How to get a team going
It's not as if the Tar Heels have had any shortage of players, but UNC does not normally go 19 months between commitments. The truly significant aspect of this one is that it came from a point guard -- Larry Drew Jr., son of Larry Drew, former National Basketball Association player and current assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. Drew looked long and hard at Arizona before choosing the Tar Heels. He conceded that he noted the recent commitment to the Wildcats by point guard Brandon Jennings, but wasn't sure it had a deep impact on his ultimate choice. "It made my decision that much easier," Drew said, "but it wasn't a factor in my decision. I always wanted to go to Carolina." Before he gave Williams the good news, Drew said that he poked a little fun at his future coach. "I played a trick on him," Drew said. "I had just gotten back from Arizona. I told him I liked the campus and saying all this stuff about Arizona. Then at the last minute, I told him I was kidding. I wanted to be a Tar Heel. "He just started to laugh. He told me how excited he was. He was really, really happy. He was proud. He said I made his night." Getting a commitment from the point guard he wanted surely did make Williams' night. Williams has his eyes on several possible players at various positions, but there are two spots he absolutely needs to fill because they are the two where a coach never wants to get caught short. One is point guard. The other is a scoring threat in the post. Now that Drew has said yes to Williams' offer, the next order of business is to land the inside threat. Tops on the wish list is Samardo Samuels, a powerful 6-foot-9, 230-pound inside player who is likened to Tyler Hansbrough for his ferocity on the court. Carolina fans can only hope Williams will have the same effect on Samuels as he did on Drew and his family. Sharon Drew, Larry Jr.'s mom, said she is thrilled her son is coming to Chapel Hill. "I'm happy where it's ended up," Sharon said. "I'm very happy he's going to North Carolina. I've always loved North Carolina. I'm West Coast born and raised, but I went away to college. It's a great step into adulthood for a kid to go away to college. And if he's going away, I love that he's going to North Carolina. "I'm from Los Angeles, but I went to the University of Washington," she said. "I've been all over. With Larry, my husband, working in the NBA, we've all traveled as a family. We've lived all over the country. We've lived in the East Coast. We've lived in Washington [D.C.]. With my husband now working in Atlanta, I'm here in the home base in California with the boys. We're all very adaptable. "I just think North Carolina is going to be such a great experience for him. I was a cheerleader in college, so I'm big on going to a game and trying to get the crowd going. I don't think you have to do much to get the crowd going at North Carolina. It's already going. It's going to be great for him to play in an environment like the Dean Dome. That is what I've always envisioned for him." Drew Sr. did a lot of research about the possible schools. He even watched film of the different teams to examine their playing style and how the players and coaches reacted to one another. "I had an opportunity to evaluate them with other colleges," Drew said. "I just felt where we want his game to get to it had to be under a guy with a Roy Williams type of personality. That is one of the big reasons why Larry chose the University of North Carolina. "One, they play very, very hard," Drew said. "That is very important at this level. I look at how he interacts with his players. There are times as a coach you have to know when to crack the whip and know when to back off a little bit. I see that side of him and how his players respond. "There are some coaches that do it and the players don't respond. I'm looking at how players respond to their coaches, whether it is going good for them or whether it is going bad for them. It is important for a coach to have the ability to get a player to respond in either situation. Certainly, when I watched those tapes, I saw the kids responded in a positive manner, whether times were good or a little rocky. You could see Roy knew how to motivate his guys and get them going.
[More
at www.chapelhillnews.com] NCAA Tournament Updates:
Party photos make splash |
 |
|
 |
|
| Tyler Hansbrough ACC Tournament Media Final Four News Sitemap Contact Us | ©TylerHansbrough.Org 2006 |