1 4Basketball '92-'93The Daily Tar HeelFriday, November 20, 1 992
'Its like he's a magnet':
Lynch dominates on boards
By Bryan Strickland
Assistant Sports Editor
It' s an undersized, jam-packed com
munity gymnasium, and he is there.
Deliberately pacing the narrow side
lines, his finely tailored suit perfectly
accentuates his fashion-wise eye
glasses. The gym is smoldering the
sportscoat must come off.
He takes his struggling player aside,
looks at the youngster with those pierc
ing eyes, and pats the kid on the back.
If UNC senior forward George
Lynch finds himself coaching on the
high school level five years from now,
he'll be happy enough.
But don't count on it happening.
The gym very well could be Lynch's
chosen career venue come 1997 or so.
But the gyms he is likely to roam more
aptly are referred to as coliseums.
"I'm just going to take things one at
a time," the Roanoke, Va., native said.
"If basketball holds a future for me,
then I'll play basketball. If not, then
maybe I'll think about coaching on the
high school level."
Pro basketball is far and away the
most popular post-graduation aspira
tion of collegiate basketball players,
and for good reason. What could be
more desirable or rewarding than a
career that pays and pays well
for performing a task that one loves?
And like anyone who'severclutched
a basketball close to his chest. Lynch
admits he has thought about what life
in the NBA would be like. But after a
couple of conversations with UNC
head coach Dean Smith, Lynch is keep
ing his perspective about him.
"Of course, I'd tell a lie if I said we
hadn't brought it up a couple of times,"
Lynch said, "but basically our conver
sation is locked on me having a great
year my senior year and the team play
ing as well as possible.
"I'm not going to have a favorite
(NBA) team this year. Hopefully, I'll
just go somewhere where I'm needed
and will have a good chance of play
ing." What NBA franchise possibly could
need a player like Lynch? Any one that
is in the market for a consistent scorer,
a scrappy defender and just about the
most tenacious rebounder Chapel Hill
has ever seen.
"George, he really goes after the
ball," said UNC center Eric Montross.
"It's like he's a magnet, and that ball's
the other end of the magnet."
North Carolina senior guard Scott
Cherry counts himself among the ad
mirers of Lynch's penchant for grab
bing the errant shot.
"It's just amazing some of the re
bounds that he comes up with," Cherry
said. "He's got such great athletic abil
ity and he just works extremely hard.
"If the ball's up on the glass, he's
going to try to go up and get it."
And more times than not, Lynch
will get it. That's been the result 732
times in his career. And if Lynch re
peats his 291 -board performance of
last year, he'll quietly go down as
UNC's third all-time rebound leader.
But man cannot live on boardwork
alone.
"I want to be known for more than
just rebounding and playing inside
strong," Lynch said. "I think in order
for me to take my game to the next
level, I have to be able to shoot the
jump shot consistently."
So to improve. Lynch spent the bet
ter part of his off-season honing his
outside touch.
"I think most teams have looked at
me as an inside player," he said. "It
would be a different look if I would
come down on the secondary break
and pull up and shoot the jump shot
from the free-throw line or the top of
the key."
Senior Henrik Rodl believes Lynch,
who is 9 for 21 from 3-point range in
his career, can exert some perimeter
pressure on the opposition.
"During the summer, he's shown to
me and his teammates that he can
shoot from the outside," Rodl said.
"He's maybe not an outstanding
shooter like Hubert (Davis) but
he can definitely shoot from the out
side." But in a selfish sort of way, Montross
doesn't feel quite the same. Montross
doesn't want to lose his buddy in the
paint.
"I think George should just stay
inside," Montross said with a laugh.
"No, I think he's got a relatively good
shot, but I think the place he can help
us the most, at least from my perspec
tive, would be from IS feet and in.
"We lose so much more than we
gain when he moves outside."
And for the time being, it looks like
Montross' view will win out. For the
third consecutive season, Lynch has
been pegged to start in the power for
ward spot, a tall order for a 6-foot-8,
21 1-pound player.
"I prefer to play the small forward
because of my size and my quick
ness," Lynch said. "I think I would
probably be more valuable to the team,
but I don't think it's going to happen
this year.
"Three years have passed, and I've
always wanted to play there. But I'm
not going to worry about that too much
this year I know it's not possible."
But Cherry predicts Lynch might
log some time at small forward, with
the 7-foot Montross manning the cen
ter spot and 7-footer Kevin Salvadori
filling the power forward position.
'That's probably something Coach
will experiment with early in the sea
son," Cherry said. "That's a lot of size,
and actually, that's a lot of quickness."
But whatever position Lynch takes
on the court, his teammates will look
his way for leadership. You see, Lynch
is a senior, and seniors at UNC are
leaders even the quiet ones.
"In the past, I think it's been the
seniors that have had to be the vocal
ones to be the ones that get the team
going," Lynch said. "I think this year,
I'm going to look forward to that role
and expect myself to speak out more.
"I think when you're speaking your
mind and saying what's on your mind,
it helps your game."
Maybe so. but Montross hasn't seen
much of an increase in vocalism as of
yet. "This year. I've seen him being a
little more vocal, but overall, George
leads by example." Montross said.
"He's pretty quiet on the court, but his
actions aren't quiet."
See LYNCH, page 16
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