Tipoff: No. 7 UNC hosts Virginia, Jan. 30
The University of North Carolina women’s basketball team (17-2, 6-1
ACC) finishes its first cycle through Atlantic Coast Conference play on
Thursday night with a game against Virginia (8-10, 2-5 ACC). Tipoff at
Carmichael Auditorium is 7 p.m..
The Tar Heels are ranked No. 7 in this week’s Associated Press poll,
No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA coaches’ poll. Virginia is not
ranked.
Next up for UNC is another ACC home game, this one against Georgia
Tech on Sunday. That game tips off at 1 p.m. at Carmichael Auditorium.
On the air
Thursday’s game will be broadcast live by the Tar Heel Radio
Network. The flagship station is 1360-AM WCHL. Stephen Gates is
Carolina’s play-by-play announcer and Jones Angell provides color commentary. Game action also is available via the internet at
www.TarHeelBlue.com.
Tickets
Tickets to UNC women’s basketball games are $5 for adults, $3 for
students and seniors. There is no charge for admission for children 12 and
under.
North Carolina students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their
UNC One Cards.
Tickets may be purchased at the Carmichael Auditorium ticket window
beginning one hour before the game or through the UNC ticket office by
calling (919) 962-2296 or (800) 722-4335.
Quick facts on UNC
2002-03 Record ..........................................................17-2 (6-1 ACC)
Current Rankings ................................7th AP, 6th USAToday/ ESPN
Head Coach ........................Sylvia Hatchell (Carson-Newman, 1974)
Career Record ........................................619-251 (in her 28th season)
Record at UNC ......................................347-171 (in her 17th season)
Assistant Head Coach ..................................................Andrew Calder
Assistant Coaches ..............Tracey Williams, Charlotte Smith-Taylor
Team captains ....Coretta Brown, Courtney Chambers, Jennifer Thomas
Sports information contact ................................................Dana Gelin
Phone/email ..........................(919) 962-0083/dgelin@uncaa.unc.edu
UNC athletics website ....................................www.TarHeelBlue.com
UNC ticket office ............................(919) 962-2126, (800) 722-4335
News of note
• The Virginia game is the first of back-to-back home games for UNC.
The Tar Heels have played four of their last five games on the road.
• Heading into Thursday’s game, the series between UNC and Virginia
is tied at 30-30. The Tar Heels have won four of the last seven and nine
of the last 12.
• UNC’s current rankings of seventh in the Associated Press poll and
sixth in the coaches’ poll are the team’s highest since the 1998-99 season.
• The 30 points scored by sophomore Nikita Bell Monday at Maryland
marked the highest total by a Tar Heel since LaQuanda Barksdale hit 30
against Florida State on Feb. 18, 2001.
• Senior guard Coretta Brown has gone two games without committing
a single turnover. In those outings, wins at Western Michigan and
Maryland, she has averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds in
2002-03 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Date
Opponent
Site
Time/Result
Nov. 3 Premier Players
Chapel Hill
W, 87-74
Nov. 6
Athletes in Action Chapel Hill
W, 77-74
Nov. 22 Davidson
Chapel Hill
W, 68-46
Nov. 24 East Tenn. State Chapel Hill
W, 106-40
Rainbow Wahine Classic
Nov. 29 DePaul
Honolulu, Hawaii
W, 82-66
Nov. 30 Oklahoma
Honolulu, Hawaii
L, 66-63
Dec. 1
Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
W, 61-50
Dec. 5
Appalachian State Chapel Hill *
W, 80-44
Dec. 8
Old Dominion
Chapel Hill
W, 90-54
Dec. 17 Elon
Chapel Hill
W, 83-50
Dec. 20 South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, S.C. W, 78-69
Dec. 29 Charleston So.
Chapel Hill
W, 84-49
Dec. 31 American
Chapel Hill
W, 80-42
Jan. 2
Georgia Tech
Atlanta, Ga.
W, 72-67
Jan. 5
NC State
Chapel Hill
W, 80-59
Jan. 9
Wake Forest
Chapel Hill
W, 86-56
Jan. 12 At Florida State Tallahassee, Fla.
W, 74-53
Jan. 16 At Clemson
Clemson, S.C.
W, 77-55
Jan. 20 Duke
Chapel Hill
L, 78-67 OT
Jan. 23 At W. Michigan Kalamazoo, Mich.
W, 79-76
Jan. 27 At Maryland
College Park, Md.
W, 83-82
Jan. 30 Virginia
Chapel Hill
7 p.m.
Feb. 2
Georgia Tech
Chapel Hill
1 p.m. (RSN)
Feb. 7
At NC State
Raleigh, N.C.
7 p.m. (RSN)
Feb. 9
At Wake Forest
Winston-Salem, N.C. 1 p.m. (RSN)
Feb. 13 Florida State
Chapel Hill
7 p.m.
