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Player uprising, Doherty ouster hurts UNC's prestige

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina should be in New Orleans, its good luck city. That's where Dean Smith won two national championships and Michael Jordan made a name for himself with a game-winning shot for the ages.

Instead, the Tar Heels are back on campus in turmoil, trying to clean up a jumbled mess that pitted players threatening to transfer against a volatile coach.

The squeaky-clean model of college basketball success for four decades under Smith and Bill Guthridge suddenly has an image problem.

"There probably are aspects that we have to be concerned about," athletic director Dick Baddour said following Tuesday's resignation of coach Matt Doherty. "If we've lost any luster I think we can replace it quite easily."

"The foundation of this program goes very deep," added chancellor James Moeser. "It is not a difficult building process to build strength on a strong foundation."

The door to the basketball office at the Smith Center was locked Wednesday, one day after Doherty's ouster. The lights were out and a few boxes filled with photos sat in the lobby.

The former coach of the storied program didn't return telephone messages seeking comment about his departure.

But there was plenty of reaction on Franklin Street, the main hangout for students, faculty and North Carolina fans.

"There are divorces that take place where truly people are not at fault, they just didn't click," said John Hudson, the co-owner of Carolina Pride, a clothing store filled with North Carolina gear.

"I don't think you need a lot of finger-pointing right now. You may need to review what happened to see if we could have handled this better. But we don't know what it's like to play for him and we don't know what it's like to have our livelihood depend on 17-to-20-year-olds. We also don't know what it's like for someone who makes $5 million a year to call you up and say, `I'm not happy with you.'"

John Montgomery, the president of the school's Educational Foundation, which helps fund athletic scholarships, said powerful members of the group, also called the Rams Club, didn't put any pressure on Baddour to replace Doherty.

In fact, Montgomery said, donations are on a record-setting pace this year and he's confident the basketball program will rebound from any negative publicity once a new coach is hired.

"Our brand is very strong and we all know that," Montgomery said. "This might be a bit of a setback, but it won't have a long-term impact. If you look at our basketball program as an industry, we're a leader and it's important to stay at the forefront."

"The regrettable thing about this is it really has divided the supporters of this university," Moeser said. "One of the things we have to do now is rally to the people who love this program and unify that support behind the new head coach."

Davidson coach Bob McKillop expressed concern Wednesday about players having too much say on how a program is run. McKillop coached Doherty in high school in New York and gave him his first break in the business as an assistant with the Wildcats in 1989.

The North Carolina players and some of their parents met with Baddour last week to air concerns about Doherty, leading to his downfall with three years left on his contract.

"Clearly, players are different than they were 10, 15, 20 years ago," McKillop said. "Players are refusing to go into games in the NBA, players don't show up for practice. The players have set the tone at the highest level of the game and then it filters down to our game.

"Kids are being taught early that commitment and loyalty are not qualities that will pay material dividends," he added.

Baddour and Moeser insisted player input was needed to evaluate Doherty and it's inaccurate to classify it as a revolt or mutiny.

Meanwhile, Kansas coach Roy Williams, who turned down the Tar Heels before Doherty got the job, was upset to find speculation once again focused on him even as his team plays in the Final Four.

"I was stunned by what went on at Chapel Hill," Williams said Wednesday. "I don't think it's fair. My team, my staff, myself, everybody deserves to have the right to focus on this Final Four week. It's all just a bunch of garbage."

 

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