Late Night with Roy Recap
Midnight Madness at Carolina was a blast once again this year. Not quite as many people turned out compared to last year, but all but the upper levels were packed. Stuart Scott of ESPN fame (former UNC alumnus) MC'd the event. Unlike last year, the UNC women's team wasn't part of the night. Most of the skits involved dancing acts ranging from modern day hip hop to Michael Jackson Thriller (Jackie Manual did the moonwalk) to a John Travolta disco special. The highlight of the night was Wes Miller's impersonation of Roy. It was dead-on with the outfit, hair, bowlegged walk, and jacket throwing. Roy said (jokingly) that he'd see Wes at practice on Saturday. They did many of the same skits as last year including a variation of American Idol called Carolina Idol. They had a NC State redneck, a Duke Nerd, and a UNC all-star. I'll let you guess who won.
When the clock struck midnight it was all about basketball. The team warmed up for a good 30 minutes by putting on a dunking exhibition. David Noel was awesome. I hate to make comparisons like this, but he glides through the air similar to Carter and Jordan. After the warm-ups, the guys split into blue and white teams. Surprisingly, McCants didn't start on either team. I read later that he's had a groin problem, which may have been the cause. He was icing his groin when he wasn't playing and had a noticable hobble as the game progressed. The MVP of the game had to be Jawad Williams. He made four three pointers. He was on fire. He started last year like this too, but got injured and went downhill from there. Let's hope he can keep it going this year. Felton looked good as usual. Fast and smooth, although he did get his pocket picked a couple of times. He has a different looking shot now--not so much of the awkward release he had before. He missed a couple of early shots and made a couple later on. Sean May did ok, but he missed a few around the basket and was noticably frustrated by the physical play. Damion Grant was a blocking machine! He blocked at least 2 or 3 shots. He didn't do much on offense, but it would be nice to see him get more playing time this year. He dropped a lot of weight and said he is in the best shape of his life. Wes Miller looked quick, but missed numerous shots from outside. I saw a quote from Noel earlier that said something to the effect that "Wes will be our shooter", so he may have had a bad night. Jackie Manual actually made a couple of shots from outside. He missed a couple early, but started to get on a role. He looked good. I didn't see much out of Melvin. Reshawn Terry looked much improved. He didn't look as lost on the court and made some very good plays. It will be nice to get quality minutes from him this year. Surprisingly, CJ Hooker, a senior walk-on, looked sharp on the court. He had a steal and made at least one shot. Now, for the two freshman. I have to say that I was impressed by both. Quentin looked very good. He was a little shaky early and made some freshman mistakes, but I think he'll be a great floor general some day. Marvin Williams is going to be a good one. He had a strong presence down low and wasn't afraid to mix it up with Sean May or Damion Grant. Let's hope he sticks around for a few years.
There were a few UNC recruits in the stands watching the event. Students led a chant of "We Want Bynum" before the skits started in reference to 7 foot senior center Andrew Bynum. Recent commits Danny Green, Bobby Frasor and Marcus Ginyard were also present.
Here are some photos of the recruits.
Here are other reports about the event:
Heels Get It Started (includes photos and player quotes)
Katz blog from UNC's Madness
Lucas: Live from Late Night Recap
Hoops time for Heels
