this decade.
I guess my point is that there is not that deflated feeling of “yeah we won, but we lost so much talent and Dook will be so good.” I remember dreading the game in Durham the whole summer. I had all these visions of Vitale screaming while Redick went off for 45 or so points.
Anyways, you’re right…the pressure is slight. I think that, whenever a reputable, or elite, program wins a title, there is a natural feeling that the talent is there to contend for a title the following season. To win back-to-back, there absolutely HAS to be continuity. Whether it be Dook ‘91-’92 or Florida ‘06-’07, the core of those repeat championship teams had been through everything together, and both squads excelled in the respective coaches’ systems. Yet, even when you have a return in personnel, such as ‘91 UNLV, or ‘99 and ‘02 Dook, there is still no gaurantee of victory.
I would be very happy to see a season in which the team played with the fire of the 2006 squad. I don’t know what possessed that particular team, but they got it right. The 2006 team is perhaps the most beloved of the last 15 years because they cemented the UNC program as being a consistent player in the national championship race, despite a shift in personnel.
I would really like to see the Heels beat Kentucky. There will be a ton of hype around that game. Perhaps not since 1982, when the Heels were ranked #1 and UK #2, has there been such potential for a monumental showdown. The Heels, behind 20-plus from both James Worthy and Sam Perkins (not to mention 19 from Michael Jordan), shredded the Wildcat zone and won going away, 82-69. Perhaps 2005 is the last year in which there was a feeling of the “clash of the titans” when UK came to the Dean Dome and were handed a double-digit loss.
The Texas matchup will be a tough one, no doubt. Yet, I’m so glad to see that the Heels will play four potential #1 seeds in Texas, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Dook. If next year’s team could take three of those games, coupled with either a regualr season ACC crown and/or tourny title, then everything else would be gravy.
Of course, it would be nice to see the UNC perimeter defense shut down that erratic baffoon General Greives.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know who won the ESPN all-time college teams tournament? I know that it’s completely random of me to ask this, but I never did find out who won and I thought that UNC were in the Final Four. I assumed that ESPN had UCLA winning it, although I truly doubt that anyone could have topped the Heels.
On a similar note, I’m putting together a fun little hypothetical/simulated tournament of my own. What I have done is selected (by way of ESPN’s top-300 based criteria, as well as a few selected criteria of my own) the top 64 teams in the NCAA of the last 30 years (1979-2009), and I am working to compile the complete 14-player roster for each team.
Here are the Heels candidates:
G-Raymond Felton
G-Kenny Smith
G-Ty Lawson
G-Ed Cota
G-Hubert Davis
G-Jeff McInnis
G-Joseph Forte
G-Jeff Lebo
G-Michael Jordan
G-Rashad McCants
G-Dante Calabria
G-Wayne Ellington
G/Wing-Vince Carter
SF/Wing-Jerry Stackhouse
SF/Wing-Al Wood
SF/Wing-Danny Green
F-Antawn Jamison
F-George Lynch
F-Marvin Williams
F-Rick Fox
F-Sam Perkins
F-Brandan Wright
F-Pete Chilcutt
F-J.R. Reid
F-Mike O’Koren
F-Tyler Hansbrough
F-Rasheed Wallace
F-Joe Wolf
F-James Worthy
C/F-Sean May
C/F-Scott Williams
C-Brad Daugherty
C-Brendan Haywood
C-Eric Montross
Again, this roster would be comprised of the 14 players you all think would fare best against the 14 best players from other programs. So, as much as we all love Joe Wolf, do you think he would enhance the Heels chances against teams with several future NBA standouts, or would Brendan Haywood, who developed into a great athlete (as well as shot blocker) by the time he was a senior, be the better pick?
Finally, Dean would coach the team, but would Roy be coaching the Kansas squad? Or, should Roy work WITH Dean on the bench, opting out of the head slot at KU in order to concentrate his efforts on helping the Heels to the title? Would Bill Self or Larry Brown coach Kansas? Would Bill Self or Tubby Smith coach Tulsa (who ARE in the tournament by the way)?
For the record, I used the ‘79-’09 time frame because I truly believe that college basketball as we know it, with all the hype, hoopla, and spectacle, began in 1979. This was also the first year that McDonalds’ All-America teams were selected.
When ESPN put together their best-300 programs last year (2008), they chose the 1985-2008 time period. Their reasoning was simply that 1985 was the first year of a 64-team tournament. That is not enough for me, being the college basketball fanatic that I am. Plus, when you stretch it back to ‘79, you can pull in some truly great players. Magic, Jordan, Big Game James, Ralph Sampson, Isaiah Thomas, Cylde Drexler, and Mark Aguirre to name some off the top of my head.
