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alt? Saily (Ear Hppl Loss of Recruiting Edge Hurts Men's Lacrosse Program Increased competition from other lacrosse programs cut off UNC's monopoly on the nation's best players. By James Giza Staff Writer Before the season even began before a four-game losing streak ruined his team’s perfect start, before an emo tionally draining semifinal defeat in the ACC tournament, before he lashed out at the North Carolina athletic adminis tration - UNC men’s lacrosse coach ,Dave Klarmann sat at his desk in his ‘office in Carmichael Auditorium. He talked about something he had not been accustomed to recendy: winning. “We want to play well all the time and compete to win all the time,” he said. “But you must also realize that you probably won’t win all the time. It does n’t diminish your desire to try and be victorious. The players and coaches always go out to win in any sport, espe cially in team sports. That’s what we do here, and that’s what we try to do here.” The Tar Heels tried again this year. They have two games left and a slim chance to get into the NCAA tournament But regardless of the outcome, the UNC lacrosse program has provided yet more evidence that it is a shell of its former self. At 7-5, the Tar Heels will have their first non-losing season since 1996 - the last time they were ACC champions. They have gone 26-29 the past four years, including 1-11 in conference play. In addition, UNC hasn’t won an NCAA tourney game since 1993 and was Preseason Positioning The North Carolina football team released the two-deep depth chart it will open with in the fall. The 47-player list comprises 15 seniors, 12 juniors, 13 sophomores and seven freshmen. OFFENSE WIDE RECEIVER 3 Bosley Allen (6-1,190, So.) 88 Sam Aiken (6-2,190, So.) LEFT TACKLE 70 Louis Marchetti (6-6,280, Sr.) 69 Greg Woofter (6-5,270, Fr.*) LEFT GUARD 66 Cam Holland (6-2,300, Sr.) 71 Jupiter Wilson (6-2,290, Fr.*) CENTER 60 Adam Metts (6-1,270, Jr.) 67 Marcus Wilson (6-2,270, Fr.*) RIGHT GUARD 78 Isaac Morford (6-3,285, So.) 63 Don Peters (6-2,290, So.) RIGHT TACKLE 73 James Wagstaff (6-3,360, Sr.) 74 Bryant Malloy (6-3,310, So.) TIGHT END 82 Alge Crumpler (6-3,255, Sr.) 83 Dauntae' Finger (6-4,255, Sr.) QUARTERBACK 1 Ronald Curry (6-2,205, Jr.) 14Antwon Black (5-11,190, Sr.) OR 9 Luke Huard (6-4,230, So.) TAILBACK 15 Willie Parker (5-10,195, Fr.*) 27 Donte' Thorogood (5-7,175, Sr.) FULLBACK 20 Anthony Saunders (6-1,225, Jr.) 32 Ronnie Robinson (6-1,245, Sr.) t WIDE RECEIVER 12 Kory Bailey (6-1,190, Jr.) 6 Danny Davis (6-0,190, Jr.) ’ PLACE-KICKER 92 Jeff Reed (6-0,200, Sr.) Tar Heel Temps 00%00% The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill f nS' Get More Than a Degree \ ) Out of UNC! \ J • Graduating in May? ) / • Staying in the area? / Gain valuable work experience at UNC through Tar Heel Temps, l J the University's own in house temporary service. V We have positions in all areas of campus: academic, administrative and medical environments. Coll to scliGtliflci tan appointment (§l9) 962-2900 Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Uk 1 | kLI costume contest, prizes, fun! Friday, April 28 ♦ nnTS 9 p.m. - 2 Cat's Cradle w4f v" 200 E. Main Street, Carrboro absent from the bracket in 1997 and 1999. The recent Tar Heels hardly resemble those of yesteryear. Klarmann went undefeated during his first campaign at the helm in 1991 - the last time the team was NCAA champion -and compiled a record of 52-10 over the next three, win ning the ACC tide every year. One major reason for the Tar Heels’ downward spiral is simple: They just don’t pack in the recruits like they used to. “We’ve still gotten some great kids,” said UNC Associate Athletics Director Willie Scroggs, who coached the Tar Heels to three national tides in the 1980s. “We may not have gotten as many as we have years ago, and we may not get the top kids like we have in the past - the blue chippers.” Of course, in Scroggs’ day -and even the early days of Klarmann - col lege lacrosse was not as competitive as it is now. With schools such as Princeton, Virginia, Duke and Georgetown making substantial efforts to beef up their pro grams in recent years, the fight for recruits has become an all-out brawl. The net result is that UNC no longer enjoys the monopoly on top talent it did in years past. “Their third midfield line was as good as anybody else’s first,” said Duke coach Mike Pressler about the UNC teams of the past. “Their third attack was better than anybody else’s first. Their third long pole was as good as anybody’s first. “When they were dominant, they stockpiled players. They just had the best players and more of them.” Not so anymore. Now, the Tar Heels find themselves struggling to keep up in the recruiting war. The Cavaliers, who handed UNC a 17-16 double-overtime DEFENSE END 49 Julius Peppers (6-7,270, So.) 85 Malcolm Stewart (6-3,230, So.) TACKLE 87 Ryan Sims (6-4,285, Jr.) 47 Eric Davis (6-3,260, So.) TACKLE 58 Anthony Perkins (6-5,270, Jr.) 97 Willie Quick (6-3,290, Jr.) END 68 Ross McAllister (6-5,255, Sr.) 95 Joey Evans (6-5,260, Jr.) LINEBACKER 52 Sedrick Hodge (6-4,235, Sr.) 41 Quincy Monk (6-4,240, Jr.) LINEBACKER 44 Brandon Spoon (6-2,245, Sr.) 55 Robert Harris (6-1,225, So.) LINEBACKER 54 Merceda Perry (6-4,245, Sr.) 30 David Thornton (6-2,210, Sr.) CORNERBACK 18 Michael Waddell (5-11,175, So.) 17 David Scott (5-10,170, Fr.