HBO is planning on doing a documentary on the Duke-North Carolina rivalry. The documentary is scheduled to air next February, maybe just in time for the two schools to meet up in their annual post-Super Bowl bonanza.
"Jim Lampley (a UNC graduate) has been telling me about the rivalry for 20 years or so," says HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. "I was also aware of the subculture of both universities, and even though UNC was the state school, they think of themselves as the dignified force in the rivalry. They think Duke is a bunch of animals even though Duke is supposed to be the Ivy League of the South. That never meshed right with me and it was interesting. Plus, you had all these legends coming out of these two schools, the [Michael] Jordan's, the [Christian] Laettner's and the [Mike] Krzyzewski's and [Dean] Smith's. Unbelievable iconic names have floated through both places and it makes for a great documentary."
HBO was praised for their look at the Ohio State-Michigan football rivalry last year.
Greenburg also says that he wants to hold a special screening in Raleigh, NC and fill the auditorium with Blue Devils fans on one side and Tar Heels fans on the other. Most of the interviews have been finished for the documentary, with just one guy left on the wish list: former Tar Heel Michael Jordan.
"Jamie is an outstanding young man with much to contribute to Wake Forest, both on the basketball court and to the University," said Gaudio. "However, sometimes good people make poor decisions, and that is what happened here. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for the young man that will help him grow as a person."
The 2008-2009 season is shaping up to be a big one for the Deacs. Despite missing the NCAA Tournament the last three years, this team is loaded. They were on a nice upswing last season, finishing 7-9 in ACC and upsetting Duke. They also will welcome in Skip Prosser's final recruiting class, which is rated one of the best in the nation.
That's why Skeen really hurt himself with his off-court issues. Minutes were already going to be at a premium at the forward spot and, with him out for the first part of the season, the team may figure things out without him.
That would be NC State's J.J. Hickson, who some feel brought down the program last year. Oh, he was a heck of a player ... but the team's chemistry (which was so high at the end of 2006-2007) was just missing.
"It's going to be my way and that's it," Lowe said. "It's real simple. They're the players and I'm the coach and they're going to do it my way. And if they don't. They're not going to want to be here."
"In my dictionary, chemistry only means one thing and I'm going to stay away from that," Lowe said, then later offered his definition. "It's just players not accepting and players being selfish."
There were some cryptic signs that Lowe doesn't mind Hickson leaving ... though he tried to duck answering any direct questions. But he did find time to blame media attention, parents, girlfriends and AAU guys as clutter around the players' psyches.
I like Sidney Lowe and I think he's a good coach. But Raleigh is a very fickle place when it comes to their coaches and Lowe just struck out with his first NBA-talented player and his ability to incorporate him into his team. His upcoming season will see a lot of juniors and seniors in his rotation ... and hopefully he can recapture the magic of February/March 2007.
"No one should be able to name their own successor," Krzyzewksi told the newsppaer. "Maybe if you own your company or whatever ... but I should not have the right. It's not even the right. It's not a position I should be in, though I should give a lot of input."
Um, okay. You don't want to name your own successor ... but you want to tell the University who is should be.
This all came about when Stanford hired away Duke assistant Johnny Dawkins. During the press conference, Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby mentioned that Coach K said Dawkins was his heir apparant at Duke.
K has dimissed all of that, but did say he would recommend Dawkins to be his successor.
Krzyzewski is right: he doesn't have the right to tell the school who his replacement will be once he hangs it up. If you retire or whatever, the school must move on without you. However, I do understand the reasoning behind leaving your program you built into a powerhouse in trusted hands.
Of course, the school may end up with a short leash. Remember that Sean Sutton ... Eddie Sutton's son and hand-picked successor at Oklahoma State ... was lopped off after this past season.
What kind of penalties will Lawson face for his arrest last week?
Granted, in the realm of wrong-doin' ... this isn't that bad. A 20 year old had a beer and his radio too loud. Yes, he was caught in his car, but he wasn't drunk and if he had been of drinking age he wouldn't have caught a DUI. Still, these are those dumb things that need to get some punishment in some form.
Whether he went to the NBA or not, he would have to face a Chapel Hill courtroom at some point. However, now that he stays a Tar Heel, the team (namely, coach Roy Williams) will have to issue some sort of punishment.
To understand this dynamic is key ... and one of the reason most people felt Lawson was NBA-bound. Lawson, who will be a junior next season, has been in Ol' Roy's doghouse before. Of course, then it was due to basketball-related issues. Now it is a bit more serious.
Don't think that one conversation that Lawson had with Williams over the past few days didn't include "what will you do to me if I come back, coach?" Rest assured that it has been discussed and, probably, somewhat satisfactory for Lawson.
All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, Roy Williams wearing a KU sticker during the title game and the defection of four players from a team that would've been favored next season.
Today, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back to North Carolina next season. While Ellington and Green aren't total surprises, there was a point that it felt both would actually leave. Lawson returning is a huge surprise since (a) he didn't seem like he really wanted to come back, (b) the arrest in Chapel Hill would mean consequences from Williams and (c) his stock actually seemed to rise into easy first round status.
