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The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday, December 1, 1970 7" 11 (O lli (ulii JU 11 J. vL VL Dean Smith faces m biggest challenge by Chris Cobbs Sports Editor Charlie is gone. The best all-around player in Atlantic Coast Conference history: that was Mr. Scott. It is foolish to assume that he can be replaced, in any sense of the word. Therefore, says Dean Smith, Carolina will be a different kind of basketball team. Without the second leading scorer in Tar Heel history, the team will take longer to get off a shot. When it gets behind, there will be someone new to try the 25-footers. Without its second leading rebounder and playmaker and without its best defender, Carolina will also have to make adjustments in those phases of the game. "We will be more flexible, offensively and defensively," promises Coach Smith, entering his 10th season. "We will still look to fast break whenever possible, but we may 'walk' on offense at other times." The dapper Kansas graduate, who has put together an amazing record in the last four years, adds that, defensively, Carolina "will press quite a bit, as we have done in the past, but we may also have to go to the zone, which I hate, also." The Tar Heels, who meet East Tennessee in what should be a relatively easy season opener tonight, are faced with a schedule that bristles with Big Four matchups. A Big FouMournament new this year and a headache for participating coaches-is set for mid-December. Then there are the normal home and home contests with Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest, followed by the conference tournament, where it is conceivable, albeit most unlikely, that two Big Four rivals could meet for a fourth time. Other stiff challenges will be provided by Creighton, Utah and Florida State, not to mention Georgia Tech and of course, South Carolina. "It is the biggest challenge I have faced in years," muses Smith. "I really enjoyed our preseason practices, except for all the' injuries we had. The fact that no Carolina team has ever finished below fifth in the conference means a lot in terms of pride to our players. "The ACC is really a lot like the Southeastern Conference in football, you know. It's not enough just to be good." by Chris Cobbs Sports Editor South Carolina has no fear of losing, Clemson has no hope of winning. Frank McGuire and Tates Locke,. who coach those teams, are unrelenting in their assessment of the 1970 basketball season. Their peers at the remaining six Atlantic Coast Conference colleges are inclined to concur with their views-on paper. But now it is time, again, to go before the screaming thousands who line Tobacco Road-and there, of course, how well a team shoots and plays defense is infinitely more important than how well its coach believes it can do those things. x Ironically, South Carolina, which has unparalleled physical capabilities, may finally yield to psychological pressures, one ACC coach believes, although McGuire is not. talking in those terms. McGuire insists that the Gamecocks will be more aggressive and more talented and without any fear of defeat. "We'll be more flexible, well play faster, well take more chances on offense and defense," he promises. "We have enough talent and enough players to adjust to any style, including stalls, and we won't worry about fouls." USC, which compiled a 25-3 record good for sixth place in last year's national press rankings, was deprived of a shot at the NCAA title when North Carolina State beat the Gamecocks in the finals of the ACC tournament. With John Roche playing on an injured ankle that would be encased for six weeks following the game, South Carolina lost in two overtimes by a 42-39 score. The two-time ACC Player of the Year is healthy again-and better than ever, if you can believe McGuire-and is. surrounded by a galaxy of talent and experience. 3 starters return Forwards Tom Owens and John Ribock, two-year starters each, and center Tom Riker will work with Roche and sophomore Kevin Joyce to comprise a first team that is probably the equal of any in the country. There are four men on the bench who will give South Carolina unequalled depth. Junior forward Rick Aydlett and junior guard Bob Carver played extensively and well last year. Now they will have to fight sophs Danny Traylor, a seven-footer, and Casey Manning for game action. This group is rated a serious contender for the national championship and ACC coaches, in a preseason poll, unanimously picked the Gamecocks to win the league title. Nobody in the conference is ready to concede anything to South Carolina, however-and certainly not Maryland's Lefty Driesell, who believes that State's tourney victory last year provides hope for all this year. "If USC has won the tournament, McGuire would be in an even better position than he is in," quoth Lefty. "But since State whipped him, South Carolina is going to be nervous this time-I don't care what McGuire tells them-and that means we all have at least a chance." Driesell, who enters his second year as Terrapin mentor after a highly successful stint at Davidson, says that, based on his experience, a team can not be rated a shoo-in for the league championship if it has not previously won the tournament. Despite his comments, however, the tendency among ACC coaches is to put the Gamecocks in a category by themselves, with Duke a notch ahead of the rest and a relatively close struggle among the remaining teams. The coaches voted Carolina third, just ahead of State, followed by Maryland and Wake Forest, with Virginia and Clemson trailing. Only Gemson's Locke, lone new coach in the loop, is gloomy about his team's prospects. Locke says the Tigers have nothing to look forward to but their first game. After that "we are destined to stay on the bottom this year." That last statement, probably