THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 10, 1995 TAG: 9505100635
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Never thought I'd see the day. Judging from the tone of a few TV and newspaper reports, there is a lot of genuine sympathy for the North Carolina Tar Heels going around.
Another sophomore turned pro, you see. That makes two this month. First Rasheed Wallace and now Jerry Stackhouse have kissed off Carolina blue for the NBA's big green.
Editorialists moan that this can only mean disaster for Dean Smith's program next season. Within the ACC, they warn, North Carolina might fall to the second division for the first time since 1964. And forget the NCAA title, which the Tar Heels would have been favored to win.
If you think Minnie Stackhouse, Jerry's mom, has high blood pressure, how about all those North Carolina fans?
Well, now. I'm the type that cries at kindergarten graduations and Merchant-Ivory movies, so when I heard news of Stackhouse's decision, I checked myself for some reaction.
What was that twinge in the corner of my eye? Could it have been a tear? No, just an eyelash out of place.
As our president might say, I am trying to feel the Tar Heels' pain. Guess I'll just have to try a little harder.
I might have been able to fake a little sympathy, though, had Dean not appeared so darned delighted to hear Stackhouse's announcement.
Did Smith look like a coach who thinks his dynasty is turning into kitty litter? At Carolina, NBA lottery picks come and go, but nothing really important changes within the basketball program.
For Smith, life is good. It's doubtful that even the thought of going from the spectacularly gifted Wallace to the painfully robotic Serge Zwikker is going to make Dean miss many tee times.
At Wake Forest, a player the caliber of 6-foot-10 center Tim Duncan comes along once every generation, if that often. In Chapel Hill, two or three future first-round draft picks may already be in the pipeline.
Of the prospects Smith hopes to have ready for next season, you can be sure at least one will leave for the pros before playing four years.
Not many players turn pro after their sophomore seasons, but the super senior is a dying breed.
The growing trend toward early exits hurts schools that recruit best. Not that this is any reason to feel sorry for them. Save your sobs for little Ohio University, which may never see another like Gary Trent, who also opted for the NBA.
The way things are going, the most stable programs of the future will be those that stockpile big, quick, improving players who are, nevertheless, not dazzling enough to flee college after two years.
Arkansas fits this description. The Razorbacks' 10-man rotation last season included six seniors. Not one was a Jerry Stackhouse. But with its savvy and depth, Arkansas was good enough to beat Stackhouse's team.
For now, North Carolina doesn't have the luxury of great experience. But any program with the resources to recruit the likes of Stackhouse and Wallace does not exactly qualify as a charity case, either.
It's a little too early, even for someone as sensitive as me, to be pitying Carolina. I need to save those tears for the next time I watch ``The Lion King.''
But later, if it becomes necessary, I will grieve with the Tar Heels. I will do my best to moisten up. Really, I will. by CNB