Feb. 16 Clemson
Chapel Hill
5:30 p.m. (FSN)
Feb. 20 At Duke
Durham, N.C.
7 p.m. (RSN)
Feb. 24 Coastal Carolina Chapel Hill
7 p.m.
Feb. 27 Maryland
Chapel Hill
7 p.m.
March 2 At Virginia
Charlottesville, Va. 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
* – Dean E Smith Center
2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
March 7-10, Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum)
2003 NCAA Tournament
First Round: March 22 & 23, campus sites
Second Round: March 24 & 25, campus sites
Regionals: East–March 30 & April 1, Dayton,
Ohio (University of Dayton Arena);
Mideast–March 29-31, Knoxville, Tenn.
(Thompson-Boling Arena); Midwest–March
29 & 31, Albuquerque, N.M. (University
Arena); West–March 30 & April 1, Stanford,
Calif. (Maples Pavilion)
Final Four: April 6 & 8 in Atlanta, Ga.
(Georgia Dome)
37.5 minutes of play.
• Brown hit her 200th career three-pointer last Thursday against
Western Michigan and now has a career total of 206. She is the third Tar
Heel and the 10th player in ACC history to hit 200 three-pointers.
• Freshman La’Tangela Atkinson is the reigning ACC Rookie of the
Week, her fifth such honor. She shared this week’s award with Duke’s
Jessica Foley after averaging nine points and 12.5 points in games against
Duke and Western Michigan.
• UNC continues to lead the nation in rebounding margin (11.8,
through games of Jan. 27). The Tar Heels rank fifth nationally in field
goal percentage defense (34.0 percent) and seventh in scoring margin
(20.6).
• The Tar Heels have trailed at halftime in each of the last three games.
In two of those, at Western Michigan and Maryland, Carolina came back
from double-digit second-half deficits to win. In the third, against Duke,
UNC lost 78-67 in overtime.
• Three Tar Heel women’s basketball players are among the 50 greatest female athletes in ACC history, according to the list released this week
by the conference. Marion Jones, Tracy Reid and Charlotte Smith were
among 15 Carolina athletes on the list, the most of any school. UNC also
led the list of male athletes with 12.
UNC’s statistical leaders
Scoring: Coretta Brown (13.4 points per game)
Rebounding: La’Tangela Atkinson (8.2 per game)
Assists: Leah Metcalf (4.7 per game)
Steals: Nikita Bell (2.8 per game)
Blocks: Candace Sutton (1.5 per game)
Minutes per game: Coretta Brown (32.9 per game)
Tar Heels in the NCAA statistical rankings
(Through games of Jan. 27)
Scoring offense: 14th (78.6 ppg.)
Scoring margin: 7th (20.6 ppg.)
Field goal percentage: 19th (46.5)
Field goal percentage defense: 5th (34.0)
Rebounding margin: 1st (11.8)
Assists: 21st (17.7 per game)
Win-loss percentage: Fifth (17-2, 89.5)
Scouting the Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia is 8-10 on the season and 2-5 in ACC play heading into
Thursday’s game against UNC. The Cavaliers have won three of their last
four games following a five-game losing streak. The team is coming off
a 69-57 non-conference win against Georgetown on Sunday. Sophomore
guard Cherrise Graham came off the bench to lead the team with 23
points. Sophomore forward Brandi Teamer scored 14 and sophomore
guard LaTonya Blue added 10 as Virginia shot 47.3 percent from the field
and outrebounded the Hoyas 40-32.
Graham, who is in her first season of action at Virginia after transferring from Purdue, leads the Cavaliers in scoring this season with 15.3
points per game, seventh in the ACC. Teamer, last year’s ACC Rookie of
the Year, averages 13.6 points overall but 15.5 in ACC games. Blue is
scoringg 9.3 points overall and 11.6 against conference foes. Teamer
leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 per game, 9.2 against ACC teams.
The Cavaliers are coached by Debbie Ryan, who is 568-211 in 26 seasons with the program.
The North Carolina-Virginia series
Thursday’s game will be the 61st meeting in a series that dates back to
the 1975-76 season and is currently tied at 30-30. Carolina has won nine
of the last 12 meetings, but just four of the last seven. The Tar Heels won
both of last season’s games.
Jan. 27, 2003: No. 21 UNC 79, Virginia 64
In Chapel Hill, UNC shot 54.4 percent from the field, the team’s sec-
Quick facts on UNC
Women’s Basketball Staff
Head Coach ....................Sylvia Hatchell (Carson-Newman, 1974)
Assistant Head Coach..............................................Andrew Calder
Assistant Coaches ..........Tracey Williams, Charlotte Smith-Taylor
Secretary ......................................................................Joan Nipper
Director of Operations ....................................................Greg Law
Strength and Conditioning Coach ..............................Jodi Hopkins
Academic Advisor/Public Address Announcer................Jan Boxill
Head Athletic Trainer ..............................................Chuck Thigpen
Grad. Student Athletic Trainers ......Kyle Momsen, Tandy Hawkey
Undergraduate Student Athletic Trainer ................Rebecca Ballard
Team Physician ....................................................Dr. Tom Brickner
Women’s Basketball Facilities
Home arena ................................................Carmichael Auditorium
Capacity ................................................................................10,180
Press row phone ......................................................(919) 843-9509
The University of North Carolina
Location ..............................................................Chapel Hill, N.C.