more true than ever this year, means that UNC will need a leader of some kind, although he obviously will not be the super take-charge guy that Scott was. Unfortunately, none came to the top, in Smith's words, in fall workouts. Senior center Lee Dedmon and junior forwards Dennis Wuycik and Bill Chamberlain, best bets to fill the role, all experienced relatively disappointing practices. . Senior Dave Chad wick, the 6-7 forward who has always displayed a nifty scoring touch, was the most improved Tar Heel on the team, said Smith. Chadwick's attitude, which was never anything but commendable, became exemplary and his rebounding was markedly improved, the coach happily reported. Other than this quartet, which doesn't' appear to harbor another Scott or a star in the tradition of Miller-Lewis-Cunningham, etc., leadership may be lacking. Smith announced that Dedmon, Wuycik, Chadwick and guards Steve Previs and Dale Gripple will start the first game with Chamberlain backing up the front court men and George Karl filling in for Gipple. Previs, a junior, stands 6-2 and averaged 4.8 points a game last year. He will be counted upon to score more. Gipple, the Burlington senior who shoots well but is somewhat slow afoot, edged out the hustling Karl, a sophomore who scored 22 points a game for last year's freshmen until a back injury forced him to undergo surgery. Karl is a stocky 6-1, 185-pounder from Penn Hills, Pa. It will surprise no one if he is a first-teamer before long. Another sophomore who will play regularly, if not in a starting role, is 6-8 forward Donn Johnston from Jamestown, GBp Satly Ear $t?l 0pIFlL BASKETBALL PREVI mi Gamecocks favored in . i i J ;; . -.,. ; J J Coach Dean Smith N.Y. He averaged 17.7 and led the freshmen in rebounding. Returning to the proven stock, it is Smith's hope that Dedmon will at last acquire the consistency that has marred his collegiate performances. The tall, lean Baltimore pivot man was plagued by mono last year which made a convenient excuse for his numerous listless showings showings. Dedmon, a capable scorer at times, is flanked by the 6-5 forwards, Wuycik and Chamberlain, and by Chadwick. Wuycik came closer to realizing his potential than any of last year's heralded sophs. The determined Ambridge; Pa. John Roche 1C f y-" - -A f i 4 -w . , . J f tW f 1 . l-... , J Duke Coach Bucky Waters claims to be extremely happy with preseason workouts. He should be, with five veterans who started at one time or another last year and with four highly promising rookies battling them. Denton looms large "We were very stereotyped offensively last year with our inside game," says Waters. "Everyone concentrated on stopping Denton and Larry Saunders. "Now we have some sophomores who can score from outside and make our attack more diversified. But when you get down to the basics, we will go only as far as Denton can take us. A consistent Denton would be a brilliant and formidable center." Moving in to contest holdovers Saunders and Rick Katherman at forward are 6-9 soph Alan Shaw and 6-4 Richie O'Connor. Both newcomers have showed up well enough to start along side Denton. Snapshooting Jeff Dawson and tricky Gary Melchionni are impressive soph backcourt men who could relegate Dick DeVenzio to bench duty. In any event, whether Waters goes with four sophs in the lineup from the start or not, Duke is a step behind South Carolina and a cut above everyone else in the ACC. State Coach Norm Sloan is looking for- a leader in the mold of the graduated Vann Wrilliford. x Sloan still has" a half-dozen of last year's capable hands who won 23 and lost 7, led by guard Ed Leftwich and center Paul Coder. "We are looking for one of these men to step in and lead us, as Williford did, in pressure situations," says the State coachr"Of course we are also going to miss the pressure play of Rick Anheuser, who was probably the most underrated man in the league." Joining the 6-5 Leftwich and the 6-9 Coder, who is said to have added a new move to his collection of one, will be forward Dan Wells, a rugged 6-6 senior recovering from knee surgery. Other holdovers include guards Joe Dunning and Al Heartley, while sophs Rick Holdt at forward and Bill Benson at guard will also be counted upon heavily. ( blond hit 54.8 percent of his field goal tries and averaged 14 points a game while ranking third, behind Dedmon and Scott, in rebounding. '. Chamberlain got married in the off season but injuries continue to nag him. A great leaper, Chamberlain scored 11.5 points a game last year. He is capable of much more. '' In reserve will be forwards Bill Chambers and Kim Huband, centers Craig Corson and Don Eggleston and guards John Austin, John Cox and Richard Tuttle. The numbers are there, for sure. How many men was Scott, anyway? EW another ACC scramble Tom Owens Wuycik fits mold of Larry Miller by Mark Khkker Sptrrs Writer He wears number 44. he's strong and rebounds with power, he's been known to make some acrobatic byups and he's from Pennsylvania. Dennis Wuycik tits into the Larry Miller mold perfectly at first glance. Vet Miller was a North Carolina household word after his sophomore year. He had a capacity for attracting more attention and scoring more points. Wuycik didn't tear any basketball goals off their hinges last year, nor did he make any game-winning byups while standing on his head. He did play several games in Feburary with a case of mononucleosis, and averaged nine rebounds last year despite giving away at least three inches to his adversaries. The 6'5", 210-pound junior knows his job on the boards will be tougher without Charlie Scott around. "I'll have to rebound better this year, just like everyone else on the team," he said before a recent practice. "But practice has been going well. I think we should do better than sixth or seventh, unless we really play terrible." "Terrible" is the word many