*) SAFETY 42 David Bomar (5-11,190, Sr.) 24 Dexter Reid (5-11,180, Fr.*) SAFETY 28 Billy-Dee Greenwood (6-2,185, Jr.) 25 DeFonte Coleman (6-1,215, So.) CORNERBACK 29 Errol Hood (5-11,195, Jr.) 21 Kevin Knight (5-8,175, So.) PUNTER 38 Blake Ferguson (6-0,170, Fr.) * denotes redshirt j rife. Jr DTH FILE PHOTO UNC men's lacrosse coach Dave Klarmann, center, has compiled a 99-51 record in 10 seasons. He is 26-29 in his last four years, however. defeat Friday in the ACC semifinal and went on to beat Maryland in the final, have been gobbling up recruits as of late. “The batde has been between Virginia, Maryland and Carolina,” Pressler said. “Part of the reason Virginia has been so successful is that it has been winning those batdes." But why? Why have UVa. and other programs like it muscled their way to the forefront while UNC has been rele gated to second fiddle? One former UNC player from a north ern lacrosse talent hotbed, who played under Klarmann in the late ’9os, said Klarmann has a gruffness with recruits Percentages Add Up to No. 1 for UNC Softball The Tar Heels will compete as the ACC's top seed in the conference tournament this weekend in Tallahassee, Fla. By Mike Ogle Assistant Sports Editor College sports fans confused by the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) beware: The ACC softball tournament lurks around the corner. So grab the aspirin, a calculator and a piece of scrap paper as top-seeded North Carolina tries to make sense of the madness that set the field for this weekend in Tallahassee, Fla. As UNC coach Donna Papa said, “It’s kind of freaky.” The confusion begins even when try ing to figure out what teams actually comprise the ACC. Only five member institutions field varsity softball teams - Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, UNC and Virginia. But to qualify for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, a confer ence must have six teams. The answer to the ACC’s problems comes from currently unclaimed East Carolina. “They allow you to have an alliance, a team outside of your conference Crook 5.. Reservations tor Graduation Weekend on Wednesday, April 19th-Saturday, April 22nd from 10am-3pm Fine Southern Dining After Initial reservation date & time please call Ttiursday-Saturday 10am -3pm Bar & Dining room open every evening at s:3opm Sun. Brunch 10:30am-2pm Crook's Comer 810 W. Franklin St Chapel Hill, North Carolina 919-929-7643 BATTLE: Sunday, April 30th featuring: @ pantana Bob's Tin Can Jam Band f rORI 1-6 pm the Balance Affect I<oose Gravel $2 cover charge. Roads Turn Gray Children admitted free. The Bridge All proceeds benefit charity. Conshafter Benefiting Make a Wish Foundation and oe Saunter Sponsored by Johnson Oldsmoblle Sports and a tyrannical coaching style that has an adverse effect on the program. The player said Klarmann alienated several of his friends, whom he referred to as “some of the top players” in his area, by telling them they wouldn’t get more than a certain amount of playing time and by declining to offer them as much schol arship money as other schools. Word of Klarmann’s fiery coaching personality also reached home, the play er said, turning off even more potential recruits. He recalled one instance when, after a loss to UVa, Klarmann unleashed an expletive-filled tirade on the team while the players’ parents looked on. added so you can have that sixth team so you can get an automatic (bid),” Papa said. South Florida and UNC- Charlotte filled that spot for the ACC in previous years, but they are now part of Conference USA, which is where ECU is headed after the 2001 sea son. Papa expects UNC softball coach Donna Papa has guided the Tar Heels to a 45-15 record, which ties the school mark for wins. N.C. State to fill that void for the ACC. When the regular season comes to a close next month, the ACC team with the best conference record, ECU includ ed, will move on to regional play. But the Pirates do not get to compete in this weekend’s conference tourna ment, which essentially determines nothing more than bragging rights. And the remaining five teams in the tournament have yet to complete regu lar-season play. In fact, three of them have yet to complete regular-season