|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Showing fortitude Amid Carolina's coaching turmoil, sharpshooter Forte remains dedicated to improving
We couldn't wait until Midnight Madness to catch up with college basketball's premier players, so we decided to track them down during summer break. Check back here each week to find out whether your favorite hoopster has been bulking up, barbecuing or perfecting his turnaround J. By Carl Bialik, CNNSI.com Joseph Forte is so important to his North Carolina team that new head coach Matt Doherty made a special visit to the sophomore guard's home in Rockville, Md., just three days after Doherty left Notre Dame to replace retired coach Bill Guthridge. "Basically, it was like he was recruiting me all over again," Forte says of the July 14 meeting. And if Forte could start the school selection process anew, would he buy Doherty's pitch? "Oh definitely. Coach Doherty, he has a lot of personality, a lot of charm. I think he would have won me over in the recruiting battle."
This lesson in humility was reinforced last year during Forte's debut season at Carolina. Then-UNC assistant coach Phil Ford helped Forte grow comfortable with being a star in his first year. Carolina's all-time leading scorer, Ford set the North Carolina freshman scoring record in 1974-5, averaging 16.4 points per game. The 25-year-old mark was broken last year when Forte led the Tar Heels with 16.7 ppg and became the first freshman ever to lead the Tar Heels in scoring. "[Ford] understood what I was going through, because, hey, he went through it," says Forte. "He gave me key advice such as 'make sure you compliment your players and teammates, because you don't want anybody getting jealous of you.'" Forte is sad to see Ford go -- Doherty replaced the entire Tar Heel coaching staff with his assistants from Notre Dame -- but he says his mentor left him a great deal to work from. This summer Forte is focusing on strengthening his perceived weaknesses. He operated the clock during games at the ABCD camp in Teaneck, N.J., in early July and spoke to some of the NBA scouts in attendance about how he might better his game. He did not, however, ask them about his professional prospects. "I was trying to get the information on what I need to work on," he says. "They said if I ran the point that wouldn't hurt anything."
That's a slight understatement; last season Forte hit 46% from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. And he says he didn't start to feel fully confident about his shot until midway through the season. The ACC better watch out: the modest sharpshooter claims that after a summer of workouts and playing in the Georgetown University Kenner League, he'll be even better next year, having added some weapons to his arsenal. Says Forte, "I'll be stronger, I'll have knowledge of the game, and just having played one year of college basketball, I'll be better." Note: Forte was chosen for the USA Men's Select team.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