Chartered ..................................................................................1789
Enrollment ............................................................................24,180
Chancellor............................................................Dr. James Moeser
Director of Athletics ..................................................Dick Baddour
Sr. Women’s Administrator......................................Dr. Beth Miller
Conference ................................................................Atlantic Coast
Nickname ..........................................................................Tar Heels
School colors ............................................Carolina blue and white
Athletic department phone ......................................(919) 962-6000
Ticket office phones....................(919) 962-2296; 1-800-722-4335
North Carolina Athletic Communications
Associate A.D. for Communications......................Steve Kirschner
Women’s Basketball Contact ........................................Dana Gelin
Office Phones ........919-962-0083 (Gelin direct); 962-2123 (main)
Office Address ................P.O. Box 2126, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27515
........................Located in the Dean E. Smith Center, Second floor
Gelin’s email ................................................dgelin@uncaa.unc.edu
UNC athletics web site ..............................www.TarHeelBlue.com
ond best percentage of the season against an ACC team. The game was
tied at 29-29 with 4:49 remaining in the first half, but the Tar Heels closed
the period with an 11-0 run for a 40-29 halftime lead.
Coretta Brown shot 8-for-11 from the field to lead the Tar Heels with
22 points. Candace Sutton added 14 points and a career-high six blocks
and Nikki Teasley scored 10 points.
Telisha Quarles led the Cavaliers with 23 points. Anna Prillaman and
Brandi Teamer added 11 each.
Jennifer Thomas’s six rebounds paced UNC to a 34-29 advantage on
the boards.
Feb. 14, 2003: No. 19 UNC 78, Virginia 68
In Charlottesville, Carolina grabbed the lead for good midway through
the first half and was up 33-21 at halftime. Coretta Brown again scored
22 points to lead UNC. Also in double figures were Nikki Teasley with
15 points and Jennifer Thomas with 13.
Brandi Teamer led Virginia with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Anna
Crosswhite scored 13 and Telisha Quarles added 11.
UNC outrebounded UVa 44-41.
Close contests the norm
Last year’s results – two double-digit wins by UNC – are atypical in
the series between UNC and Virginia. Over the past five seasons, the
average margin of victory has been 8.2 points. with seven of the 13
matchups decided by five points or less. During that span, the teams have
played to overtime on four occasions: two single overtime contests, one
double overtime and one triple overtime.
By the Numbers
UNC
UVa.
(ACC rankings in parentheses)
Record
17-2, 6-1 ACC 8-10, 2-5 ACC
Points per game
78.6 (2)
67.3 (6)
Opponent points per game
58.0 (2)
70.4 (9)
Field goal percentage
46.5 (2)
40.4 (7)
Three-point FG percentage
33.5 (2)
28.2 (8)
Free throw percentage
58.4 (9)
65.6 (5)
Opponent FG percentage
34.0 (1)
38.4 (4)
Opponent three-point percentage 27.5 (2)
29.1 (3)
Three-pointers per game
4.7 (3)
3.8 (5)
Rebounding average
47.3 (1)
37.3 (9)
Offensive rebounding average
17.4 (3)
12.9 (8)
Defensive rebounding average
29.9 (1)
24.4 (8)
Opponent rebounding average
35.5 (2)
38.4 (5)
Opponent offensive reb. average
13.5
13.6
Opponent defensive reb. average
22.0
24.8
Assists per game
17.7 (2)
11.8 (9)
Turnovers per game
19.9
19.1
Steals per game
11.7 (3)
7.6 (8)
Blocks per game
3.2 (7)
3.8 (5)
Last time out: Jan. 27, 2003
No. 7 North Carolina 83, Maryland 83
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Senior guard Coretta Brown banked in a shot at buzzer to give UNC a one-point win
in its first appearance at the Comcast Center. Sophomore forward Nikita Bell led the Tar Heels with a career-high
30 points, while Brown and junior center Candace Sutton added 17 each.
Maryland shot 47.0 percent from the field, the best by a UNC opponent this season. The Terrapins’ 82 points also
are the most Carolina has allowed this season.
The Terrapins led 43-37 at halftime after Renneika Razor hit a jumper at the buzzer. In the second half, Maryland
quickly stretched its lead to as many as 11 (55-44 with 16:24 to play). The Tar Heels took a 60-59 lead with 11:48
to play on a steal and layup by Bell, and after that the margin was never larger than five points either way.
