They're Foursquare For The Four-corners

Running teams can get into trouble by switching to the four-corners, warns Dr. Tom Davis, the coach at Boston College. "Once you change the tempo and slow down, it is difficult to get started if you want to run again. It can have a devastating effect when you go into it and lose. But North Carolina seems to have the talent to do just about anything and win." Penn State's John Bach tried the four-corners two years ago, but has scrapped it. "It can be a disaster if a team can't execute it properly," he says. "It takes superior talent to run it."

And, apparently, it helps if the coach is a skilled gamesman. North Carolina never calls time out before going into the four-corners, and Smith teaches his players to smile at defenders while running it. He claims this instills confidence, but it may also cause opponents to become exasperated more quickly and, therefore, commit more fouls. Visiting coaches at Carolina's Carmichael Auditorium make certain the Tar Heels shoot at the basket away from the Carolina bench in the second half, so Ford cannot get instructions as easily from Smith and his assistants and so the visiting coach can talk to his defense. There has also been psychological warfare in the press. Smith delights in saying that over the years he has seen newspaper quotes from at least one player on every ACC opponent saying, in essence, "I hope Carolina doesn't go to the four-corners."

If the Tar Heels' delay is ever fully stopped, it will most likely be by legislation requiring a 30-second shot clock, like the one used in the women's game and international competition. "The four-corners ain't fun to watch, ain't fun to play against and ain't fun to play," says Iowa State's Nance, the delay's most outspoken critic. "Basketball coaches have an obligation to the fans to at least put on an interesting game. I think it will be around as a delay weapon, but I think defenses are catching up to it. If it does become more popular, I hope they put in a 30-second clock." Louisville's Denny Crum says, "I would like a 30-second clock, but it should be turned off in the last two minutes of the game so a team can protect a lead. I'm not opposed to holding the ball at the end, because it is part of the game to want to take only layups and shoot free throws. But we're in the entertainment business and using a delay for more than that is not entertainment."

Jim Boeheim of Syracuse also would like to have a 30-second clock except in the closing minutes, but he does not think it will ever be approved. "The weaker teams don't want it," he says, "and most everyone believes they have a weaker team. They feel they need to control the ball to have a chance." South Carolina's Frank McGuire says, "Smaller schools would never win with a clock because it would eliminate their way of equalizing talent with strategy. The clock would not be approved because too many smaller schools would vote against it."

Quite simply, the problem has been caused by the fact that North Carolina, traditionally a powerful team, has had extraordinary success with a tactic that can also help the weak. Smith recognizes the dilemma. "I would welcome a 30-second clock," he says, "but it would be selfish of me. It would only make North Carolina stronger, and the imbalance would not be good for basketball. Some teams that have beaten us would not have done so with a clock." Ford concurs. "We use the four-corners to run down the clock," he says, "just like in football. Everyone plays us differently, and the more we run it the tougher it gets. It is a part of the strategy of basketball that I love."

And it's a part of basketball that has become so synonymous with him and his school that the four-corners briefly crept into the lingo of another sport. When the New York Yankees visited Chapel Hill for a baseball exhibition against the Tar Heels last spring, Carolina held a 1-0 lead when Reggie Jackson came to bat. "I guess this is where they go to the four-corners," the slugger said. Up in the stands, a former high school shortstop of some distinction named Phil Ford was wishing they could.