conference play. So how did the number crunchers at the league office straighten out this mess? Here’s where the calculator is needed to make sense of this RPI-like Diminishing Returns The UNC men’s lacrosse team was a national power when Dave Klarmann was named the head coach in 1990. The Tar Heels have not maintained that level of success in his 10 years in charge. Year Overall ACC ACC Tournament AH-ACC Final Final Record Record Record Players Finish Ranking 1991 16-0 3-0 2-0 4 national champion 1 1992 12-3 3-0 2-0 5 national semifinalist 2 1993 1 4-2 2-1 2-0 7 national runner-up 1 1994 10-5 2-1 2-0 2 national quarterfinalist 4 1995 '9-7 1-2 1-1 1 lost in first round 8 1996 12-5 2-1 2-0 3 national quarterfinalist 2 1997 6-7 0-3 0-1 0 no NCAA tournament 15 1998 7-8 0-3 0-1 1 national quarterfinalist 10 1999 6-9 1-2 0-1 1 no NCAA tournament 15 *2OOO 7-5 0-3 0-1 2 ? T_ Totals 99-51 14-16 11*5 26 *as of April 26 (two regular-season games remain) The player said once Klarmann is gone, players from his hometown area will be more willing to consider UNC. “I think it’s been known that it’s Klarmann’s fault,” he said. “They know that there’s going to be fresh blood in here. When someone new comes in, the program is going to turn around.” But UNC defenseman Todd Maher dismissed the notion that Klarmann’s dealings with recruits were inappropriate. Maher said he appreciated Klarmann’s refusal to make hollow promises like other programs that recruited him. “That’s just hard for a lot of people’s egos to deal with,” Maher said. “Most of the guys playing in high school, they’ve been stroked their entire lives." Klarmann’s days at UNC are num bered. He announced his plans to retire in 2000 last summer, saying that he understood the program needed to be ratings system. Each team’s ACC winning percent age factors for 50 percent of its tourna ment seeding. Its overall winning per centage counts for 20 percent. The win ning percentage in games against teams in the Southeast Region and against ranked opponents are good for 15 per cent each. What it boils down to is that the Tar Heels (45-15,6-2 in the traditional ACC) are the No. 1 seed in the tournament fol lowed by the Terrapins, Seminoles, Cavaliers and Yellow Jackets. The Tar Heels enter the weekend with their heads held high. They are tied for the most wins in a season in school history and have already topped the school marks for hits (503), home runs (34) and total bases (708). “We’re getting stronger as a team, and CREEK WEEK TODAY FRIDAY, APRIL 28 IFC Basketball Tournament vs. Step Lesson in Pit with NPHC Duke @ Carolina THURSDAY, APRIL 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 29 Panhel Powder Puff vs. Duke Alpha's Greek Freak! @ Duke Lip Sync @ Gotham Buenos Aires Lima Santiago London Dublin Paris Nice Copenhagen Stockholm Oslo Amsterdam Berlin Munich Zurich Istanbul LOW STUDENT AIRFARES Europe • Africa • Asia • South America More Than 100 Departure Cities! Eurailpasses • Bus Passes • Study Abroad . . sTudenT •cs* universe •com IT S YOUR WORLD EXPLORE IT. www.StudentUniverse.com 800-272-9676 Wednesday, April 26, 2000 taken in anew direction. But he changed his tune following his team’s loss to UVa. on Friday. “Regardless of what some people in my administration might think, the future looks very bright for this pro gram,” he said. “It’s going the right way. “I deeply, deeply regret having to be removed from this lacrosse program. But I am gready relieved to be leaving this administration.” Dick Baddour, UNC’s director of ath letics, said Tuesday that he stood by the statement Klarmann made at last sum mer’s press conference and would not say that Klarmann was being forced out “That’s what he chose to do,” Baddour said. “That was my position on it then, and that’s what it is now.” The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu. I feel extremely confident,” second base man Crystal Henderson said. “It’s always good to go in with a bunch of wins.” UNC tangles with the winner of the UVa.-Tech play-in game Saturday in the first round of the double-elimination tournament. But the players have their sights set on FSU, the host of the tour nament and the culprits in UNC’s two conference losses. The Tar Heels dropped two one-run games at Florida State on April 16. But the losses are serving as extra(Wlvation. “We’ve had great games against all of the ACC teams, and we’re rectify to go in and shut them all down,” UNC catch er Natalie Anter said. “I expect to win. I expect to kill Florida State.” The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu. 11 Rome Venice Florence Vienna Budapest Prague Warsaw Moscow Lisbon Madrid Barcelona Tel Aviv Johannesburg Delhi Hong Kong
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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