Season: 2001-2002
Record: 8-20 overall, 4-12 ACC(7th place tie)
ACC Tournament: Lost in 1st round to Duke
NCAA Tournament: NONE
Roster: Brian Bersticker, Adam Boone, Jason Capel, Joe Everett, Jonathan Holmes, Will Johnson, Kris Lang, Jackie Manuel, Phillip McLamb, Orlando Melendez, Brian Morrison, Damien Price, Melvin Scott, Jawad Williams
Source: UNC Media Guide
I will go on record as saying that this was bar none the worse season of UNC basketball ever. Sure there may have been worse records but given the heights UNC enjoyed for almost 40 years and the number of humiliating defeats the Heels suffered at the hands of teams that were not even on the same planet historically speaking it was easily the bottom of the barrel. In fact there were so many Tar Heel fans who had never experienced an NCAA Tournament without the Heels it was a complete shock to the system when UNC ended up 8-20.
The reasons for the huge drop-off are various and far ranging. One thing is certain, Matt Doherty was not forced out because of the 8-20 record but it did not do much to help his case when the player revolt of 2003 happened. The primary reason for the nasty losing mark lies with Bill Guthridge who failed to recruit enough quality players to maintain the program’s winning continuity. Part of that was not Guthridge’s fault. He was setup as a caretaker coach, the beneficiary of one man’s desire to reward a longtime assistant with a shot at a national title. That, more than anything, was what Dean Smith had in mind when he walked away from UNC in October of 1998. Dean figured as loaded as the Heels were heading into the 1997-98 season, the chances were better than good Guthridge could coach them to a national title. It almost worked with the Heels ending up in the Final Four with three teams they were good enough to beat. Unfortunately they fell short and as the next two seasons proceeded, the recruiting fell off, in part because no one was going to sign to play for a coach who would not be there to finish their career.
With all college sports the shoe does not drop until a few recruiting cycles have passed and in this case the lack of recruiting came to a head in 2002 during the second season of the Matt Doherty era. As I said, 2002 alone did not do Doherty in, but it did not help since losing always brings out the worst aspects of any situation. Doherty’s coaching style came under scrutiny as did his handling of the program in general. When you are winning and successful no one really looks at those things, unless you decide to choke a player or throw a chair on the court(see Bobby Knight.) Usually if you win, people leave the details alone save NCAA violations and what not(see Indiana.)
From the fan perspective it was a scarring experience and I saw that within the proper context. In fact I could go to IC right now, open a thread about the 8-20 season and watch how quickly the mods lock it. Why? Because even now the more passionate Tar Heel fans in our midst have yet to let it go. It was, in a word, depressing.
And I have no idea how NC State fans do it year after year.
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Next!
J/K. There isn’t anything more I can add THF. Good job on this thread. You are an emotionally strong person.
So let’s guess what #26 will be? The very next season perhaps? I think it has to be. Gotta think the 96 and 99, and 00 teams will be in the 20s.
Agreed Matt!
Where can we get the lineups and depth charts for these teams?
Okay, I went back and added the roster. I will include that with the summary from here out. Here are some sources for info:
The Media Guide has a ton of good information:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/100407aaj.html
Here is the archive page at Tar Heel Blue going back to the 1999 season which should give you stats:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/unc-m-baskbl-archive.html
I remember this was the first year I got the Directv college basketball package and was able to see all of the games. Not good. I think the Heels were preseason around #18 going into the year, but you knew something was wrong when they lost an exhibition game to Marathon Oil or someone like that. How many times did Jason Capel spin into the lane and get his shot blocked that year? I tried to tell myself that I was spoiled and that every team goes through a year like this at some point, but lord it was painful. I did a lot of drinking that year.
“Tar Heels Lose To EA-All Stars”
This was my warning sign for the Season that never was. Man, remember the hype for Boone and Morrison? Wow were they bad. Poor Capel never became what I thought he would (aggressive slasher) When he would put his mind to it (normally only two plays a game) he looked brilliant. The “Stick” as I loving called (get it “Stick” Go “Stick) him was our saving grace that year for winning eight games. The National Champ boys were Freshman with years to bloom. What a SAD team this was to watch.
We were rated #1 in the country the year before (for a time) and Doherty won AP National Coach of the Year. What changed? Curry, Forte, and Peppers left the team. That was the beginning of the end for Matt.
I got to Carolina just in time to see Dean Smith retire, Mack Brown jump ship and this 01-02 team “play.” But I do remember one memorable game from that year. Getting tickets that season wasn’t very hard and I managed to snag a riser seat for the Clemson game at the Dome. We painted our bodies and cheered like it was 1993 as our boys in baby blue played their hearts out and kept the streak of never getting beat by Clemson at home alive. It didn’t take the sting away from the season, but for one weekend, we had a record that didn’t have us on the losing end.