With nine seconds to play, Razor scored to put Maryland up 82-81. She missed a free throw and Bell grabbed the
rebound. UNC called a timeout with six seconds to play to set up Brown’s last-second shot.
This season’s honors
Coretta Brown
• Preseason candidate for Naismith Player of the Year award
• Preseason All-ACC
• Rainbow Wahine Classic all-tournament team
• ACC Player of the Week: Jan. 5
Candace Sutton
• Rainbow Wahine Classic all-tournament team
La’Tangela Atkinson
• Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year
• ACC Rookie of the Week: Dec. 2, Dec. 23, Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan 27
The rundown on this year’s Tar Heels
UNC returned four starters from the 2001-02 season, including senior guard Coretta Brown. Brown led last
year’s team with 17.1 points per game while setting an ACC record for three pointers in a season (99) and leading
the league in three-point percentage (39.4). An All-ACC pick last year, she’s a preseason candidate for Naismith
Player of the Year honors this season.
Back for her third year as a starter is junior center Candace Sutton, who averaged 12.0 points and 6.2 rebounds
last season, when she earned All-ACC Tournament honors. Other returning are sophomore guard Leah Metcalf
(ACC All-Freshman team in 2002) and senior forward Jennifer Thomas (second-year team captain).
UNC finished the season 26-9 (11-5 in the ACC) and reached the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the eighth
time in the last 10 years.
Sutton second on blocks list
Though just a junior, center Candace Sutton ranks second on UNC’s career blocks list. She started the season
with a total of 107 in 62 games for a 1.73 average, second best in school history. Both of her season totals rank on
UNC’s single season chart, with her freshman-year 40 tied for ninth and her sophomore-year 67 in fourth.
With 29 blocks this year, Sutton now has a career total of 136, 19th in ACC history. Maryland’s Jessie Hicks
(1990-93) ranks 18th with 137.
National Polls
Associated Press
(Jan. 27)
1. Duke
2. Connecticut
3. Kansas State
4. Tennessee
5. LSU
6. Stanford
7. North Carolina
8. Texas Tech
9. Louisiana Tech
10. Purdue
11. Texas
12. Arkansas
13. Mississippi State
14. Penn State
15. Minnesota
16. South Carolina
17. Vanderbilt
18. Georgia
19. Oklahoma
20. Villanova
21. Wisc.-Green Bay
22. Santa Barbara
23. Ohio State
24. Arizona
25. Washington
USA Today/ESPN
(Jan. 28)
1. Duke
2. Connecticut
3. Kansas State
4. Tennessee
5. LSU
6. North Carolina
7. Stanford
8. Texas Tech
9. Purdue
10. Louisiana Tech
11. Arkansas
12. Mississippi State
13. Texas
14. Minnesota
15. Penn State
16. South Carolina
17. Vanderbilt
18. Oklahoma
19. UC Santa Barbara
20. Georgia
21. Villanova
22. Arizona
23. Wisc.-Green Bay
24. Notre Dame
25. Boston College
GAME-BY-GAME NUMBERS
(Points-rebounds-assists; Starters for each game in bold italics)
Opponent
Atkinson Baptist
Davidson
13-5-2
0-1-0
ETSU
17-10-4
DNP
DePaul
12-10-4
2-0-1
Oklahoma
9-9-2
6-1-1
Hawaii
19-5-0
2-4-0
Appalachian St. 11-7-5
0-6-1
Old Dominion 5-5-3
2-2-0
Elon
16-12-3
7-4-0
South Carolina 12-11-5
2-2-0
Charleston So. 11-9-3
DNP
American
14-8-2
DNP
Georgia Tech
2-8-2
10-7-0
NC State
5-5-1
7-3-1
Wake Forest
14-7-2
3-4-0
Florida State
8-7-4
4-5-0
Clemson
11-7-3
4-1-1
Duke
6-11-2 11-11-1
W. Michigan 12-14-4
2-5-0
Maryland
4-6-4
2-3-2
Bell
6-3-5
14-9-2
10-7-0
8-4-4
6-5-4
15-6-1
7-11-5
12-6-2
15-4-2
10-6-2
DNP
6-7-1
18-6-2
9-5-0
12-3-1
5-0-1
12-5-1
18-2-1
30-8-1
Brown
11-2-1
6-4-7
14-3-2
16-4-3
12-1-3
8-2-6
16-3-2
10-1-3
10-2-7
14-1-3
9-3-8
23-4-3
17-1-6
9-6-8
28-4-3
3-4-3
5-4-9
26-3-6
17-5-3
Chambers Coughran Davis
0-0-0
DNP
9-2-0
7-2-2
DNP
4-2-2
DNP
DNP
5-5-1
DNP
DNP
0-1-1
0-0-0
DNP
0-2-0
4-0-1
DNP
6-2-0
2-1-0
DNP
3-1-1
2-2-0
DNP
3-1-0
DNP
DNP
2-1-0
1-0-1
DNP
7-4-0
3-3-1
DNP
4-3-0
DNP
