Things could be ok, for now!
Head coach Butch Davis
I know that when I read the breaking news that the NCAA had been in Chapel Hill to investigate the possibility that several players had talked to agents the first thought that came to mind was: “the season that could have been“. I guess the feeling of another season that begins with high hope, great hype and ends with lower achievements than expected came to the forefront once again at the news that some players could easily not play the upcoming season. But now, after sleeping over this I come to another conclusion on this: “we still have a lot of talent on this team“. Yes, losing several players from a very talented defensive squad could make some of the goals unachievable, but on the other hand we can not take this as an excuse to believe that this can not be a positive year, however I am not sure if the same can be said for years after that.
Even more importantly is that the coaching staff and the team can not use this as an excuse not to be able to strive for the best they can be in 2010. Someone told me that when things like this happen the affects are felt a few years later, which makes sense. What I am more worried about, and might be totally wrong in this, is that when the NCAA comes calling a lot of times the head coaches begin to wonder if it is time to find a new destination for their employment. And then, of course, there is the recruiting, the battle that UNC has been winning of late but could be severely damaged if there is more to this. Jim Young of ACCSports.com talks about how the Heels could take a hit on the recruiting trail:
The recruiting trail could be another story. The Tar Heels have recruited very well since Davis arrived in Chapel Hill and they’ve been on quite a roll this summer, in particular. NCAA clouds on the horizon, even if they don’t lead to an eventual storm, could deal a serious blow to UNC’s recruiting momentum. Certainly it’s great negative-recruiting ammo for the Tar Heels’ competitors out on the trail.
Add it altogether, possible loss of players that could have been game changers, the track record that when things like this happen the coaches usually head on out for another gig, the fact that recruiting could once again go backwards and you see why I think that the year should still be a good one, but past that the problems could be more than we might believe. So, after a night what I feel is pretty simple: ok for now, but very weary for the years to come.
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