Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 31, 1971, edition 1 / Page 33
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B 8LSK: e nH TIT! . iiJio 1D Tar Heels ave it a on paper h "We could have a better team this year but we might not have as good a record. Our schedule is much tougher this year. " Coach Dean Smith by Mark Whicker Sports Editor An "underground guide" to colleges over the country, printed "by freaks for entering freshman freaks", has some interesting things to say about Carolina. "Its biggest problem is too few chicks." one paragraph reads. Also. "Chapel Hill is nowhere, man." which may cause controversy among smaJl-town North Carolinians. But the outline makes sure that the entering freshman knows that "Carolina people like sports-especiallv basketball jocks " Right. Although the athletic department would prefer the term "student-athletes", there is no denying the importance of being a basketball follower for most UNC students. Football is big. too. but it wasn't too long ago that the football team was losing. In five years, Tar Heel basketball teams have won three Eastern Regional titles, three ACC tournaments, four regular season titles and an NIT championship. Since last year's NIT winners weren't expected to escape the second division of the conference, and since there wasn't a single superstar to claim all the headlines, students really enjoyed basketball season last year. Carmichael Auditorium was loud. Everybody knows what the governor of North Carolina said to the governor of South Carolina, but they couldn't print what the South Carolina basketball star said to the North Carolina coach. People don't hang themselves or throw themselves out of buildings when the ACC tournament comes along, like they do in the World Cup soccer championships, but there sure are a lot of not-so-friendly arguments. They will continue this winter as Carolina returns four starters and adds a highly-wooed junior college star, and Maryland comes up with a pride of talented sophomores including Tom McMillen, who had originally signed up to come here. "We could have a better team this year," says Coach Dean Smith of his Tar Heels, "but we might not have as good a record. Our schedule is tougher this year." "I think my ACC colleagues are getting smart. Duke's got its easiest schedule in many years, but we still schedule many top-ranked teams. "Recently we were making out our schedule for 1973-74 and I looked up and thought, "What have I done?" There was Houston, Kentucky, and California leading off." The Tar Heels' early highlight is a trip to Pittsburgh, which moved the game from the spacious Civic Arena into its cramped field house to promote the "home-cooking" factor. It will be a homecoming for Pittsburgh suburbanites George Karl, Steve Previs"and Dennis Wuycik, and it's taken for granted that Bill Currie, the transplanted "Mouth of the Monongohela" will be there. Carolina will represent the U.S. in a Christmas tournament in Spain, "playing two tough Spanish teams, on a Spanish court, with Spanish referees, and international rules," says Smith with a smile. A day after they return, the Heels meet dangerous Harvard and then travel to the Sugar Bowl tourney in New Orleans to face a field of Purdue, St. Joseph's, and Bradley. Furman comes to Chapel Hill in early January, and that is no laughing matter. Former Jacksonville coach Joe Williams has loaded the Purple Paladins with sensational junior college transfers. And then it's a fratricidal ACC season, followed by the suicidal ACC tournament. "Let's put it this way," Smith says. "If everyone in the conference were independent, there would be four or five very good candidates for NIT or NCAA at-large bids." The new :an on t; Tuesday. Auuit 31. 1971 Thg Datfy Tar HH 9 scer.e is o-lO Robert McAdoo. outstanding at Smith High ir. GreensDoro before leading Vir.cenr.es ( Ir.d.) Junior College to a national title his freshmen year. On the Pan-American team, he sank the winning shot in the U S. -Brazil game and blocked three shots in a rcw when the Pan-Am team beat the Atlanta Hawks -eer body was there, albeit out cf shape, except Pete Maraich-in an exhibition. "Mac is an excellent outside shooter." Smith comments, "and he can be an excellent rebounder. This Pan Am training should do him a lot el" Not that Smith is conceding Mac the center spot vacated by Lee Dedmon. now on no-cut contract vith the Utah Stars: in keeping with tradition, senior Craig Corson will be the top man in the first day of practices. Craig made strides in rebounding and defense last season, and there is also soph Bobby Jones, at 6-9 a leader on Bill Guthridge's freshmen last season. Dedmon's passing and defense blended beautifully with last ear's team: McAdoo's necessary "adjustment" is emphasized by the coach. But Mac's ability is unquestioned. The rest of the starting unit returns intact. Bill Chamberlain, the MVP of the NIT. and Dennis Wuycik. second in the country in field goal percentage, are back at forward. Defensive artist Steve Preis and last year's sophomore sensation. George Karl, return in the backcourt. Their unselfish play was therapeutic to state basketball followers who were conditioned to superstars. At first it seemed incongrous that the big punch was gone-it was more like three left jabs, a right cross and an uppercut-but the knockout was still there. The Tar Heels can fast-break it. or they can use the four-corner delay game to make every tick of the scoreboard clock seem like Chinese water torture. The speed worked equally w ell on defense, since the Tar Heels are attackers even when the opponent has the ball. It usually took an epidemic of foul trouble, a red-hot opponent and an assortment of other breakdowns to beat Carolina -hence the Tar Heel's 26-6 record. Smith has used his philosophy of eight or nine starters to give everybody some rest and ward off foul problems. The "secondary" starters this year are sharpshooting guard Kim Huband, smooth sophomore forward John O'Donnell and forward guard Billy Chambers. Smith concedes that every one will be watching Carolina closely from the beginning of practice Oct. 15. Last year, the Tar Heels were taken lightly until they upset South Carolina 79-64 in January'. "The element of surprise will not be there this year." he says, "and in this conference you really don't know what will happen. Last year's team was a pleasure to coach and we'll miss the leadership of seniors Dedmon, Dave Chadwick, Dale Gipple, Don Eggleston and Richard Tuttle." Chadwick, who filled in for injured Wuycik in the NIT, has a basketball deal lined up in Belgium, while Lggleston will be watching this year's games and going to UNC law school. Tuttle, recently married, is doing field work for a recreation degree, and Gipple is expecting an Army call. The Tar Heels have everything going for them on paper this year, and Smith stresses that "paper" doesn't win by itself. "In 1966, when Kentucky finished second in the NCAA, it had all but one of its 13 players coming back the next year. Then Kentucky finished 13-13." In the ACC, it can happen, but there appears to be too much talent, tradition, and coaching brilliance around. During the basketball season, Chapel Hill is somewhere, man -the place where they love their student-athletes. SAW SOT rn LiVl AMD i mm in Bqs mm bk tr 09 1 GuOGDu n OFFICIAL TEXTBOOKS for almost all UNC undergraduate courses -many graduate-level books, too. NEW BOOKS AND USED - all sales guaranteed to be correct title for course. Refunds on books for dropped classes. o PAPERBACKS, new and used, for UNC courses. o REFERENCE WORKS, dictionaries of all sorts, course outlines, and translations. o FAST, FRIENDLY SERVICE. 119 EAST FRANKLIN ST., (NEXT TO THE VARSITY THEATRE)-OPEN EVENINGS UNTIL10 P.M.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Aug. 31, 1971, edition 1
33
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