Montross Chimes In On The FSU Loss

Tar Heel Fan on January 18th, 2012 |

Would have been nice had UNC played last night or was playing tonight. Feels we’re waiting forever for the next game.

Former Heel and current THSN analyst Eric Montross spoke with the N&O’s Andrew Carter about the loss at FSU and his own experience with the 26-point loss to Wake Forest in 1993.

“The thing that I remember about our team,” Montross said, “was that there was just an absolute commitment to do what we needed to do in order to win. And we got it handed to us that game and it was just a mindset that we were going to work hard enough to overcome that. And that we weren’t going to make similar mistakes again.”

Montross, now the analyst for the Tar Heels’ radio broadcasts, said he believes this UNC team has it in it to respond the same way. And one of the main reasons why Montross believes this is because of the presence of Zeller.

“This is certainly a really bad game,” Montross said. “But if you look at the silver lining, Zeller played a really good game. … And he’s a senior. If Tyler had gone lifeless midway through the first half [I’d be concerned]. … But they’ve got a guy who is absolutely committed to this as a senior.”

In the aftermath of the Debacle in Tallahassee(as it shall be known from this point forward) the same name keeps popping up: Tyler Zeller. One reason is he was the only Tar Heel who had anything close to a productive game, in fact I would argue it was one of his better outings of the season from a rebounding and shot blocking perspective. Secondly, as Montross points out, this is your senior leader who played with Tyler Hansbrough and has a national title ring. During the first half of the season, Zeller got off to a slow start and has largely been forgotten behind Harrison Barnes, John Henson and even Kendall Marshall. In fact Zeller’s name was not included on the latest Wooden Award watch list even though the other three were as was his brother Cody Zeller. While that ultimately doesn’t matter, for the success of this Tar Heel team I am becoming convinced that Zeller might be the key to this team getting where everyone expects it to go. In the NCAA Tournament last season, Zeller had four straight 20-point games. If he reaches that level of consistency again I think other pieces will fall into place.

Carter also asked Zeller on Tuesday if the team was “angry” Zeller responded:

“Usually we’re very [laidback] – we’re laughing, having a good time. But nobody really said anything [after the Florida State loss]. Everybody was very quiet. And I think it was something was impactful to all of us. And hopefully we use it to drive us in the right direction.”

That may be the most encouraging thing I’ve heard since the loss. It is a sign at least they understood the impact of the loss. Now the question is what will they do about it?

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Tar Heel Fan

January 18, 2012 at 5:47 pm

Worried someone wouldn’t see your little verbal fit on the other post so you decided to put it on this one too?

Heel To The End

January 18, 2012 at 5:49 pm

^^seriously? sheesh. (you mean the 3 other posts.)

Zeller didnt say they were angry…which wouldve been nice. maybe that came after the shock.

tht23

January 18, 2012 at 5:53 pm

@THF hahahaha

badbadleroybrown

January 18, 2012 at 6:01 pm

Trollin, the latest and perhaps greatest American pastime.

Moustache

January 18, 2012 at 8:30 pm

Apparently, sitting that close to Jones Angell for this long is rubbing off on #00.

What’s frustrating is that Z is the only one talking to the media, and he’s the only one who showed up on Saturday. I’d like to hear some (non cliche-ridden coach/athlete speak) words from the rest of the squad.

Tallahassee Heel

January 18, 2012 at 8:46 pm

Based on the football team’s issues resulting from public comments (tweets), sometimes cliche-ridden speak is not a bad thing. I’m not concerned with not hearing from the players. Let’s see what happens on the court.

gso_tarheel

January 18, 2012 at 8:49 pm

I am fine with only Zeller talking. He is a senior and the only one who showed up in the great debacle. The others need to be working and staying quiet this week, which is what they are doing.

January 18, 2012 at 9:43 pm

true enough…especially tweets.

I just miss the Danny Green candor, I suppose.

January 18, 2012 at 9:58 pm

I seem to recall Danny Green talking to the media after UNC started 0-2 in 2009. Reporters show up at practice and they allow a player or two to talk with them. In this case it was Zeller and rightfully so since he is the only one who played up to snuff on Saturday.

No one else needs to talk to the media right now. Let the senior leader do the talking to the media and for my money let him do the talking on the court with his play.

partsman5521

January 18, 2012 at 10:09 pm

Looking back now, I guess I could see where playing NINE HOME GAMES in a row could be a reason for an ambush in your very first Acc road game of the season. And that’s all it was, an ambush. Nobody saw this heading in. I still believe this team plays better when they are not ranked in the top 5. Seems it goes to their heads to much.

This team was and still is looking for a leader. Z missed a golden opportunity to be that leader last game. It was laying right there for the taking. And he didn’t take it. I know it’s not in him, but being a starting senior, he has to take over.
Bad thing for this team is, if they get down in the NCAA’s, they still won’t have a leader…….