DNP
2-2-0
2-0-0
DNP
0-2-0
0-1-0
DNP
5-3-0
0-0-0
DNP
0-0-0
2-1-1
DNP
2-1-0
DNP
DNP
0-1-0
DNP
DNP
2-1-0
DNP
DNP
3-1-0
North Carolina’s career leaders in blocked shots
1. Dawn Royster (1984-87) – 329 in 110 games (2.99 per game)
2. Candace Sutton (2001-present) – 136 in 81 games (1.68)
3. Gwendolyn Gillingham (1992-95) – 126 in 114 games (1.11)
4. Sylvia Crawley (1991-94) – 123 in 124 games (0.99)
5. Tresa Brown (1981-84) – 112 in 121 games (0.93)
Laaksonen McBee Metcalf
3-3-1
3-2-0
4-4-5
2-4-1
4-13-1
9-1-4
DNP
5-5-0
11-4-2
DNP
2-1-0
0-1-4
DNP
4-7-2
6-2-1
4-0-0
2-5-1
9-5-5
9-2-0
0-3-0
6-1-5
5-1-0
4-4-1
5-6-4
DNP
6-6-0
12-2-3
3-3-1
4-8-1
9-4-6
6-3-0
10-5-0 14-8-7
DNP
0-1-0
15-2-4
0-0-0
0-2-1
14-2-7
1-2-0
4-7-0
14-5-9
0-0-0
1-3-0
8-2-3
0-0-0
6-4-0
21-4-6
DNP
8-3-0
18-4-5
DNP
3-11-0
3-0-5
DNP
0-1-1
8-1-5
Sell
3-4-2
20-4-5
5-1-0
0-0-0
0-2-0
9-3-1
11-2-4
5-2-1
0-1-0
6-2-0
11-0-0
0-1-0
8-1-0
3-2-0
0-0-0
0-1-1
0-0-0
0-1-0
0-1-0
Sutton Thomas Tucker
16-8-1
0-7-1
DNP
13-5-1
10-1-0 DNP
11-2-1
7-7-0
DNP
13-8-0
9-9-1
DNP
12-4-1
0-4-0
DNP
8-7-0
4-2-0
DNP
17-6-1 10-10-1 2-0-0
10-10-0
4-3-0
0-1-0
15-6-1
4-4-0
DNP
12-7-1
4-2-1
3-2-0
7-5-2
2-4-3
0-0-0
10-5-5
4-3-0
DNP
6-6-0
3-11-0 0-1-0
12-6-1
12-6-0 DNP
9-5-1
4-3-1
DNP
15-7-0
8-8-3
DNP
7-6-6
0-3-0
DNP
6-4-0
7-4-0
DNP
17-4-1
2-3-0
DNP
She is averaging 10.6 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds and has
five double-doubles on the season.
• Sell scored 20 points to lead the Tar Heels in a win over East
Tennessee State on Nov. 24. She has come off the bench to play in every
game and is averaging 4.3 points.
Tar Heels in the weekly polls
Brown knocks ’em down
With five three-pointers against Florida State on Jan. 12, senior guard
Coretta Brown moved into third place on UNC’s career list for threepointers. She finished the game with 195, a total that moved her past
Tonya Sampson, who hit 194 from 1991-94.
Last season, Brown hit 99 three-pointers to set school and conference
single-season records in that category. Her career three-point percentage,
which currently sits at .372, is the best in school history.
• With a career total of 206 three-pointers, Brown ranks eighth in ACC
history. She hit three against Maryland on Jan. 27 to move past Georgia
Tech’s Karen Lounsbury (205 from 1989-92). In seventh place is
Virginia’s Tora Suber (220, 1994-97).
Brown ranks 11th in ACC history in attempts with 552.
North Carolina’s career leaders in three-pointers
1. Nikki Teasley (1998-2000, 2002) – 236 in 125 games
2. Stephanie Lawrence (1992-95) – 227 in 128 games
3. Coretta Brown (2000-present) – 206 in 116 games
4. Tonya Sampson (1991-94) – 194 in 123 games
5. Juana Brown (1998-2001) – 168 in 124 games
Freshmen off to fast starts
Both freshmen on the UNC roster, La’Tangela Atkinson and Jessica
Sell, have made significant contributions this season.
• Atkinson, voted the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year, has been
named ACC Rookie of the Week five times. The first time was on Dec. 2
after she averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds as UNC took third at the
Rainbow Wahine Classic. She led the Tar Heels with 19 points against
Hawaii on Dec. 1 in her first career start. Her second conference honor
came on Dec. 23, after she averaged a double-double (14 points, 11.5
rebounds) in wins over Elon and South Carolina. Her third came on Jan.
13 after she had averaged 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds and shot 77.8 percent from the field in the previous week’s two games. She shared the
honor on Jan. 20 after scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds at
Clemson on Jan. 16 in UNC’s only game of the week. She shared the
honor again on Jan. 27 after averaging 9.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in the
previous week’s games.