I can also tell you who the four #1 seeds are. The selections were made based upon the cumulative team rankings by way of overall wins, win percentage, NCAAT wins, NCAA titles, regular season conference titles, conference tournament titles, NCAAT appearances, and Final Four appearances. Unlike ESPN, I don’t put too much stock into either the number of players selected in the NBA draft, the number of lottery picks, or even the number of All-Americans.
So, the #1 seeds are, in order:
1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Kansas
4. Kentucky
I should clarify that all of the above criteria are for the team’s records within the 1979-2009 time frame.
The Heels 11 Final Fours, four national championships, 29 NCAAT appearances, and .774 winning percentage are the best of any program.
Gnaw on that, rat.
I love those posts Dean! Yes, I was a big Wolf fan, especially in JR Reid’s freshman year. He seemed to know exactly when to deliver the ball to JR in scoring position. I still credit Wolf some with JR’s sensational freshman campaign. Over Haywood though, that is a tough call. I think we all have a tendancy to favor players who are more current than those of more historical standing, but maybe a oh-so-slight edge to Wolf. But then again, where would we have been without Haywood when Carter/Jamison left?
i think i looked at this before, right after the championship, but other than being tied with Dook at 3, we dominate all NCAA talk in hoops since the NCAAt went to 64/65 teams.
dean, i wouldnt think getting the 14 would be that tough, but we’ll see. the starting 5 is another matter.
you can’t leave Tyler out, he’s earned it. Perkins has to be on for me, BARELY over Worthy. so i’m afraid i wont have a true center, tho Brad would be top choice.
small forward…hm. Wood. Guards are Michael and Cota. i was going to say Felton, but who needs more scoring with the other 4 on the court. i’ll take the 1000-assist man.
Cota
Jordan
Wood
Perkins
Hansbrough
Felton
Ellington
Cxxxxx/Lynch
Worthy
Daugherty
Lawson
Jxxxxxx/Green
O’Koren
May
not easy!
couldnt pick Williams or Wright for single years.
if i made myself a 3-year rule, then Green and Lynch in place of Jamison and Carter.
how do you leave one of the Cota-Felton-Lawson-Smith off? yikes. no Sheed because i dont like him, and he’s a 2-yr guy. like Stackhouse, who is tough to leave off. ok, so i’m taking Carter and Jamison off and putting Green and Lynch in.
now, i just hate leaving Smith off.
I’ve got my 14 selected, but I want to wait and see how everyone else breaks down there selections. I will provide full explanations for my picks.
I am honestly hung up on the head coaching post. Dean appears to be a no-brainer, but it Dean were offered the slot, I could picture him saying something like, “I’m very flattered, but give the job to Roy. He’s earned it and he IS the head coach for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.”
Roy would counter with his whole, “I’m not in the same sentence as Dean Smith” bit, but there is one facet to Roy’s coaching that I like; which is, he is not predictable. Dean had a system that eas so well-known that many coaches knew the basic game plan and potential adjustments in advance. It’s not Dean’s fault; rather, it’s the highest compliment that he basically set the template for so many innovative coaching maneuvers over that thirty year stretch.
Josh-
I agree that the current players draw the most buzz, but I also believe that (and again it’s all simulation) that it comes down to each players roles. I would see Haywood as a third option at the 5, where he could provide excellent shot-blocking down low and perhaps alter many more shots. I would say that Wolf had more range, but Haywood was such a physical specimen by his senior year and could really run the court.
Heel to the End-
You have some interesting picks, to say the least. It would appear that you truly value those players who put in the most time at Chapel Hill versus those whose stay was all-too-brief. I love the Lynch choice, and he (in my opinion) feels the void of the “do a little of everything” prototype on the team. Danny Green could easily be someone’s choice for this role as well, although in my lineup, I like just one of those two for a very specific reason.
MJ might be the unanimous pick for most, but there is another player who simply cannot be left off the roster.
I’ll post my lineup in a few days, and then I want to move on to the other teams. Once everyone has chipped in, then we can perhaps start the tournament, complete with seedings and a bracket! Should be fun!
DF, I like using the post-Wooden era for any “formal cut-off” to a modern era of college basketball. To wit:
Starting with 1976, no 1 program was ever that dominant again (except for a 2-year span, ala duke or florida). By including a few more years over your cut off in 1979, the undefeated Hoosiers get included (and this also means UNC runner-up 1977 is included).
Starting with 1985 is kinda lame…but that fits ESPN aptly in my humblest opinion.