Heel in Purple

January 18, 2012 at 10:14 pm

^Maybe you should re-read the posts and comments as it relates to the Debacle. Seems like everyone believes he played the best and is the leader after his comments and attitude following the loss.

If by leader you mean carries a team to a victory, well, Hansbrough or Jordan couldn’t have helped us in that game. 4 minutes into the 2nd half it was over.

faustus1500

January 18, 2012 at 10:18 pm

Looks like Roy is worried about UNC’s shooting woes.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-01-18/roy-williams-worried-about-north-carolinas-shooting-slump

January 18, 2012 at 10:27 pm

What I call a leader is someone who would get in my face if I was not pulling my load. I didn’t say that Z was not playing good. Roy is not going to look in Barnes or Marshall’s face during a game and tell them that any high school player could beat them that game. Sure Z played well, BUT, he should have huddled everybody and tell them to play like the are coached. That’s what a true leader is…..And Z didn’t or wouldn’t do that.

January 18, 2012 at 10:31 pm

^Oh so you saw every huddle and heard everything that was said during them? Great to know. Please report on all huddles during the game tomorrow night.

mrn10sdave

January 18, 2012 at 10:48 pm

faustus,

That piece about the shooting is interesting to me for what Roy said about P.J. The first time I saw him shooting in warm-ups for the exo game earlier this year, I thought it was the prettiest shot I’ve ever seen. He hurt his ankle, and he went through a stretch where he wasn’t getting the same extension. He got into a slump, but his form still looked solid. In the FSU game he was actually falling away from a lot of shots. I think he needs to go into that scene from “Tin Cup” where he puts his visor on backwards and a tee behind his ear to get this whole thing turned around.

You are reading something in my post that I don’t see that I wrote. Answer this for me then, Do you think Z pulled PJ over and told him not to shoot the ball the very second it touches his hand? Every single time he touched it? Do you think Z told Barnes that it will be OK if Barnes guarded his on person cause Z and Henson had the inside covered? And do you think Z asked Marshall to just calm down and let the game come to him, after maybe the forth of fifth TO? I don’t think Z did any of this. But Hey,I love Z as a player, he was the best by far on our team last game. He tried to lead by example, but he didn’t lead this team..

I can’t believe I’m arguing with the boss of this site. I guess I should go to bed now… My dog seems to know what I’m trying to say…..

January 18, 2012 at 10:59 pm

“Sure Z played well, BUT, he should have huddled everybody and tell them to play like the are coached.”

This is what you wrote and my point is you don’t know what was said or what Zeller did.

Bottom line is for all the crap that went on Saturday the last thing we are going to do is rip the one guy who showed up and played well over something no one can prove.

harrisonbarnes11

January 18, 2012 at 11:13 pm

We have got to show up tomorrow night. Come on guys we need to keep believing in our players. We have seen how good we can be. It just goes to show this has to be a mental lapse they are dealing with. In an honest opinion, I don’t think we lose another game. At All.

LarryS

January 18, 2012 at 11:27 pm

“Looks like Roy is worried about UNC’s shooting woes.”

According to that article, and Roy saying the team was shooting 47% 3P at one time, Roy is either loose with his numbers or one of the stats guys is giving him some inflated figures. I calculated that they peaked out at 44.4% in the 8th game. (Currently it’s 35.5%)

Long-range shooting does come and go, but I hope that at least Bullock and Hairston can start finding the basket over the next few games. I’m starting to grow weary of hearing how many shots these guys hit in practice (Henson, as well, where his last weeks’ FT count at practice was reported as 156/200).

I would like to see it brought to the game .

January 18, 2012 at 11:32 pm

I want to see Bullock and Hairston attack the basket more. If they are both in at the same time, defenses currently treat them as one dimensional players.

January 18, 2012 at 11:37 pm

I did not rip Z. I know how good Z was playing, it was like he was playing by himself. So if there ever was a time during a game to jump start your team mates for giving up, He had that chance. If he had told PJ,Marshall,Barnes and Henson to calm down in the beginning of the second halve maybe they would have listened and we may have lost by 15 or so. But I saw PJ still launching bricks as soon as he got the ball. (all game long).Marshall giving up to’s, all game long and Henson shooting 15ft’rs all game long, and nothing changed but the score margin, and that went straight up…..

January 18, 2012 at 11:42 pm

^^When they’re on, that’s a pretty good dimension to have, isn’t it? It’s not like we don’t have other players who can score inside, and if the offense is run correctly they get some pretty open looks.

Reggie has improved around the basket when he has had opportunites, but PJ still has a ways to go to avoid some of the charges, and rather awkward moves inside, he’s had lately.

I will, however, give Hairston a charge pass to level the dookie of his choice in one of the upcoming games……I think something like that might leave a mark.

January 18, 2012 at 11:45 pm

“This is what you wrote and my point is you don’t know what was said or what Zeller did”.

Your right, I don’t know what was said. But I know what wasn’t said because they came out and played worst, every single time…..

