4 Basketball '87-88 Friday, November 20, 1987
-Eresfamien 'Rice, Fox will face
year of adjustment, learnin
By ANDREW PODOLSKY
Stoff Writer
Since they announced their deci
sion to attend North Carolina last
year, most of the basketball world has
wondered aloud how King Rice and
Rick Fox will fill the void left by the
recently departed Kenny Smith and
Joe Wolf.
Judging by their performances in
the recent Blue-White games and the
positive comments their teammates
have heaped upon them, Rice and
Fox seem to have adjusted admirably
to the lights and gutter of big-time
college basketball.
UNC has had many freshmen in
the past few years that have contrib
uted in their inaugural season. There
was Michael Jordan's jumper in the
1982 championships, Jeff Lebo's
contributions two years ago, and of
course the monster in the middle
called J.R. Reid last season. No one
knows which, if either, of this year's
pair will rise to stardom.
The 6-foot 185-pound Rice, hailing
from Binghamton, N.Y., is an excel
lent playmaking guard who was
touted by many as the premier high
school point guard in the country.
Rice picked up seven points and six
assists in the first Blue-White game,
and improved to an 11 -point, seven
assist performance in the second.
UNC coach Dean Smith was quick
to warn about the dangers of high
expectations. "King will be a backup
guard to Lebo," Smith said. "I dont
see Fox or Rice starting right now,
but they will definitely contribute. I
see them somewhere in the top eight
or nine in the rotation."
La Residence
1 w
Smith went on to speculate about
what to expect this year, "King is not
a beep-beeper," he said. "He doesn't
have the great quickness of a Kenny
Smith, but he will get the job done.
I just hope he can stay healthy. As
evidenced in last year's Notre Dame
game, we needed and still need
backcourt depth to win. We may now
have that."
Rick Fox will have a slightly
different season. At 6-foot-7 and 220
pounds, he has a bruising year ahead.
Every day in practice hell face a front
line that ranges from 210-250 pounds.
But Fox appears to have adjusted well
in terms of progressing between the
first and second Blue-White games.
Fox hit 10 points, ripped down
three rebounds and had the White
squad's only blocked shot in the
initial contest. In the second contest
he gained confidence. This time he
contributed 16 points and even found
time for two assists. More impor
tantly, he led both teams with 12
rebounds. His nearest competitors,
Bucknall and Williams, could muster
but eight apiece.
Earlier in the year, Reid predicted
Fox would be a big asset. "Rick is
really a good defensive player, and
extremely strong inside," Reid said.
"He's going to help us a lot this season
if he comes along and learns the
system."
Smith agreed and added, "Rick has
a lot of potential, make no mistake
about that. It will just be a matter
of how much well need him and how
well he adjusts."
Along with the positive comments
has come some caution for what
promises to be a busy year for the
two newcomers. Since the press , is
unable to talk directly to the freshmen
until after the Syracuse game, the
comments of the veteran team
members on the perils of the freshman
year give a good indication of whatt
to expect.
Well, we re going to give them a
hard time in practice," Reid said, "to
remind them where they are. But my
freshman class seemed to make it
through all right."
I know it s hard for them," senior
guard Ranzino Smith said. "They
have to be shocked by all this
attention. But they are both
extremely good players. King simply
gets the ball to the players who need
it, and Rick may develop into one
of those players who needs the ball.
I wouldn't expect a miracle right off,
however."
Academically, the freshmen have
some adjusting to do as well. In this
regard, there could be no better
advice than that given by sophomore
Kevin Madden. Madden sat out last
season because of academic prob
lems, but seems to have rebounded.
"In fact, we may have created a
monster," Dean Smith said. "Now
he'd rather study than practice."
Letting Smith's hyperbole sit alone,
Madden did have something to say
about the freshmen.
"I talked to both of them a lot "
Madden said. "You can't goof off,
you have to stay on top of it all the
time. I told the freshmen to listen to
the coach and it . will all come
together."
Scott Williams added some of his
own experience, also.
"They had better budget their time,
use a daily calender, and find time
to study," Williams said. "You have
to put up with going back to the room
after getting beat up on in the lane
by someone like J.R., and then
motivate yourself to study. Some
times it's not easy."
But easy isn't what major college
basketball is about. And if Rice and
Fox can dodge the pitfalls of aca
demic ineligibility and waking up late
for games, they might find themselves
in the position in which the freshman
Jordan found himself, one Monday
night a few years ago.
FROSH NOTES: Fox becomes
the sixth ACC import from the
Caribbean in recent years, following
Wake's Sylvester Charles, Tech's
Yvon Joseph and Antione Ford, and
Virginia's Andrew Kennedy and
Olden Polynice . . . UNC assistant
coach Randy Wiel also hails from the
Caribbean, a native of Curacao in the
Netherlands Antilles. Fox comes
from Nassau, in the Bahamas.
Rice was a four-year starter at the
point for Binghamton High School,
as well as a two-way football player
through his junior year . . . Fox did
not play high school basketball last
year because of an Indiana eligibility
technicality.
-V A
1 11 jj
' V:
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DTHTony Deifell
Freshman guard King Rice, though not as fast as the departed Kenny
Smith, has already shown a flair for the spectacular play
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