16
Friday, November 10, 2000
UNC senior Brendan Haywood
ignores talk that he's one
of the best big men in the
nation to focus on his team.
By Will Kimmey
SpoftSaturday Editor
Brendan Haywood might just be the
nation’s best at his position.
North Carolina’s 7-foot, 262-pound
center is certainly the best big man east
of the Mississippi.
People out west might argue for
Arizona’s Loren Woods, but he’s more
slender (7-1, 251) and has battled
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Haywood stayed in school for his senior season so he could improve his
game, as well as help the Tar Heels contend for a national championship.
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UNCs Center of Attention
through injuries during his career.
“Some people say I’m one of the best
big men in the country, and some peo
ple don’t,” Haywood said. “I don’t go
out there and focus on that. I go out
there and focus on playing hard and
being a benefit to this team.”
When Haywood is at his best, the Tar
Heels are national tide contenders.
When he’s on, no one can stop him.
Haywood shot 69.7 percent from the
field last season, an ACC record.
Although he averaged 13.6 points per
game, he didn’t look to score enough, and
UNC went 18-12 in the regular season.
Then he got aggressive in the NCAA
tournament. And North Carolina
advanced to the Final Four. Haywood
Basketball 2000-01
averaged 15.8 points and 9.6 rebounds,
putting to rest his haunting no-point,
one-rebound performance the year
before against Weber State.
“I didn’t have anything to prove to
anybody, but at the same time I felt like
I silenced a lot of critics that I had,”
Haywood said. “I just felt good to go out
there and do the best that I could and
help the team move on.”
And after his dominating perfor
mance in the tournament, Haywood
gave some consideration to moving on
himself. To the NBA.
NBA scouts projected Haywood to
be drafted between the sixth and 12th
selections. He met with Dean Smith and
Bill Guthridge after the season to dis
cuss his professional prospects.
“They said, ‘Any way you go, you
can’t make a bad move,’ and they sup
ported me throughout,” Haywood said.
“... But it was a situation where I felt I
could improve myself and could defi
nitely help this team if I came back.”
So he did, and come next year’s draft,
Haywood could have several million
reminders that his decision paid off.
Given the lack of good centers in the
NBA, an impressive senior season could
vault Haywood to the top of the draft.
But for now, Haywood is concentrat
ing on this season. He worked hard
over the summer to improve his game.
“The coaches just tell me to work on
everything,” Haywood said. “They want
to see me become a better free throw
shooter, they want to see me step my
game out, too. And at the same time,
they want to see me become a better
rebounder. If you’re grabbing eight
rebounds, grab 10. If you’re getting 10,
get 11. No matter how good you get, they
always want you to improve something."
So Haywood, who led UNC with 7.5
rebounds per game last year, worked on
it all. He shot plenty of free throws, hop
ing to get better than his 60-percent
mark from the stripe last season.
He improved his ball handling and
15-foot jumper. Every one can remem
ber Haywood’s freshman season when
he would catch the ball at the top of the
key and look lost. He would pivot inces
sandy until a guard came to take the ball
from him or the referee called a five
second violation. Now, Haywood is not
so shy away from the goal.
Most importandy, however,
Haywood worked on his conditioning.
It’s a change that’s easy to see. He’s
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DTH'MILLER PEARSALL
Haywood threw home a number of dunks last season en route
to setting an ACC record with a .697 field-goal percentage.
quicker. He can play longer stretches of
the game. His arms look more muscular.
He’s stronger and can be more physical.
“I’m just cock diesel,” Haywood
quipped.
“I’ve been very impressed with how
Brendan HaywoocTs Career Statistics __
Year GP FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT OFF-REB AVG A TO B S PTS AVG
1997- 38 35-66 .530 40-63 .635 37-91 2.4 6 23 33 12 110 2.9
1998- 34. 160-247 .648 88-131 .672 85-235 6.9 33 66 60 10 408 12.0
1999- 36 191-274 .697 106-176 .602 96-271 7.5 37 68 91 7 488 13.6
Totals 108 386-587 .658 234-370 .632 218 597 76 157 184 29 1,006 93
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hard he’s gone at it in the workouts and
in the running,” UNC coach Matt
Doherty said. “He made his mile time in
5:58, which is hard for a guy his size.
You see him trucking around, and he
runs hard.”
laihi (Ear MM
1999-2090 ACC Field Goa
Percentage Leaders
1. "Brendan Haywood, UNC .69?
2. Lonny Baxter, Md. .533
3. Damous Anderson, FSU .508
4. Chris Williams UVa. .507
5. Shane Battier Duke .496
* denotes NCAA leader - j
I ACC Season Field Goal
Percentage Leaders
1. Brendan Haywood, UNC (19994)0) .697 1
2. Dale Davis, Ciem. (1988-89) .670
3. Bobby Jones, UNC (1971-72) .668
4. Horace Grant, Ciem, (1986-87) .656 •
5. Rasheed Wallace, UNC (1994-95) .654
Haywood is now in shape to bang
with the NBA’s big boys next season.
And he should be able to dominate col
lege centers. His progress should force
opponents to double-team him in thfc
low block.
“If you get it into Brendan, the
defense is basically going to have to col
lapse,” Doherty said. “If they don’t, he’ll
have a field day. And when they do col
lapse, he’s unselfish and can find the
open shooters."
Haywood proved that in the Blue-
White game. He scored 22 points and
dished out six assists. Yet Haywood still
has things to work on and refine. He
can get better. And it could be scary.
“If Brendan can play the way he
played toward the end of last season, I
don’t think there’s anybody who can
stop him,” junior Brian Bersticker said.
And Haywood, whose motivation
has been questioned in the past, has to
be excited about what his future holds.
“When you’re a senior at Carolina,
you’ve got a chance to do great things
and have a great, long career ahead of
you in the NBA,” Doherty said. “He has
all that ahead of him, so if he’s not excit
ed about that, something’s wrong. But it
certainly looks like he’s fired up."