January 18, 2012 at 11:47 pm

I am not sure what exactly you want. Hairston shooting the ball is part of the offense and if he was open he’s supposed to shoot the ball. I will agree Henson has fallen in love with that jumper a bit too much and needs to mix it up more. Marshall just made bad decisions.

And again, we don’t know what was said by Zeller or anyone else. That’s my point. You cannot say he missed a chance to be a leader when you have no idea what he said or did. I am not saying you are wrong. I am saying it is something that cannot be proven unless you ask his teammates or him so let’s not go down that road.

January 18, 2012 at 11:49 pm

This game overwith, now lets all hope they destoy VT thursday…..

GO HEELS…..

January 19, 2012 at 12:12 am

My whole thing here is I don’t believe anything was said. If something had been said then I would have hoped to see some kind of change in the play, But I saw everybody but Z quitting. Thats when I saw he could have taken charge of the team. He’s a senior and the players would listen to him. Thats the chance I say he missed…..

January 19, 2012 at 12:25 am

partsman, I think you’re putting a litle too much value in anything Z might have been able to say on this particular day (and you/we still don’t know he didn’t say a bunch…..he might have said plenty) to affect everyone’s play.

I mean they’ve got Roy talking to them, Marshall is vocal, the assistant coaches are always in someone’s ear, and everything is going to turn around with Z’s magic words.

He was also plenty preoccupied with scoring 14 pts, dog-fighting for 14 RB’s, and blocking 4 shots to have much additional time to take charge of the team, encourage them to play harder and smarter, and make sure the cooler was filled with water.

BoyWilliams

January 19, 2012 at 4:42 am

ALL ALONE AMONG THOUSANDS

Blue Steel is a tender & fragile young bunch
so you can imagine their fright
to be left all alone among thousands
on that dark Tallahassee night

But they looked at the scoreboard, looked at each other,
and said “We know what we’re gonna do!”
So they marched right into tell Roy,
“Hey coach, WE coulda lost by 33 too!”

January 19, 2012 at 8:20 am

Hairston going through a shooting slump isn’t nearly as troublesome as Henson’s continued abysmal free throw shooting.

Jump shooters are usually streaky; he’ll come out of it-his mechanics and form are very strong and I’ve got no doubt that Hairston will be back on track soon.

The lack of improvement from Henson-regression even-at the free throw line is significantly more of a problem, for myriad reasons. First, it once more turns him into a liability at the end of close games, where his defense and rebounding could be critical-any coach YMCA level and above would rightly tell his players to hack Henson on sight at the end of games. Not coincidentally, children’s YMCA leagues is where you’d have to look for such awful FT shooting. I don’t envy Roy in having to make those lineup decisions at the end of games; then again, he makes way more money than I do.

The fact that it now seems that there will be more close ACC games than there should be and than we previously thought puts this into more sharp focus.

That Henson supposedly made 80% + of his FTs in practice is discouraging, not encouraging. It shows that he is physically capable and harbors no injuries hindering him. It also shows that his terrible FT shooting is a function of an utter lack of mental concentration and discipline-which were manifest in more than one way against FSU this week. None of this is reassuring.

______________________________________________________

I agree: no reason whatsoever to bag on anything Z did or didn’t do on Saturday. He was the only one out there not part of the problem. It seems that he has put his Deon Thompson impersonation behind him from earlier in the year and is looking more and more like last year’s NCAA player that dominated. Ragging on the sole bright spot from Saturday is asinine.

Ron

January 19, 2012 at 8:54 am

^^ BoyWilliams, that was gold!

Asheville Heel

January 19, 2012 at 9:09 am

As far as Henson’s FT shooting the problem is between his ears. Someone mentioned Lynch as the catalyst for the 93 team. His kind are rare in Carolina history. He really was a tough guy who commanded respect and backed it up by his enforcer play on the court. If you backed down in a game he was in your face and I’ve no doubt that behind the scenes he brooked no nonsense either. “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask of the ole Lone Ranger and you don’t mess around with Jim (George)”. Rest Jim Croce’s soul.

makeitWayne22

January 19, 2012 at 9:22 am

The team follows the lead from its leader, his name is Harrison Barnes. The games he decidees to be active on the boards and defense, the heels dominate, the games he doesnt FSU happens.

Until he buys into the defensive end or Roy starts making him earn his minutes, games like FSU can happen. Zeller is a senior but the AA all world recruit needs to take ownership of his team.

January 19, 2012 at 9:27 am

Asheville Heel…

George Lynch always and forever is my #1 all time Tar Heel favorite player.

The traits you cite are among the reasons why. Anybody know what #34 is up to these days?

January 19, 2012 at 9:51 am

Lynch is an assistant strength and conditioning coach at UC-Irvine right now. Here is an interview with SLAM Online from September.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/09/qa-with-george-lynch/

January 19, 2012 at 9:57 am

^great stuff! thanks…

January 19, 2012 at 10:45 am

My apologies THF. My ambein was kicked in for sure last night…..

January 19, 2012 at 10:59 am