After a soap opera situation that shared the spotlight during final four week last year, Roy Williams has returned to North Carolina to replace his former assistant at Kansas, Matt Doherty. Williams comes back to Chapel Hill after serving as head coach at Kansas and leading the Jayhawks to 2 straight final four appearances. Williams takes over a program whose fans are itching for a return to the glory days under Dean Smith. After failing to earn an NCAA tournament bid the last 2 seasons, the Tar Heels appear poised to return to the national spotlight during the 2003-2004 season.
North Carolina returns 8 players who averaged 15 MPG or more from a team that was 6-10 in the ACC, 19-16 overall, and lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT. The Tar Heels also hope to have a healthy Sean May (11.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG) for the entire season. May suffered a foot fracture early last season and left the Tar Heels with a huge void in the post for the rest of the season.
Joining May in the frontcourt for North Carolina will be 6-9 junior Jawad Williams (14.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG). Williams was forced to play inside quite a lot last year and his slender body was, at times, not a match for the bigger and stronger post players that he had to matchup with on the interior. Mays presence in the post should allow Williams to play more on the perimeter where he is much more comfortable. The other frontcourt starter should be either 6-6 junior Jackie Manuel (7.3 PPG) or 6-5 sophomore David Noel (5.9 PPG). Manuel is a lockdown defender who has an inconsistent offensive game, while Noel was a pleasant surprise for the Tar Heels last year as he demonstrated some outstanding athletic agility and inside toughness. Frontcourt depth should be provided by 6-9 sophomore, and sometimes starter last year, Byron Sanders (1.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG), 7-1 sophomore Damion Grant, and 6-7 freshman Reyshawn Terry. Frontcourt depth was a major problem for the Tar Heels last year and, should a key injury occur, may also be a problem for this edition of the Tar Heels.
Roy Williams will greet one of the best starting backcourts in the country when he begins his 1st season as head coach at Chapel Hill. Raymond Felton (12.9 PPG, 6.7 APG) returns to direct the Tar Heel offense. Felton demonstrated last season why he was such a highly-rated prospect coming out of high school in Latta, S.C. Felton is extremely quick with the basketball and has good range on his jumpshot. He should challenge for ACC and national honors during the 2003-2004 season. Felton will be joined in the backcourt by 6-3 sophomore Rashad McCants (17.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG). McCants is a scoring machine who is also an excellent 3-point shooter(41%). McCants also has a knack for being able to go inside and score against bigger opponents. He should challenge for ACC and national honors, along with Felton. Depth in the backcourt should be provided by 6-2 junior Melvin Scott (6.3PPG, 38% three-pointers). Scott is an excellent shooter and will also be needed to provide some help with ballhandling duties.
Roy Williams should be able to return North Carolina to the NCAA tournament this season with the talent he has available on this team. The Tar Heels may also be able to challenge for ACC honors this season, if they can stay healthy. Depth appears to be the biggest problem facing Williams in his 1st season back in Chapel Hill. If the Tar Heels can avoid injury problems or consistent foul problems, they may very well return to their former place among the elite teams in the nation.
