4B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13,2002
Tar Heels recruits provide opportunity to improve
By Mike Corey
The Chronicle via U-Wire
Duke University
Durham, N.C. - In 2001-02, the best part of the nation's biggest rivalry did not come when Duke and North Carolina battled on the basketball court, but rather on the recruiting trail.
As has often been the case in the recent past, the Blue Devils won. Duke's freshmen were generally ranked first, above the Tar Heels.
The battle was a recruiting coup for coach Matt Doherty's North Carolina squad because freshman point guard Raymond Felton has been everyone's ACC preseason freshman of the year.
The much-ballyhooled player from Latta, S.C., is talented, as
seen by the numbers he put up his senior year of high school.
En route to being named the Naismith Player of the Year he averaged more than 30 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals per game. His most conspicuous attributes are speed, strength, vision and proficient passing.
According to Phil Ford, the best point guard in North Carolina history. Felton is under more pressure to perform in Chapel Hill, N.C., than any other player in the school's history.
Called the "messiah" for the Tar Heels by Athlon Sports Magazine, Felton will have a full plate in late November.
"We realize he's a freshman," Doherty said. "Playing for the state championship in high school is different than playing
in the ACC championship and national championship. There are a lot of expectations on Raymond, but it is a team game. Raymond's not surrounded by experienced talent like Phil Ford or Kenny Smith were, or like some other freshman point guards in our program or in the league."
Felton said he did not expect the team to change radically, but he thought the team would improve with the presence of incoming freshmen.
"I am not going to say we will win the ACC," Felton said before he arrived. "We aren't going to win the NCAA championship. But we are not going to have as bad a year as last year. I don't think we are going to have a team like that."
Joining Felton in the back court will be Rashad McCants, a
shooting guard with a quick first step.
He has already drawn comparisons to former Tar Heel great Vince Carter. Though he is small for a wing guard at 6-foot-4, he is strong enough to post up more imposing players and skilled enough to score from outside.
"Offensively, he's very gifted. Defensively, he's still trying to understand being in a defensive stance, seeing man and ball and every position on the defensive end," Doherty said. "Offensively, he has a great feel. He can pass, he can shoot, he can post up."
The other North Carolina freshman expected to start is 6-8, 270-pound power forward Sean May, one of last year's to p players in talent-laden Indiana. He is a bruiser, comparable to former
Maryland center Lonny Baxter, but has been hampered recently by poor knees.
One knee is injured, the other is developing tendonitis. He was unable to participate in practice Monday.
"It's certainly set him back, and it's setting us back," Doherty said. "As smart of a player as Sean is, you have to have the reps, the conditioning, the experience.
"He can sit on the sideline and say 'this is where I'm supposed to go,' but it's different when you're actually out there on the floor. He's a very smart player, but he still needs to be on the floor doing it."
But perhaps the most surprising freshman — according to North Carolina seniors Jonathan Holmes and Will Johnson — will be David Noel. A 6-5 guard/forward out of Southern Durham High School, the freshman poured in 23 points in the Tar Heels' intrasquad scrimmage last Saturday.
Noel was prepared to sign a scholarship to play wide receiver for John Bunting's football program at North Carolina but decided to join the basketball team as a walk-on.
Teammates cite Noel's explosiveness and knack for scoring as his most significant attributes.
Rounding out the Tar Heels' recruiting class are a pair of big men, Jamaican Damian Grant and Byron Sanders of Mississippi.
The two are projects for Doherty, but improved significantly over the summer and are expected to contribute to the undersized Tar Heels.
Grizzlies acquire new coach
The Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn — Sidney Lowe resigned as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies yesterday and was replaced by former NBA coach of the year Hubie Brown
The 69-year-old Brown takes over the only winless team in the league.
Lowe's resignation came the day after the Grizzlies lost their eighth game, playing at home against the Golden State Warriors.
"I wish the team well." Lowe said in a statement. "The Grizzlies have some good, young talent here, and they are going to be good in the future."
Lowe was in his third season with the Grizzlies, who have never had a winning since the team began playing in 1995. The
team moved to Memphis last year from Vancouver.
The Grizzlies had their best records under Lowe, 23-59 in the two previous seasons. Lowe was formerly an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers and head coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During the off-season, Memphis hired Jerry West, one of the most respected executives in the NBA, as president of basketball operations.
West said Brown was one of the premier basketball minds in the business.
"I feel fortunate that we are able to find such an individual in such a short period of time and that he agreed to step in and accent this job." West said.
West's move to Memphis had Grizzlies fired up, and so did
his additions, including first- round draft choice Drew Gooden and Wesley Person, a shooting guard from Cleveland.
Brown was coach of the Kentucky Colonels from 1974-76, and won the ABA title in 1975. He coached Atlanta from 1976-81, and was the NBA's coach of the year in 1978, and directed the New York Knicks from 1982-87.
The Grizzlies were criticized for uninspired play early into the season, particularly on defense.
The Grizzlies scored 73 points against Denver, their worst scoring output since March 3, when they scored 71 against Seattle. Memphis trailed by 25 points in the second half against the Warriors, who won by 108-101.
Knight sues for lost income
The Associated Press
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Bob Knight is suing Indiana University, alleging he lost more than $2 million in income since being fired by the school two years ago.
Knight contends he was fired without cause, without a proper meeting of university trustees and without a chance to defend himself.
The lawsuit was filed in the Monroe County Circuit Court on Friday after talks between his lawyers and the school collapsed. Under state law, the former Hoosiers basketball coach had until today to take legal action.
Knight was fired Sept. 10, 2000, by University President Myles Brand, and gave Indiana
notice in early 2001 that he mightsue.
The school denied Knight's allegations.
Attorneys have said a key issue in the talks is whether Indiana should pay Knight for lost income—and how much.
Russell Yates, Knight's attorney, said Knight filed the lawsuit because he believes the University breached the contract by firing him and costing him compensation.
The University paid Knight under the conditions of his contract, but the coach lost income that was directly dependent on the agreement, including money derived from television and radio programs, a basketball camp, a shoe contract and other endorsements, the lawsuit said.
"Coach Knight would not have gone into litigation for fun," Yates said. "He would not like this distraction, but we feel very clearly that he is owed money under the contract."
Knight spent 29 seasons at Indiana and won three national championships.
Brand fired Knight because the president said the coach violated a "zero-tolerance" policy that IU officials had imposed to try to keep his behavior in check.
Knight was fired days after an IU student claimed the coach had twisted his arm and admonished him after he greeted Knight by his last name.
Knight has disputed the reasons for his firing.
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