PAGE 10
SCOREBOARD
RANDY WELLINGTON
BANKING ON SENIORITY
New rules
could slow
early exits
Raymond Felton is shooting
27 percent from 3-point
land. Jawad Williams
broke his nose and forgot how to
rebound (a six-game stretch with
only 11 rebounds.) Sean May is
shooting 45 percent this season
and had his weaknesses thor
oughly exploited by Connecticut’s
Emeka Okafor. Rashad McCants
has been called “mercurial” so
many times he should put Hg on
the back of his jersey.
And though these problems
have hurt the 2003-04 North
Carolina team, they will help the
2004-05 team immensely. Why?
Because none of these players are
likely to enter the NBA Draft.
With everyone back next year,
UNC could be the preseason No.
lteam.
But early entry remains a
problem. The college game loses
its best players after one or two
years if they even play in col
lege at all. All the unprepared
high-schoolers going from the
prom to the NBA has lowered the
quality of the pro game.
NBA commissioner David
Stem is aware how valuable col
lege basketball has been to his
league. It has functioned as a
minor league with coaches like
Roy Williams and Mike
Krzyzewski training young play
ers in fundamentals for basket
ball and life. When the current
NBA collective bargaining agree
ment expires in 2005, Stem will
propose a series of measures
attempted at dissuading imma
ture players from entering the
draft.
The most intriguing one being
discussed is changing the process
by which a player can become a
free agent Currently, the NBA
has a fixed rookie wage scale. A
rookie signs a three-year contract
with a salary dependent on his
slot in the draft. After three years,
he can become a restricted free
agent. After four, unrestricted.
The scale was supposed to dis
courage early entry but has done
the opposite. High-school and
college players realized that they
can only have a big payday after
three or four years in the league.
Therefore, they have decided to
get into the NBA as quickly as
possible in order to speed up the
time frame for their opportunity
to get the bling.
Stem’s idea for 2005 is to
change the free-agency process.
He wants to make it so that no
matter when a player enters the
league, he can only be a free
agent six years after his class fin
ishes high school. That way,
someone who enters the draft
after his junior year in college
will be a free agent at the same
time as a high-school classmate
who goes straight to the NBA.
The measure makes a lot of
sense. With few exceptions, every
player who skipped college has
gone through a difficult adjust
ment period in the NBA. Most of
them have sat on the bench for
more than one season.
Of course, one difference
between college and pro will
remain: the money. Former Tar
Heel star Joe Forte is out of the
NBA, but he did make $4 million
off his contract as the No. 21 pick
in the 2001 Draft.
Therefore, if a player desperate
ly needs to pay his mother’s hospi
tal bills or wants a fancy sports
car, he still will skip college. But
the big payday won’t come any
sooner.
And other players can feel free
to go to college to develop their
games and fix their weaknesses.
Like a broken 3-point shot. A
loss of confidence. A lack of
toughness. Or even a questioned
attitude.
This basketball fan hopes the
owners and players can work this
change into their next agreement
for the sake of college and the
pros.
Contact Randy Wellington
at randyw@email.unc.edu.
Sports Monday
WOMEN'S TENNIS UNC 4 Tennessee 3 MEN'S TENNIS UNC 5 Georgia 2
Tar Heels withstand Maryland rally
McCants scores 25 as UNC avenges road loss
BY JAMIE AGIN
SENIOR WRITER
Roy Williams wouldn’t even look at
Rashad McCants.
Almost four minutes into the second
half of Sunday’s 97-86 win against
Maryland, McCants had the ball on a
breakaway. Perhaps caught in the spir
it of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, he
decided to go for a windmill dunk but
frontrimmed it. On the Terrapins’ next
possession, McCants didn’t box out on a
rebound and ended up knocking the
ball out of bounds and jawing for a foul.
With that, in came Reyshawn Terry
and out went McCants, without a word,
or a glance, from Williams.
“It’s time we stop begging people and
wanting people to give us things,”
Williams said. “It’s time we started doing
things ourselves and making it happen.”
It was fitting, then, that McCants
stepped up and made two late 3s to ice
the game for UNC.
Fbr a half, it looked like heroics would
n’t be necessary. The No. 14 Tar Heels
(15-7, 5-6 in the ACC) overpowered
Maryland (13-8, 4-6), holding a 30-16
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DTH/ALEX FINE
Duke guard Alana Beard (20) throws a no-look pass while being defended by UNC's Leah Metcalf (25) and Camille Little.
Beard led all scorers with 31 points as the Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels, 89-79, on Saturday at the Smith Center.
TOUGHING IT OUT
Duke outlasts UNC
in physical battle
BY DANIEL BLANK
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Early in the second half, North Carolina
forward Camille Little knocked down a
layup in traffic but was unable to draw the
foul.
Frustrated with an
abundance of contact
and a lack of whistles,
Coach Sylvia Hatchell
began jumping up and
WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL
UNC 72
Duke 81
down and screaming at the referees before
ultimately ripping offher jacket and slam
ming it on the bench.
Although angered by the physicality of
the game, Hatchell was satisfied with the
effort of her team despite losing to No. 4
Duke, 89-79 the No. 15 Tar Heels’ 11th
straight loss to their archrival.
“It was extremely physical, but I thought
we battled hard,” Hatchell said. “I’m not
sure if that’s the way Mr. Naismith want-
SEE WOMEN'S HOOPS, PAGE 6
www.dailylarheel.com
rebounding edge and getting to the line
23 times. Behind 55-percent shooting, a
team high for an ACC half this year; UNC
took a 55-35 lead to the locker room.
“It wasn’t a discussion,” said Maryland
coach Gary Williams of his halftime tac
tics. “It was a one-way conversation
about how we represent a great program
that’s won a national
championship, been
to a Final Four. All
those things came
up. ... That’s not
right, what went on
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
Maryland 86
UNC 97
out there in the first half.”