used to describe Carolina's performance in the ACC and NIT tournament, when the Heels lost to Virginia and Manhattan. Some forecasters have placed UNC deep in the second division this season. "Speaking for myself, I was prepared to play in both those games," said Wuycik. "I felt that it was an honor to play in New York and I was ready for the NIT. But there was definitely something missing on the team and I really don't know what it is." He has accepted the injustices of the ACC tournament in his first two years here. "I don't think the tournament is a bad thing," he commented. "It gets a lot of excitement out of the fans here and brings a lot of business into the area, although it must be a letdown to a team that wins the regular season and then has to face a grueling tournament." Wuycik wasn't surprised when State upset South Carolina last season, calling State a team "that doesn't do anything spectacular, but just goes out there and beats you. We were fortunate to play well against them both times." Wuycik toured Europe during August Up at Maryland, the entertaining, countryish and highly successful Driesell has a team that returns "only 19 points out of an offense that averaged 25." But the sly Terp coach still has the dangerous 6-5 center Sparky Still, who plays about four inches taller. And in 6-7 soph guard Jim O'Brien, Driesell has found "the first man I've had here who can goal tend. He makes a lot of errors (pronounced urr-uhs), but he makes things happen and he's a good leaper and a terrific shooter." Another newcomer, guard Howard White, will operate out of the point position held last year by Steve Kebeck, "who still waits around for the outlet pass irom Artis Gilmore," his teammate at Gardner-Webb Jr. College two years ago. White is a colorful ball handler. Forwards will be aged Barry Yates, returning from military service, and Sid Blank. No Terp is taller than 6-8. It is well to remember, however, that Lefty recruited probably the best freshman team in the country last year, and he will be competitive in 1970 and down-right challenging for the championship in 1971. High scoring Charlie Davis returns to bid for All-America and he alone will make Wake Forest potent. The Deacons also retain bulky center Gilbert McGregor, forward Neil Pastushok and guard John Lewkowicz. Coach Jack McCloskey expects help from sophomores Willie Griffin at guard and 6-9 Pat Kelly at forward. Davis gets help "We will continue to play as we did last year," says McCloskey, "and that means we will run at every opportunity. We will alternate zone and man-to-man defenses. And we expect Charlie to get a little rest, since Griffin can come in and take up the slack somewhat." Davis, the slim 6-1 New Yorker, averaged 25.5 points a .game last season and may be the best offensive player in the ACC. Virginia, which ousted Carolina from the tournament in the first round last year, has a very promising rookie guard in Barry Parkhill, a 6-3 soph from State College, Pa. He is described by Cavalier Coach Bill Gibson as the "best thing to happen to Virginia basketball since Buzz Wilkinson," the star of the mid-1950s. Parkhill is ticketed for a starting position alongside Tim Rash, a six-footer who averaged 9.5 points a game bst year. Up front will be husky captain Bill Gerry, a 6-7 forward who improved drastically in the course of last season. He was third in the ACC in rebounding. Center Scott McCandlish is the lone Cavalier with height, standing 6-10. The other forward is 6-4 Mike Wilkes, who lost 20 needed pounds while sitting out the campaign in 1969-70. And then there is Clemson, under the firm hand of Tates Locke, the pessimist and realist, who has completed part one of the three part program he instituted to rebuild Clemson basketball. Replacing the mild-mannered Bobby Roberts, Locke says the program is now geared to three-year and five-year stages of development, having wrapped up six months of trimming and getting organized. Locke dropped a couple of unneeded veterans and put the sophomores through a rugged get-ready-quick program. Best of Locke's starters, he says, will likely be forwards Dickie Foster and Dave Angel, the btter a tall and unfulfilled but promising sophomore. So there it is. A long way, seemingly, from top to bottom, but then Clemson did come within one point of beating South Carolina in the first round of the tournament last March. South Carolina, which opens its season with Auburn, Notre Dame, Duke and Marybnd, concerns Coach McGuire in the vital respect that he fears it may take him 10 games to learn his personnel properly. If that is the case and if Driesell 's theory of nerves is correct, would you believe any team in the league could sneak off with that infamous old tournament? " J 1 , i:.v k.'.:"fv. 7 . Wuycik in action with the U.S. team. They won ten and lost three, and Dennis has no idea of his own personal average. "We just played for experience, not really for individual statistics." Tom McMillen was Carolina property at the time, and Wuycik got no indication of the upcoming switch to Maryland. "I don't know what he was thinking at the time, but he talked like he was anxious to come down here and play for us." The two summer teammates will play against each other in 1971-72. Looking up at McMillen won't be a new experience for Wuycik. He had to shoot over people like Tom Riker, Randy Denton and Tom Owens last season and picked up 14 points a game. He connected on 54 per cent of his attempts. So Wuycik, a veteran of only 27 varsity games, is one of the team leaders. He may never rise above all-conference status, but his consistency was indispensible in Carolina's 18-9 season. He's not the Tar Heels' glamour boy, but maybe Dennis Wuycik prefers it that way.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Dec. 1, 1970, edition 1
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