Madison Square Garden.
As a young boy growing up in a working-class family on Long Island, New York City’s celebrated arena was a magical place to Matt Doherty. Last week in the finals of the Preseason NIT, it proved to be again, lifting Doherty and his young North Carolina team back up where college basketball thinks they belong.
After surviving a scare from Rutgers, North Carolina shredded then-No. 2 Kansas 67-56 with its quickness in the semifinals and scored 27 points off turnovers to rip Stanford 74-57 in Friday’s championship game. At 5-0, the Tar Heels leaped from others receiving votes this week to No. 12 in the latest AP poll–in time for Tuesday night’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup with No. 25 Illinois (3-0) at the Assembly Hall.
It’s too early to predict how good Doherty’s team will be in March, but their biorhythms look excellent. The Illini have lost their last two ACC-Big Ten Challenges to Duke and Maryland, the eventual NCAA champions.
But back to the Garden. Except for a New York Rangers game his parents took him to and a Papal mass in the mid-1970s, Doherty’s early visits there were vicarious ones, courtesy of his beloved New York Knicks. To return there as the head coach of North Carolina was moving.
“As a kid I remember watching the Knicks on TV and the next day going to the park to shoot and saying to myself “[Willis] Reed to [Walt] Frazier to [Dave] DeBusschere … good!” said Doherty. “To be there again was special. When the teams were warming up [Friday], I was sitting there thinking `Here I am, in Madison Square Garden, playing for a championship’ and how neat that was.”
Speaking of neat, you know that hot seat Doherty has been on since Carolina struggled to an un-Carolina 8-20 record last season? Thanks to talented freshman starters Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants and Sean May–and a stifling pressure defense–it suddenly looks more like a block of dry ice.
“No one should be surprised when Carolina is good,” said Illinois coach Bill Self. “They had a lot of things happen last year; a lot of turmoil. But they’re back.”
Assuming they actually went away.
“I’ve lost 18 games before (his first year at Oral Roberts), but our 100 season ticket-holders didn’t mind that much,” said Self, jokingly. “When you’re at a place like North Carolina winning becomes relief instead of jubilation because so much is expected.”
Doherty, of course, knew that from his playing days in Chapel Hill. When you start on an NCAA championship team as a sophomore, as Doherty did in 1981-82–and watch your good friend and teammate Michael Jordan sink the memorable winning shot to beat Georgetown with 18 seconds left–it’s not all downhill from there but it’s definitely a tricky ride.
Outwardly, Doherty appears unfazed. He’s the same Matt Doherty he was last year, the year before that when he was named the National College Coach of the Year and the year before that when he led Notre Dame to the postseason NIT in his only season in South Bend.
Doherty said last winter wasn’t as tough as some seemed to think.
“Yes, we lost a lot of games,” he said. “Yes, I blamed myself. But not once did the fans boo us. I think all the national media saw was Carolina losing, my gosh! But the local fans and media understood. It sounds funny, but this wasn’t a bad place to have a losing season.”
Felton, McCants and May, son of former Indiana and Bulls star Scott May, will tell you it’s a better place to have a good one.
“I don’t think surprised is a good word to describe what they’ve done,” said Doherty, “because if I say I’m surprised it’s selling these guys short. I’m proud–and pleased. Our kids have really played hard and they’re listening.”
In New York, the talented trio showed why one of the youngest teams in America might also be one of the best.
McCants scored 18 points against the Cardinal to grab tourney MVP honors, Felton added 16 and May contributed 12 points and seven rebounds as North Carolina coasted.
“I think our kids have really handled this early success well,” said Doherty that night. “I hope we can keep it up.”
If they follow Doherty’s example they will. Doherty didn’t land the top recruiting class in the country last year by accident. He earned his reputation as a dogged, relentless recruiter in seven years as an assistant to Roy Williams at Kansas, where he played a key role in signing nine high school All-Americans: Jacque Vaughn, Raef LaFrentz, Ryan Robertson, Lester Earl, Paul Pierce, Eric Chenowith, Kenny Gregory, Jeff Boschee and Nick Collison.
Doherty’s ability to land three of the top-12-ranked high school seniors last year indicates he hasn’t lost his touch. Doherty shrugs it off, saying “I’ve had a good product to sell; it’s a lot easier to sell Lincolns or BMWs than some other brands.”
But there’s more to it than that.
“No doubt about it; he’s tireless,” said Latta (S.C.) High School coach Steve Smith of Doherty’s pursuit of Felton, last year’s national high school player of the year. “He first noticed Ray in a California tournament in the summer of 2000. From then on he was all over him.”
It’s also hard not to be impressed with what the Tar Heels have done so far behind Felton, a 6-foot point guard averaging 9.2 points and four assists; McCants, a 6-4 wing averaging a team-high 21 points; and May, a 6-8, 270-pound center, averaging 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds.
“North Carolina’s freshmen are young but way beyond their years as far as their knowledge of the game, especially May in the post,” said Self. “Our freshmen (Dee Brown, Deron Williams, James Augustine, Kyle Wilson and Aaron Spears) are going to be pretty good; I’m excited for them. It’s going to be fun to see how our guys react against somebody maybe a little quicker and stronger.”
– Illinois’ Saturday game against Arkansas at Little Rock has been moved to 11:30 a.m. from 6 p.m. because the Razorbacks football team is in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
So young, yet so good
Kids these days don’t play like kids anymore. That’s especially true of Illinois and North Carolina this season. The Tar Heels start three freshmen and two sophomores. The Illini started two freshmen, two sophomores and senior Brian Cook against Western Illinois on Sunday, and freshman forward James Augustine averages 19.3 minutes off the bench. Here’s a rundown on the six rapidly rising rookies.
North Carolina
Raymond Felton
Six-foot guard from Latta, S.C., was 2002 national player of the year and back-to-back winner of South Carolina’s Mr. Basketball Award. Played with Tar Heels freshmen Rashad McCants and Sean May in McDonald’s All-America Game. Averages 33.2 minutes, 9.2 points, seven assists, four rebounds and 1.2 steals.
Rashad McCants
6-4 swingman from Asheville, N.C., was second-team high school All-America at New Hampton, N.H. Prep. Two-time New Hampshire player of the year was named MVP of Preseason NIT. Averages 30.4 minutes, 21.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.8 steals.
Sean May
6-8, 272-pound forward-center from Bloomington (Ind.) North High. Father Scott played for Indiana’s undefeated 1976 NCAA champs and later for Bulls. Indiana Mr. Basketball was teammate of former Hoosiers star Jared Jeffries. Averages 32.6 minutes, 14 points, 9.2 rebounds and three steals.
Illinois
Dee Brown
Lightning-quick 6-0 point guard from Proviso East. Finished as school’s all-time leader in scoring, assists and steals. Illinois’ Mr. Basketball played with fellow Illini Deron Williams on USA men’s junior world team that won bronze medal. Averages 31 minutes, 11.7 points, 5.3 assists, five rebounds and two steals.
Deron Williams
6-3 guard from The Colony, Texas. Consensus top 50 player as senior. Was high school teammate of Indiana freshman Bracey Wright. First-team All-State in Texas, helping team to 29-2 record. Averages 27.7 minutes, 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and four assists.
James Augustine
6-10 forward from Lincoln-Way Central. Consensus top 100 recruit was first-team All-State as senior. Averages 19.3 minutes, nine points, 7.3 rebounds and one block and is shooting 68 percent from floor (11 of 16).
Gary Reinmuth.