This is a huge get for Williams and Tar Heel fans. The only two non-returning players (that mattered) from a 36-3 Final Four team are Quentin Thomas (graduation) and Alex Stepheson (transfer) -- both reserves.
The starting lineup will probably stay the exact same: Lawson, Ellington, Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson. The bench will consist of Green (one of the best sixth men in the nation), Bobby Frasor (injured last year, a smart, steady player with a defensive presence), freshman Ed Davis (who will fill the defensive/rebounder role that Stepheson left), William Graves (long range shooter), freshman Tyler Zeller (a 7-foot guy who loves to run) and freshman Larry Drew (solid PG that won't be relied on too much).
"They are all going back to school," one source said. "None of them were 100 percent sure they would be taken in the first round."
It isn't totally surprising that Ellington or Green would be returning (Ellington, at best, was a 2nd round pick; Green may not have been drafted at all) ... but it is quite surprising that Lawson will. Lawson, many thought, had a guarantee from the Denver Nuggets that he'd be taken with their #20 pick if still available (both the team and Lawson denied this). Also, Lawson had the look of a guy that just didn't want to come back to the school and had his mind made up to go.
Lawson also had that little arrest in Chapel Hill that many thought would sour the already perceived strained relationship he had with the school. He most likely will deal with some sort of punishment from coach Roy Williams and will definitely hear it at opposing ACC arenas.
If this is true, UNC will be the overwhelming favorite to win the NCAA Tournament next year. They would return everyone except reserve guard Quentin Thomas and reserve center Alex Stepheson (transferring closer to his L.A. home for family issues). The Heels also return reigning player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, get back the injured Bobby Frasor and welcome in McDonald's All Americans Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller and Larry Drew.
UPDATE:ESPN.com is reporting that Ellington and Green have officially taken their names out of the draft ... but are awaiting word on Lawson's intentions.
North Carolina point guard (and NBA draft hopeful) Ty Lawson was arrested for driving after consuming alcohol in Chapel Hill. He was also charged with violating a local noise ordinance and driving on a revoked license.
A Chapel Hill police officer arrested Lawson, 20, at 2:33 a.m. on North Columbia St., in the heart of town. The officer stopped Lawson in a 2005 four-door Chevrolet with Maryland plates after hearing loud music coming from the car, said police Capt. Chris Blue.
The officer suspected that Lawson had been drinking, conducted a field sobriety test and found probable cause to charge him, Blue said.
Understand that this isn't a true DUI because it isn't stated that Lawson was drunk. However, he is under the legal drinking age and the law falls under the same statute. Lawson will appear in court on July 8th.
This is really bad timing for Lawson. He is currently "testing the draft waters" by working out for NBA teams. He played pretty well in his only game during the NBA's Pre-Draft camp ... but sat the next two days with a hip pointer. Lawson did state that he'd stay in the draft if he was a top twenty pick, which seems to be higher than experts have him projected -- and that was before this incident.
This arrested really puts the pressure on Lawson as it may hurt his draft status a bit. Now, it isn't the end of the world that a 20-year old drank some alcohol (again, the report didn't say he was drunk) and was playing his stereo loud. However, NBA teams really want their point guards to be good decision makers ... and Lawson sure didn't show that.
North Carolina guard Ty Lawson said Wednesday if he's not confident he'll go 20th or better in the NBA draft, he'll pull out of the process and return to North Carolina for his junior season.
He said his challenge this week at the NBA pre-draft camp is convincing teams his left ankle is healed and showing he'll take -- and make -- jump shots when the opportunity is there.
This goes against Lawson's statement that he doesn't like the "test the waters" phrase since it implies that he's not seriously ready to go to the NBA. However, it is the first nugget of information that Carolina fans have been wanting to hear.
The other is this: guard Wayne Ellington really struggled in his first pre-draft game on Wednesday. He hit just one of his five shots from behind the arc (remember, the NBA arc) and committed six turnovers.
If you are a North Carolina fan, you are hoping that the three Heels who declared for the NBA Draft (Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green) all come back to school and create one of the most loaded college teams we've seen in a while.
The fact that they are "testing the waters" -- meaning they didn't hire an agent to preserve their college eligibility -- feeds into that hope.
"But that's not the truth," he said Tuesday. "Everybody is in the draft to stay in the draft unless [they get hurt]. Comments like that are misleading to NBA teams, to say we're just testing the waters."
{ ... }
"Guys don't enter the draft unless they want to be in the draft," Ellington said. "I'm trying to raise my stock a bit and solidify a first-round position."
I know what they are saying. They feel the term "testing the waters" means that you aren't all in. That NBA teams may look at you as if you are tenative and lack confidence in your skills. However, everyone around the draft process knows what the term means and understands that these kids have to be careful. To me, it shows maturity.
HBO is planning on doing a documentary on the Duke-North Carolina rivalry. The documentary is scheduled to air next February, maybe just in time for the two schools to meet up in their annual post-Super Bowl bonanza.
Wake Forest has suspended junior forward 
This is how screwed up the ACC has been: 
The trendy thing in sports now is naming your own successor. It's happening all over college basketball (and has even entered the NFL).
With all the 
All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, 
What every Tar Heel fan wished for may actually come true. 
It would seem as if the only drama going on at the NBA's pre-draft camp is the status of 