North Carolina’s rankings in the weekly Associated Press (media) and
USA Today/ESPN (coaches) polls this season:
USAToday/ESPN
Associated Press
13–Preseason
13–Preseason
15–Nov. 18
15–Nov. 20
11–Nov. 25
12–Nov. 26
16–Dec. 2
15–Dec. 3
14–Dec. 9
14–Dec. 10
13–Dec. 16
13–Dec. 17
13–Dec. 23
13–Dec. 24
11–Dec. 30
12–Dec. 31
10–Jan. 6
9–Jan. 7
8–Jan. 13
10–Jan. 14
9–Jan. 20
9–Jan. 21
7–Jan. 27
6–Jan. 28
Other rankings
The Tar Heels were ranked between ninth and 17th in a variety of preseason polls. A look at some of the predictions:
Street & Smith’s: Ninth; Athlon: 11th;
WomensCollegeHoops.com: 12th; Full Court Press: 13th; Basketball
News: 13th; Women’s Basketball News Service: 14th; Lindy’s: 17th
New, yet familiar, face on the bench
The UNC coaching staff includes one new addition this season.
Charlotte Smith-Taylor, the most decorated player in the history of the
Carolina program, joined the coaching staff in September as an assistant.
Smith-Taylor, who played for the Tar Heels from 1992-95, is the only
UNC women’s basketball player to have had her jersey retired. The 6-0
forward, who wore No. 23, was named National Player of the Year by
ESPN in 1995 following a career in which she scored 2,094 points (third
all-time at UNC) and grabbed 1,200 rebounds (second all-time at UNC).
She is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1994 NCAA
Championship game, when her buzzer-beating three-pointer gave UNC
the national crown with a 60-59 win over Louisiana Tech. She also had a
Carolina Blue Hawaii
UNC spent the week of Thanksgiving in Hawaii, playing in the
Rainbow Wahine Classic, where the Tar Heels finished third with a
2-1 record. Coretta Brown and Candace Sutton were named to the
all-tournament team.
Including players, staff, family and fans, the North Carolina group
numbered nearly 100 people. The team left Chapel Hill on Nov. 25
and started the return trip from Hawaii on Dec. 2, arriving home on
the evening of Dec. 3.
In addition to their three games and two practices, the Tar Heels
had plenty of time to enjoy the island of Oahu. The team visited the
USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and the National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific, attended a luau (where some found themselves on stage), snorkeled at Hanauma Bay and spent plenty of time
on the beaches of Waikiki.
On the trip home, the players all answered the question, “What
was your favorite part of the trip?” Here are their responses:
La’Tangela Atkinson – “The luau. I had fun dancing and it was a
unique cultural experience.”
Chrystal Baptist – “Snorkeling. I loved seeing all the fish.”
Nikita Bell – “Snorkeling. I felt like I was in an aquarium.”
Coretta Brown – “Vising Pearl Harbor, because of the historical
value, and shopping at the Armani store, where I went so much that
all the workers knew me.”
Courtney Chambers – “Swimming with sea turtles while we were
snorkeling.”
Elizabeth Coughran – “Snorkeling. I hadn’t done it in a long time,
and it was the one active thing that I could do with my knee.”
Carrie Davis – “Watching the sunrise from Diamond Head, visiting Pearl Harbor and snorkeling.”
Jenni Laaksonen – “Snorkeling. It was the first time I had done it,
and it was fun to see all those fish.”
Kenya McBee – “Walking around in Waikiki and on the beach.”
Leah Metcalf – “Chilling at the beach.”
Jessica Sell – “Seeing the big waves on the North Shore. I also
enjoyed the great view from our hotel.”
Candace Sutton – “Snorkeling. I had never been before and it was
fun to see all the fish and coral and sea urchins and everything.”
Jennifer Thomas – “Snorkeling. It was cool to see the fish, and the
water was really warm and calm. It’s not something you get to do
every day.”
Tiffany Tucker – “Sitting on the beach, and sitting on our balcony
listening to the water.”
championship-record 23 rebounds in the game and was named the Final
Four’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year in 1992, SmithTaylor earned All-ACC and ACC Tournament MVP honors in her junior
and senior seasons. As a senior, she was named All-America by Kodak,
the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. She
recently was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary team as one of the
top players in conference history.
Early in her senior season, she became just the second collegiate
women’s player to dunk in a game when she did so against North
Carolina A & T.
At the end of her collegiate career, Smith-Taylor played professionally in Italy then in the American Basketball League. She was the 33rd
pick in the 1999 WNBA draft by Charlotte and has played for the Sting
for four seasons. She will continue to play for the team while working at
UNC.