I remember the year prior to “8 and 20″ The Heels started to meltdown near the end of the season and I recall making a comment to a dook fan friend of mine, that at one point Julius Peppers was the best player on the court because Forte had started to become a head case. When Forte left for the “NBA” and Peppers/Curry announced they weren’t playing I knew we were in trouble.
THF, you give state fans way too much credit. Us Tar Heels who care about football suffer year after year and remain as passionate as any state fan. After years of success with Herb they melted down this past year and the RBC was never more than 2/3′s full except for the first half against the Heels. In football as Chuck Amato was derailing, the whiny bunch from state booed him openly and walked out in mass numbers during the THIRD quarter of a Thursday night ESPN game. They have a lock on the title of whiny fans blaming all kinds of outside forces for bad teams year after year. How do they do it? They whine and don’t show up for games just like they accuse us of doing!
HP,
It was intended as a shot at them, not a compliment.
Good, I’m slower today than usual…………
Was Orlando Menendez that guy that could jump out of the gymn? Only problem is he never did in game situations.
Hi everyone.
Long time reader, first time poster. This 2002 season was such an emotional one for me that I had to write. I think YouJustGotHeeled and I were in school exactly the same time as I too just missed coach Smith, Vince Carter and Jamison, and experienced the worst 4 years of UNC athletics (save Peppers’ team beating Auburn in the Peach Bowl) I believe ever existed at Carolina. I was able to get a ticket for the Clemson game, as well. I was filled with confused emotions at the end of the game: the happiness from winning, the relief of at least keeping one streak alive, and the sadness of feeling happy about it all. All of this probably made me a more devout fan that I am today. So in a sense, I’m grateful. And no matter how it happened, this season really helped getting ol’ Roy back to us to lead us to the promised land in 2005.
Also, thanks THF for this website, your insight, and your invaluable input to the fandom.
I think there was a great deal of believing many of these players were better than they were simply because they were going to UNC. No one understood how screwed up the recruiting was under Guthridge which created some misconceptions about the level of talent coming in.
yeah, 8-20 will always be remembered by Carolina hoops fans, just as 40-12 will be a bad memory for me for the next few years. However, I just hope that folks remember what happened AFTER 8-20. Not so much the return to winning, Doherty’s ouster, and the Championship during Roy’s second year back.
While all those are phenomenal, the real lesson to be learned from 8-20 is how we had to re-learn what it meant to be a fan. Our apparent “right” to be a winning team was brutally taken away, and we learned that it’s important to show up early and cheer loudly for the Heels during all games, not just the Duke game. We definitely lost the sense of entitlement that season.
If anything can be a lasting legacy of 8-20, I feel that rejuvenating the fan base for another 10-15 years, getting Roy to come back home, and adding a few more banners to the rafters is well worth the emotional toll of the 01-02 season.
postscript – I actually started dating my wife in March of 2002, as I had no desire to watch any of the NCAA tournament that year. So, even in a down year, the Heels took care of me!
I have few memories, thankfully, of the 8-20 campaign. I was in the middle of a big life change and the Tar Heels made it easy not to pay attention. I do recall listening to the ACC quarterfinal against Duke and hearing them try to go all Princeton on the Blue Devils. Just an awful, awful season.
I certainly didn’t pay attention much to recruiting up until then. I assumed because it was Carolina we were getting great players. The Boone and Morrison debacles were truly eye openers for me and I pay much more attention now (that’s not to say I know much).
There was one highlight of that season… Indiana ending another #1 Duke seed in the Sweet 16.
I enjoyed that game because all I could think about was how Indiana had beaten UNC on a Thursday night in 1984 and here it was, a Thursday night and Duke lost to Indiana.
Oh boy, does the phrase “that is gonna leave a mark” fit here! I now have renewed appreciation for how fantastic our basketball program really is. We have been so very blessed…. I’ll take a few rough years after all the great ones, but I don’t have to be happy about it. I can’t wait for #26; well actually all of these will be fun. Great idea for an off season distraction.
Yea Matt and THF, that was my one saving grace that year. My parents are Duke fans, and while I couldn’t really talk much crap, I certainly felt a lot better.
Looking back, how did Doh manage to keep the verbals from Felton, May and McCants solid after that?
great post, bad year. In hindsight, very clear how Smith had “spoiled” the fan base to believe a season of top-25, 20 wins, # 1-3 in the ACC were givens. I gained a deeper appreciation for the hard work Smith / his staff put in for 30+ years to not just build, but maintain a top level program with few distractions. Just goes to show these “transitions” are rarely smooth (see: Nebraska football, Indiana basketball, UCLA basketball, etc). Fortunately we got Roy !!
* I watched most games when on TV that year, and most were. Nothing, nothing good could have been said. Too bad Capel/Lang finished a senior season that way