Morning Heel: UNC Tar Heels Daily News Links
By Matt Hamm
Welcome to another edition of the Morning Heel, a daily feature here at Keeping It Heel. Along with The Hub we want to bring you not only our original content but a collection of all the best UNC news. Have a link to suggest? Send it keepingitheel@gmail.com
FIU says Butch Davis stories are “totally false”
FIU executive director of sports and entertainment Pete Garcia said Monday afternoon when asked about the stories bouncing around the Internet that Butch Davis was in as FIU’s next head football coach, “Butch Davis is not the FIU football coach. That story is totally false.” (Miami Herald)
Report: Butch Davis is Florida International’s new head coach
Two seasons after his unceremonious exit from North Carolina, Butch Davis has found his way back into the coaching game. Reportedly. Patrick Nohe of the Miami Herald wrote in a tweet earlier this afternoon that he “can confirm that the next head coach of FIU will be Butch Davis.” The school has yet to confirm the hiring of the former UNC and Miami head coach. (NBC Sports)
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano returns to work, receives rapturous response
It’s not the norm for the media to give a coach a standing ovation at the start of a press conference, but what happened Monday in Indianapolis was far from ordinary. When Colts head coach Chuck Pagano stepped onto a stage at the team’s headquarters, he received a standing ovation from local media. (Yahoo! Sports)
ACC Basketball Power Rankings, Dec. 24
5. UNC (8-3, No. 50 RPI): Fortunately for the Tar Heels, they’ve got enough shooting – UNC leads the ACC in 3-pointers made- to spread out the floor and make things very tough for defenses. I think if they they make shooting 3’s one of their primary objectives – and not the shot they take when nothing else works – the Heels can be pretty potent on offense. (ACC Sports Journal)
Future Diamond Heel: Tanner Bigham
Tanner Bigham is a 6-foot, 185-pound infielder for Concord (N.C.) Northwest Cabarrus High School. The senior is ranked in the top-500 nationally and No. 12 in North Carolina in the class of 2013 according to Perfect Game. Bigham plays for the Dirtbags travel team during the summer and fall. During the fall of his sophomore season Bigham participated in a futures game in Chapel Hill, and soon thereafter the Tar Heels got in contact with him. (Inside Carolina)
Ryan Switzer wins second Kennedy Award
The West Virginia Sports Writers Association announced today that Ryan Switzer has won the Kennedy Award for the second consecutive year, putting him among the ranks of five other two-time Kennedy winners in the 67-year history of the award. “I really didn’t know. I had no idea, and honestly started to wonder,” Switzer said about winning the Kennedy a second time. “With me being hurt, I thought maybe someone else might have won it. I’m kind of speechless.” (Parkersburg News & Sentinel)
“Don’t Mess This Up”
It’s no secret that UNC and Duke squabble over basketball recruits. From Michael Jordan to Jason Williams, each school has coveted its neighbor’s latest gem. But that’s old news. What about the other side of the equation? What about a prospect’s fight for the affectations of a revenue sport at either school? That I can tell you, because I’ve spent a day in the life of a football recruit for each program. Literally. One day. (Chapelboro.com)
UNC History: Blast From The Past – The Top 20 UNC Basketball Teams of All-Time (16 through 13)
16) UNC 2008 (Tie) – Where should I begin with this team? Consensus National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough aka “Psycho T” was the leader of this team. Tywon Lawson was the coach on the floor, and wings, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green, lit up any defense from the arc. The 2008 team won the most games in one season (36) by any North Carolina Tar Heels team. In addition, they won the ACC Tournament. North Carolina lost to Kansas, the 2008 NCAA National Champions, in the Final Four. Carolina finished the season with a 36-3 record. In the following season, UNC won the national championship after the core of the team decided to come back to Chapel Hill for another year. (KIH)
UNC Basketball: Unpress the Panic Button
Ever since March of last season it has been a roller coaster ride for fans of the North Carolina Tar Heels. First we had to deal with the injury to John Henson in the ACC Tournament, which led to the surprise of then freshman James Michael McAdoo. And then the injury to Kendall Marshall which crushed the teams chances of cutting down the nets. (KIH)
Danny Green breaks out in Spurs win
“Nights like this, you’ve got to press your luck,” guard Danny Green said after equaling a career high with seven 3-pointers to jump start the Spurs’ domination. “Play the lottery. Go to the carnival, and play every game they’ve got.” Had he been shooting at, say, a Dave & Busters instead of the AT&T Center, Green might have gone home hip-deep in stuffed animals. (San Antonio Express-News)
UNC Basketball: What PJ Hairston Must do to Earn More Minutes
PJ Hairston is the third leading scorer for North Carolina at 12.2 points per game yet he is playing just 17.6 minutes per game. Many reasons for this exist, for one the Tar Heels are stacked on the perimeter, Roy Williams has several talented wings on the roster with Dexter Strickland, Reggie Bullock, Leslie McDonald and freshman JP Tokoto all deserving playing time. (KIH)