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
Tar Heels trying out ‘small ball’
While young frontcourt players like Joel James, Brice Johnson and Desmond Hubert continue to develop, North Carolina has found success with a lineup comprised essentially of four guards. The Tar Heels’ home game tonight against East Tennessee State, which won’t start a player taller than 6-foot-7, could again allow North Carolina to go small. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Butch Davis: ‘I’d certainly be interested’ in USF job
Former Miami and North Carolina coach Butch Davis, who joined the Bucs this year as a special assistant to coach Greg Schiano, said Friday afternoon that he hopes to be considered across town for the head coaching opening at USF. “It’s a job that has tremendous upside, in a great place,” said Davis, 61. “I would like to be considered. If that opportunity arose, I’d certainly be interested.” (Tampa Bay Times)
UNC, Louisville part of 2013 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament
North Carolina and Louisville will likely play each other in November 2013 in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Conn. The tournament on Friday announced its eight-team field for next season. In addition to UNC and Louisville, other participants include Fairfield, Richmond, Belmont, Hartford, Hofstra and Holy Cross. (Raleigh News & Observer)
UNC report to be presented to trustees on Dec. 20
The UNC Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on Dec. 20th to receive the report from an independent academic review commissioned by Chancellor Holden Thorp. The review was conducted by former N.C. Gov. James Martin and is among the University’s extensive efforts to address academic irregularities discovered in 2011 during the joint NCAA and University investigation of the football program. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Four Tar Heels Earn All-America Honors In Men’s Soccer
Sophomore Boyd Okwuonu and Mikey Lopez each earned a pair of All-America honors this week, while freshmen Danny Garcia and Jonathan Campbell were named All-Freshman. Lopez was pegged for the first on Top Drawer Soccer’s National Team of the Year, while Okwuonu was tabbed for the second team. (GoHeels.com)
Report: Fedora turned down ‘more money than I ever thought I’d see’
A former colleague of Larry Fedora says the UNC coach told him he turned down a huge offer from the University of Tennessee. Scott Eisberg, a sports anchor at ABC-affiliate WCIV in Charleston, reports that Goose Creek High School football coach Chuck Reedy spoke to Fedora Thursday, and Fedora told him he is “happy at UNC” and “it’s the right place” for him now. (NBC 17)
North Carolina third in ACC athletic department revenue
In the ACC, Florida State ranked first in total revenue, followed by Virginia, North Carolina, Duke and Clemson. Florida State, though, was one of three ACC schools whose athletic departments didn’t report a profit during the 2011-12 fiscal year. Here’s a closer look at where each ACC athletic department ranks in a variety of categories: (Raleigh News & Observer)
Maybe next time, Fedora and Cunningham will do a better job of rumor control
Larry Fedora may or may not have had an interest in the Tennessee job. We’ll probably never know exactly what went on behind closed doors during the past few days.The end result is that Fedora is staying at North Carolina and Tar Heel fans can take a well-deserved sigh of relief. At the same time, though, they might as well get used to the experience. (Wilmington Star News)
Brandan Wright comes up big after bigs go down
Brandan Wright didn’t make the game-winner. He just logged 23 minutes during a time when the Mavericks desperately needed him. Wright — the same guy that’s had four DNPs in the last six game — was the last line of defense in the frontcourt. All he did was drop 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grab four rebounds to help the Mavericks escape with the win. (ESPN.com)
UNC Basketball: Where Does JP Tokoto Best Fit?
If there is one player on the North Carolina basketball team that people want to see more of, it’s JP Tokoto. The 6-6 freshman came in with more athletic hype than any Tar Heel player since Vince Carter and had the dunking ability to match. (KIH)
Who has the Heeling Hands? A Tar Heel 3 Point Shooting Perspective.
A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted KIH’s founding editor and asked him who he thought was the Tar Heels’ best 3-point shooter. It’s an interesting question because for the first time in a long (KIH)