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2. North Carolina A new look caused a stir for the Tar Heels, who hope an old look will serve them well
Considering how tradition is cherished in Chapel Hill, it's no wonder Guthridge is reinstating the trapping defense that former coach Dean Smith employed for most of his legendary career. Guthridge wants North Carolina to be more aggressive after a season in which the Tar Heels finished dead last in the ACC in steals and turnover margin and often lapsed into a laborious half-court offense that struggled to score both inside and from the perimeter. "Last year I always felt I wanted the game to move faster," senior point guard Ed Cota says. "This defense creates more easy baskets, and hopefully it wears down the other team." Note that Guthridge has set these traps in each of the last two seasons, only to back off when he realized he didn't possess the personnel to spring them. Some question whether Carolina has the quickness and depth to trap effectively this year, either, especially since it will be without one of its fastest players, Ronald Curry, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in October while quarterbacking the football team. He'll miss the entire season. It also doesn't help that the Tar Heels suspended Cota and his backup, Terrence Newby, on Nov. 1, after both were charged with misdemeanors as a result of an off-campus fight on Halloween night. They were expected to rejoin the team soon, however. So, what makes Guthridge think he can pick up the pace this season? First of all, he sees vast improvement in junior center Brendan Haywood. The 7-foot, 264-pound Haywood was somehow able to disappear at times a year ago, most notably during North Carolina's first-round loss to Weber State in the NCAA tournament, during which he had just one point and zero rebounds. In July, however, he averaged 10.9 points for the gold-medal-winning USA Basketball team at the World University Games, and his confidence soared. "I admit I got rattled sometimes last season when I would be double- and triple-teamed," Haywood says. "I'm more confident now, and I know we've got enough scorers that, if I'm surrounded, then somebody else will burn you." Another holdover that Tar Heels fans may not recognize right away is Capel, who had off-season surgery to fix an aching back that limited his playing time and forced him to take some classes and long flights to road games standing up. He's pain-free for the first time in five years and ready for a redemptive season. Along with junior Max Owens and freshman Joseph Forte, he must fill the perimeter-shooting void left by the graduation of Ademola Okulaja, the Tar Heels' best three-point man last year. After an off-season rampant with rumors that he might retire, Guthridge is now talking about coaching well into the new millennium. He's even confident that Tar Heels fans will soon forget about Uniformgate, especially if the new interlocking N and C come to stand for National Champions. "If we win a lot, then everybody will like the new uniforms, and if we lose, maybe we can blame it on the uniforms," Guthridge says. "I'm still fairly sure that it's what's inside the uniform that really counts." Issue date: November 15, 1999
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