“Interview With:” Adam Lucas

In my never ending desire to keep this site as good as possible I try to find people “in the know” about the Tar Heels. And in this edition of “Interview With:” I think I have one of the people that is as close to the pulse of UNC Athletics as there can be: TarHeelBlue’s Adam Lucas. Lucas is also the publisher and executive director of Tar Heel Monthly magazine as well as being the author or co-author of five books on Carolina basketball, including the just-released book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. To keep up with everything UNC you can follow the THM staff on twitter. Now, without further ado, here is the “Interview With: Adam Lucas”…

A.E.M.: Starting with the gridiron. Another winning season for the Tar Heels, giving the program the opportunity to play in back to back bowl games for the first time in over a decade. Overall how would you describe the football program after three years under coach Davis?

Adam Lucas: I think people have forgotten too quickly how down the program was when Butch Davis arrived. Going to the Tire Bowl in ’04 was seen as a major accomplishment that energized the fan base. Going to that same bowl this year was a letdown. That’s a sign of progress. Coach Davis has largely done what he said he would do when he was hired: improve the talent level, put Carolina onto a national stage (that game against LSU in Sept. 2010 will be a huge one for the program), and upgrade every aspect of the program. But I also think we’ve seen one thing most coaches will tell you: it’s easier to go from the bottom half of the league to the top half of the league than it is to go from the top half of the league to the top one or two teams in the league. That latter jump is the one Carolina has to make next season.

A.E.M.: With nine returning players on defense could this be one of the best units in the nation come the 2010 season?

Adam Lucas: It should be. The key might be those two starters who depart. Butch Davis’s best defenses have been built with a ferocious front four. Assuming the Tar Heels have the talent in the pipeline to replace EJ Wilson at end and Cam Thomas at tackle, it’s going to be a great defense in ’10. And if they can create some of the same turnovers they did this season, that’ll lessen the pressure on the offense to be explosive all the time.

A.E.M.: On the other side, how do you see John Shoop’s offense looking for next year?

Adam Lucas: The biggest question is obviously the quarterback position. I don’t think TJ Yates is as bad as he showed at times this year, and I think the people who booed him in the Smith Center—and let’s be realistic, it was nowhere near the amount of people it’s been portrayed as in the media—are pathetic. The staff has loved Bryn Renner from the day they recruited him. I would expect that those two QBs would go into August in a tight competition to earn the starting job. And remember, major Division I teams rarely make it through a full season with just one quarterback. At some point, the Tar Heels are going to need both of them, so it’s unwise to write either one off. The other questions on offense are more of the nagging variety. Who’s going to step up at tailback? Assuming everyone is healthy, there are at least three good choices there, so you have to figure one of Shaun Draughn/Ryan Houston/Jamal Womble will be able to do it. Who can complement Greg Little and Zack Pianalto? The depth and the talent is there, it’s more a matter of consistency.

A.E.M.: Switching to basketball now. With the out of conference schedule over and done it’s time to see what this young and talented team can do in the ACC. Where do you see coach Williams’ squad finishing in conference play?

Adam Lucas: I haven’t watched the other teams play as much as I would’ve liked. Duke appears to be playing better than anyone in the conference right now. The question with them is whether they fade at the end like they’ve done recently. FSU seems to be getting very little attention considering how well they’ve played. Carolina doesn’t go to Tallahassee this season and that looks like it could be a good break. Miami hasn’t played anyone at all. Clemson is better than they showed against Duke. I disagree with people who say 10-6 in the ACC is a “worst-case” scenario for this Carolina team. I think 10-6 is about the median, and a break or two either way could swing it a game or two in either direction.

A.E.M.: I remember one time in a Hansbrough interview the power forward talked about the pressure of being a class following a team that won it all. Is that something that this team is also feeling this season?

Adam Lucas: Somewhat, just because they have to hear a lot about what they’re not rather than that they are. They’re not Ty Lawson. They’re not Tyler Hansbrough. They’re not Danny Green or Wayne Ellington. Well, of course. That was one of the most unique UNC teams of all-time and you have to realize that a team like that—where everyone comes back may never happen again at Carolina because of the current NBA climate. So there’s some pressure there to “be” those guys. But this team won’t be that. That being said, I don’t think that’s the biggest issue with the current team.

A.E.M.: And I will end with a question that is for both sports. Being an avid reader of anything/everything North Carolina I cruise the web boards as well. One of the discussions that comes up often is whether or not both recruits (and/or their close circle) and current players read such boards. Do you have any insight on that?

Adam Lucas: I’m sure recruits do. That seems like something you’d want to do as a parent of a recruit, just to judge the atmosphere of a place you might send your kid. Current players are mixed. Some do, some don’t. I think the frequency of reading them decreases as the players get older. As they get older, I think they gain an ability to separate meaningful criticism/praise from criticism/praise that has no impact on their lives. Think back to when you were in high school: anything anyone said about you, no matter who it was or whether they bothered to put their name on it, was important. As we get older, I think most of us learn to differentiate between criticism/praise that can be beneficial and criticism/praise that makes no difference. That doesn’t mean the boards don’t have value. Message boards are a great outlet for fans. If I wasn’t lucky enough to get regular emails from fans, I think boards would have value to me to see what fans are saying. And since I don’t read them, I think I’m a little out of touch with how they’ve developed. It’s a great way for the diehard fan in Utah or somewhere to communicate with other diehards when maybe he/she otherwise might be stuck in an area where people aren’t as passionate. But I think we also have to remember what a small segment of the fan base (at least at a nationwide program like UNC basketball) they represent. There’s a mistaken perception that they’re “the pulse of the fan base.” I don’t think that’s true, at least not yet. It might be true in a few years, but not now. And there’s also a huge difference in how certain staffs treat boards like that. There was a dramatic change, for example, in going from the Doherty staff to the Williams staff.

What more can be done than to thank Adam Lucas for giving up some of his time to answer my questions. For a blogger like myself it’s an enormous thrill when people give their time to help me with this site of mine. Through the years I have had great people/writers do interviews for The Fifth Corner and this one ranks up there with the best! Once again, thank you so much to Adam Lucas!