Smith-Taylor replaced Sylvia Crawley, a ’94 UNC graduate and a
member of the staff for the last two seasons. Crawley plays for the
WNBA’s Portland Fire and for Samsung Basketball Club in Seoul, South
Korea.
Waiting in the wings
Three outstanding high school seniors have signed letters of intent to
join the Tar Heel program. Ivory Latta, Camille Little and Mary Hall
McArver will make up Carolina’s freshman class for the 2003-04 season.
“We’re very excited to have signed the three players at the top of our
list,” UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said upon the players’ signing on Nov.
13. “They’re all outstanding young ladies and so well-rounded – great
students, great basketball players, great people. All three are tremendous
leaders on their high school teams and are among the top echelon of
players in the country.”
Latta, a 5-6 point guard from McConnells, S.C., earned South
Carolina Miss Basketball honors last season as a junior at York (S.C.)
Comprehensive High. In 2001-02, she scored 40 or more points nine
times and 30 or more 23 times – both state records – and led York to a
state championship, averaging 36.3 points per game.
Little, a 6-1 forward/guard from Winston-Salem, N.C., led Carver
High to a state championship as a freshman and has earned all-state honors the last two years. She is a three-time conference player of the year
and a two-time MVP of the Mary Garber Holiday Tournament, as well
as a member of the National Honor Society. Her father, Robert Little,
played at North Carolina Central and for the Harlem Globetrotters.
McArver, a 5-9 guard from Gastonia, N.C., was conference player of
the year as a freshman and a junior and a finalist for 2002 North Carolina
Miss Basketball honors at Forestview High School. She has been named
Forestview’s team MVP and best offensive player the last three years and is a Street & Smith’s All-America honorable mention. She is a nominee for
UNC’s prestigious Morehead Scholarship.
The three incoming Tar Heels already have experience playing together as members of Team North Carolina, which won the AAU Junior Olympic
Games in 2001 and ’02. Latta and Little were among 48 players selected to participate in the 2002 USA Basketball Women’s Youth Development
Festival in June, when Latta tied for the top scoring average with 13.4 points per game.
Brown a Naismith Award candidate
Senior Coretta Brown is one of 30 women’s players listed as preseason candidates for the 2002-03 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year
award, to be presented at the end of the season by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Other ACC players among the candidates are Clemson’s Chrissy Floyd,
Duke’s Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis, and Virginia’s Brandi Teamer.
The Naismith candidates were selected by a vote of leading basketball coaches, journalists and analysts. Voters were asked to name top male and
female players who are most likely to be in contention for the award. Last year’s Naismith Award recipients were Jason Williams (Duke) and Sue
Bird (Connecticut).
• Brown also is a nominee for the Senior CLASS (Celebrating Achievement and Loyalty for Staying in School) Award, presented by Premier Sports
Management to the nation’s top male and female senior players.
ACC preseason picks
Senior guard Coretta Brown was named to the preseason all-conference team and Tar Heel freshman La'Tangela Atkinson was voted the preseason Rookie of the Year at the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Media Day, held on Oct. 27 in Greensboro, N.C.
Brown's spot on the preseason team is her second in a row. She also was named to the squad last year and went on to earn All-ACC and All-ACC
Tournament honors for 2001-02. She was joined on this year's preseason team by
Duke's Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis, Clemson's Chrissy Floyd and Virginia's Brandi
Teamer.
Atkinson's selection marked the second consecutive year that a Tar Heel has been
the top vote-getter in that category. Sophomore guard Leah Metcalf was the 2001-02
preseason ACC Rookie of the Year and went on to earn a spot on the ACC AllFreshmen team.
• For the second year in a row, UNC was picked to finish second in the league. The
prediction turned out to be correct in 2001-02, when the Tar Heels did finish second,
both in the regular season and in the tournament. Duke was predicted to win the
league crown in 2002-03, drawing all 48 first-place votes.