After halftime, Maryland turned up
the pressure, employing a trapping
defense and forcing 12 turnovers. Many
of them occurred at the middle of the
court, leading to easy fast-break buckets.
“You always second guess yourself
like, ‘Why didn’t we start that?’” Gary
Williams said. “That might have gotten
us going, but we got in foul trouble real
ly quick, and I was worried about foul
ing more if we pressed.”
Raymond Felton’s foul problems
added to Maryland’s success. Felton
Blue Devil veterans
survive UNC youth
BY CHRIS GILFILLAN
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
With seniors Vicki Krapohl, Iciss
Tillis and Alana Beard scoring 65 of
Duke’s 89 points, the North Carolina
women’s basketball realized it was
outmatched in seniority.
But still UNC coach Sylvia
Hatchell managed to take the good
out of the 89-79 loss.
“I’m excited about our future
because of what I just experienced
in the locker room with these kids,”
Hatchell said. “I had two freshmen
in there crying their eyes out
because they are competitive and
they want to win. They’re leading
freshmen are leading our team right
now.”
And for freshmen Camille Little
picked up his fourth foul with 12:56 to
play and was limited to 10 second-half
minutes.
When Felton did play, he was inef
fective, committing seven turnovers.
Hampered by Maryland guard John
Gilchrist, Felton failed to record a field
goal for the first time in his UNC career.
“That’s an interesting matchup
because Felton’s so quick and John is
really strong,” Gary Williams said. “It’s
two different types of point guards
there, and I think they both bothered
each other, to tell you the truth.”
Meanwhile, the Terrapins had no
trouble scoring. A 3-pointer from Chris
McCray, who led the Terrapins with 16
points, cut UNC’s lead to three with
4:28 to play.
But that’s when McCants delivered.
First, a 3-pointer on UNC’s next pos
session bounced in. Then, with the Tar
Heels up six, Felton threw a pass to
Jawad Williams. The ball was deflected
to McCants, who threw it up from the
right wing with the shot clock at two
and banked it home to seal the win.
“The glass was kind, and that’s the
way it goes,” Gary Williams said, wist-
SEE MEN'S HOOPS, PAGE 9
and Ivory Latta, it was a proverbial
passing of the torch from the sea
soned leaders of the conference to
tomorrow’s stars.
Although Little was muffled by
the Blue Devils’ taller lineup, Latta
notorious for having big games in
high-profile scenarios led the Thr
Heels with 25 points.
Latta took it as her personal mis
sion from the beginning and with
in the first eight minutes she had
driven on Beard, shot a 3 in the face
of Tillis and intercepted a Krapohl
pass.
It looked early as though it was
going to be a shooting match
between Latta and the Duke team.
SEE VETERANS, PAGE 6
WRESTLING Nebraska 47 UNC 0
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DTH/GARRETT HALL
UNC swingman Jackie Manuel (5) is fouled going for a
layup against Maryland's Jamar Smith (1) and Ekene
Ibekwe. Manuel scored 14 points in the UNC win.
Gymnastics
dominates
at N.C. State
BY GABRIELLE DEROSA
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
RALEIGH There must be something in the
chalk at Reynolds Coliseum.
The North Carolina gymnastics team earned
the second-highest score in its history with
196.725 points at the Sweetheart Invitational on
Friday.
N.C. State finished second with 195.925,
GYMNASTICS
UNC 196.725
N.C. State 195.925
W&M 192.775
JMU 191.100
the uneven bars and for their floor exercise, which
garnered a 49-7-
Mikel Hester placed first in the all-around with
39.45 and earned personal bests in three events.
Courtney Bumpers received her third career 10.0
on floor, while Maddy Curley and Christine
Robella earned personal bests on bars and floor,
respectively.
“Honestly, I can’t even remember my routines,”
Hester said. “You do it, and you get down, and you
cheer so hard for everyone else that I didn’t have
any idea.”
Robella had a similar view of her floor exercise,
which received a 9-975 after one judge gave it a 10.
“When I’m going, I’m just trying to do my rou
tine,” she said. “I don’t think about the outcome,
each skill at a time.”
Her teammates called for a perfect score from
the sidelines to no avail.
“I would have liked a 10,” Robella said. “I got a
10, so I was happy with that. There’s always things
I can improve.”
But the scores the judges gave Robella gave
Coach Derek Galvin confidence that Bumpers
could receive a perfect score.
“Courtney hit every tumbling pass, didn’t take
any steps on her landings, great execution of her
dance, and the judges had nowhere to go,” Galvin
said.
Bumpers scored her first 10 a year ago in the
same gym.
“I like the facility, I like the people, their equip
ment is good,” she said. “It just all comes together.”
Curley and Olivia Trusty both scored 9-925 on
floor, and Hester received a 9.875.
“This team is one of the best floor exercise teams
in the country,” Galvin said. “You could put us in
a meet with Alabama, Georgia, UCLA, any of those
top six teams, and put our team out there. If they
perform the way they did tonight, they’ll hang
right in there with those top teams.”
In similar fashion to the excitement sparked by
the team’s floor routines, the Tar Heels (13-1) deliv
ered a group effort on uneven bars.
“I was very pleased with, not just the fact that
we had less falls, but the quality of the routines and
SEE GYMNASTICS, PAGE 6
DTH/JOHN DUDLEY
Gymnast Anna Wilson scored a 9.775 on the floor
exercise Friday. The team set a school record on
floor with a score of 49.7 at Reynolds Coliseum.
latlij @ar
FEBRUARY 16, 2004
William and Mary came
in third with 192.775 and
James Madison finished
fourth with 191-1.
The Tar Heels set a
team record with a 49.25
for their performance on