Somewhere along the way, someone convinced North Carolina coach Roy Williams that he should always open with a joke.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. 
The Tar Heels are looking scary. It is one thing to beat Michigan State in Detroit's Ford Field. It is another to embarrass them by winning by 35 points.
This week, FanHouse is taking an early look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
In this video, we talk to Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew, as well as Lakers stars Vladi Radmanovic and Luke Walton, about what they think of NBA players heading overseas while still in their primes. Also, at the 1:40 mark, we talk to one of the leading high school players in the country, 15-year-old Landon Drew, who might be a pro player already ... if he lived in Europe.
AOL Video link. Youtube link.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
In this video, we talk to Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew, as well as Lakers stars Vladi Radmanovic and Luke Walton, about what they think of NBA players heading overseas while still in their primes. Also, at the 1:40 mark, we talk to one of the leading high school players in the country, 15-year-old Landon Drew, who might be a pro player already ... if he lived in Europe.
AOL Video link. Youtube link.
All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, Roy Williams wearing a KU sticker during the title game and the defection of four players from a team that would've been favored next season.
Today, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back to North Carolina next season. While Ellington and Green aren't total surprises, there was a point that it felt both would actually leave. Lawson returning is a huge surprise since (a) he didn't seem like he really wanted to come back, (b) the arrest in Chapel Hill would mean consequences from Williams and (c) his stock actually seemed to rise into easy first round status.
This is a huge get for Williams and Tar Heel fans. The only two non-returning players (that mattered) from a 36-3 Final Four team are Quentin Thomas (graduation) and Alex Stepheson (transfer) -- both reserves.
The starting lineup will probably stay the exact same: Lawson, Ellington, Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson. The bench will consist of Green (one of the best sixth men in the nation), Bobby Frasor (injured last year, a smart, steady player with a defensive presence), freshman Ed Davis (who will fill the defensive/rebounder role that Stepheson left), William Graves (long range shooter), freshman Tyler Zeller (a 7-foot guy who loves to run) and freshman Larry Drew (solid PG that won't be relied on too much).
It would seem as if the only drama going on at the NBA's pre-draft camp is the status of the three North Carolina Tar Heels that declared for the draft.
Heels fans have been vocal about wanting these guys back and how they aren't ready for The League. It seems that UNC guard Ty Lawson is kind of coming to this conclusion, as well:
North Carolina guard Ty Lawson said Wednesday if he's not confident he'll go 20th or better in the NBA draft, he'll pull out of the process and return to North Carolina for his junior season.
He said his challenge this week at the NBA pre-draft camp is convincing teams his left ankle is healed and showing he'll take -- and make -- jump shots when the opportunity is there.
This goes against Lawson's statement that he doesn't like the "test the waters" phrase since it implies that he's not seriously ready to go to the NBA. However, it is the first nugget of information that Carolina fans have been wanting to hear.
The other is this: guard Wayne Ellington really struggled in his first pre-draft game on Wednesday. He hit just one of his five shots from behind the arc (remember, the NBA arc) and committed six turnovers.
The Tar Heels have exactly zero recruits coming in for the 2007-08 season, but that's what happens when the 2006-07 class was arguably the school's best ever. When UNC lost to Georgetown in the Elite Eight, speculation immediately turned to who was staying and who was going. Drew averaged 14.8 points, 6.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds last season. He is 6 feet tall and reminds All Star Sports recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of unselfish point guards such as Jimmy Black who excelled in the North Carolina system.For some perspective, Black was the point guard on the 1982 National Championship team, some seven years before Drew was born. While Ray Felton and Lawson are two of the most explosive point guards to play in Chapel Hill, guys like Black, King Rice, Derrick Phelps and Ed Cota were equally as important to their teams, but strictly as pass-first, shoot-later players.
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