THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 30, 1994 TAG: 9412300616
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
They are the Ice Capades without the blades and the goofy animal heads.
They are the Roundball Ringling Brothers, featuring Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse, who perform their dunk-defying high-wire act with a couple of nets (but without a wire).
The North Carolina Tar Heels are everything it takes to sell out Scope, and more. Judging from the looks on the young, hopeful faces clustered outside their locker room Thursday night, the Tar Heels could be a rock group, too.
Dean Smith's team also happens to hold down the No. 1 ranking in the polls - out of habit, one supposes.
North Carolina finished last season at the top of the rankings, though this was generally forgotten when the Tar Heels fell far short of the Final Four.
That failure was blamed on the Tar Heels' chemistry. According to the inquest, Dean had too many good players. All coaches should have such problems.
Now we're being told that a North Carolina team with Wallace and Stackhouse will be forced to overcome a lack of deep depth. You can see why the spoiled sky blue set would be worried. Serge Zwikker, Wallace's backup at center, plays as if he has a bolt stuck through his neck.
Still, as long at the Tar Heels are undefeated and averaging 95 points a game, it seems a little silly to be worrying about what North Carolina doesn't have.
What it does have in Wallace and Stackhouse are a couple of future NBA lottery picks. Between them, they hit 22 of 29 shots against Old Dominion.
Speaking of depth, Stackhouse was perfect on three shots from beyond the 3-point arc as he scored 25 first-half points, hitting all nine of his field-goal attempts.
``Yeah,'' he said with a shrug, ``I was able to get some things going.''
Thus far, so have the rest of the Tar Heels, even without a group of high school All-Americans holding down the end of the bench.
``We don't have an `L' yet,'' Stackhouse said after North Carolina's 98-79 victory, its eighth. ``When we get an `L,' we can talk about depth and chemistry and all those things.''
This was North Carolina's second game on an enemy's court. The first was last week in Hawaii. Apparently, North Carolina's non-conference schedule takes in only Navy towns. This is not a bad idea, considering that, in Wallace, the Tar Heels feature the country's most spectacular air-craft carrier.
``In a lot of ways we're different than last year,'' Wallace said. ``We can do a lot more things than we could last year. We're quicker.''
Wallace's silkiness around the basket was on display at both ends of the court. He finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds. Though he was credited with four blocked shots, he forced ODU to alter another half dozen.
Not bad for a guy who sounded like he's getting a little bored with the early-season fodder.
``We're just waiting for the ACC season to roll around,'' said Wallace. ``When it does, we'll be straight.''
As expected, North Carolina called the tune in this game. But with eight minutes remaining, and Jeff Capel's team within six points of the Tar Heels, you had to wonder what difference Odell Hodge could have made.
With Hodge on the sidelines, his bum leg stuck out in front of him, ODU could not solve the Wallace riddle.
Hodge might have put a body on Wallace and kept him from playing a game of one-man volleyball. Just as likely, the Tar Heels would have turned up the volume no matter what ODU threw at them.
``We'll score this year,'' said junior guard Dante Calabria. ``We have some guys who can put it up.''
So lack of deep depth won't be a big problem for North Carolina?
``I think that we're going to be just fine,'' Calabria said.
Somehow, you believe it. by CNB