Atlantic Coast Conference
50th Anniversary
Women’s Basketball Team
Val Ackerman, Virginia (1978-1981)
LaQuanda Barksdale, North Carolina (1998-2001)
Jessica Barr, Clemson (1992-1994)
Alana Beard, Duke (2000-2002)
Genia Beasley, NC State (1977-1980)
Tresa Brown, North Carolina (1981-1984)
Vicky Bullett, Maryland (1986-1989)
Heather Burge, Virginia (1990-1993)
Tonya Cardoza, Virginia (1987-1989, 1991)
Tracy Connor, Wake Forest (1993, 1995-1997)
Sylvia Crawley, North Carolina (1991-1994)
Summer Erb, NC State (1998-2000)
Dena Evans, Virginia (1990-1993)
Chrissy Floyd, Clemson (1999-2002)
Kisha Ford, Georgia Tech (1994-1997)
Tara Heiss, Maryland (1975-1978)
Jessie Hicks, Maryland (1990-1993)
Donna Holt, Virginia (1985-1988)
Marion Jones, North Carolina (1994-1995, 1997)
Barbara Kennedy, Clemson (1979-1982)
Kris Kirchner, Maryland (1977-1980)
Trudi Lacey, NC State (1978-1981)
Pam Leake, North Carolina (1983-1986)
Marsha Mann, North Carolina (1975)
Rhonda Mapp, NC State (1989-1992)
Bernadette McGlade, North Carolina (1977-1980)
Katie Meier, Duke (1986-1988, 1990)
Chasity Melvin, NC State (1995-1998)
Jenny Mitchell, Wake Forest (1988-1991)
Chris Moreland, Duke (1985-1988)
Linda Page, NC State (1982-1985)
Wendy Palmer, Virginia (1993-1996)
Tia Paschal, Florida State (1990-1993)
Jasmina Perazic, Maryland (1980-1983)
Joyce Pierce, Georgia Tech (1991-1993)
Tracy Reid, North Carolina (1995-1998)
Tammi Reiss, Virginia (1989-1992)
Marcia Richardson, Maryland (1981-1984)
Tonya Sampson, North Carolina (1991-1994)
Georgia Schweitzer, Duke (1998-2001)
Charlotte Smith, North Carolina (1992-1995)
Dawn Staley, Virginia (1989-1992)
Andrea Stinson, NC State (1989-1991)
Deanna Tate, Maryland (1986, 1988-1989)
Nikki Teasley, North Carolina (1998-2000, 2002)
Trena Trice, NC State (1984-1987)
Itoro Umoh, Clemson (1996-1999)
Michele VanGorp, Duke (1997-1999)
Christy Winters, Maryland (1987-1990)
Brooke Wyckoff, Florida State (1998-2001)
ACC Top 50 Female Athletes
Jen Adams, Lacrosse, Maryland (1998-2001)
Beth Bauer, Golf, Duke (1998-2000)
Alana Beard, Basketball, Duke (2000-2002)
Genia Beasley, Basketball, NC State (1977-1980)
Joan Benoit, Track & Field, NC State (1978)
Bea Bielik, Tennis, Wake Forest (2000-2001)
Vicky Bullett, Basketball, Maryland (1986-1989)
Jenny Chuasiriporn, Golf, Duke (1995-1999)
Heather Dow, Lacrosse, Virginia (1980-1982)
Laura DuPont, Tennis, North Carolina (1967-1970)
Lorrie Fair, Soccer, North Carolina (1996-1999)
Gigi Fernandez, Tennis, Clemson (1983)
Laurie Gomez, Track & Field, NC State (1989-1992)
Kim Graham, Track & Field, Clemson (1991-1993)
Cherie Greer, Lacrosse, Virginia (1991-1994)
Mia Hamm, Soccer, North Carolina (1989-90, 92-93)
Candy Hannemann, Golf, Duke (1998-present)
April Heinrichs, Soccer, North Carolina (1983-1986)
Tara Heiss, Basketball, Maryland (1975-1978)
Monique Hennagan, Track & Field, North Carolina (1995-1998)
Shannon Higgins, Soccer, North Carolina (1986-1989)
Nancy Hogshead, Swimming, Duke (1981)
Donna Holt, Basketball, Virginia (1985-1988)
Charmaine Hooper, Soccer, NC State (1987-1990)
Marion Jones, Basketball, Track & Field, North Carolina (1994-1995, 1997)
Kate Kauffman, Field Hockey, Maryland (1993-1996)
Barbara Kennedy, Basketball, Clemson (1979-1982)
Tina Krebs, Track & Field, Clemson (1983, 1985-1987)
Mitzi Kremer, Swimming, Clemson (1987-1989)
Kristine Lilly, Soccer, North Carolina (1989-1992)
Leslie Lyness, Field Hockey, North Carolina (1986-1989)
Chasity Melvin, Basketball, NC State (1995-1998)
Stephanie Neill Harner, Wake Forest (1991-1995)
Wendy Palmer, Basketball, Virginia (1993-1996)
Cindy Parlow, Soccer, North Carolina (1995-1998)
Laura Philo Diaz, Golf, Wake Forest (1993-1997)
Tracy Reid, Basketball, North Carolina (1995-1998)
Georgia Schweitzer, Basketball, Duke (1998-2001)
Julie Shea, Cross Country, NC State (1977-1980)
Charlotte Smith, Basketball, North Carolina (1992-1995)
Betty Springs, Cross Country, NC State (1979-1983)
Dawn Staley, Basketball, Virginia (1989-1992)
Cindy Stern, Volleyball, Clemson (1996-1999)
Andrea Stinson, Basketball, NC State (1989-1991)
Carla Tagliente, Field Hockey, Maryland (1997-2000)
Tisha Venturini, Soccer, North Carolina (1991-1994)
Sue Walsh, Swimming, North Carolina (1981-1984)
Vanessa Webb, Tennis, Duke (1995-1999)
Cindy Werley, Field Hockey, North Carolina (1993-1994, 1996-1997)