--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

















What really happened to Doherty in Carolina???


From a very good contact:
>
>"I've been privy to a lot of information over the past few seasons, some of
>which I have shared before, but most of which I have kept to myself. Now
>that the situation has mercifully been resolved, it is time to come clean.
>Obviously, this won't contain every detail, but provides more than enough
>evidence to appreciate the whole story.
>
>Think back to long before we ever knew of the problems we were about to
>face, specifically Sunday, February 18, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson,
>SC. The Heels were ranked #1 in the country, but losing at halftime to the
>lowly Clemson Tigers. This is where the downward spiral of the last three
>years began.
>
>A lot of people have heard the rumors about Joseph Forte's "@#%$ you,
>Doherty, I'm taking my @#%$ game to the league" comment, after a vicious
>tongue-lashing from his head coach. What they don't know is that even
>Forte's teammates knew that their coach was out of line. Brendan Haywood's
>response was "You need to chill, Coach." Jason Capel, largely thought to be
>feuding with Forte at the time, defended his teammate with "What did he do?"
>
>Doherty's response? "Let me @#%$ coach you, just get out there and play the
>God @#%$ game." The problem was, though, that he was doing more cussing, and
>less coaching. This began the cycle of berating players almost ceaselessly
>until his resignation on April 1.
>
>From there, the end of an 18 game winning streak, UNC went 5-5, including 2
>embarrassing losses to Duke, and bowed out in the second round of the NCAA
>tournament to Penn State.
>
>That off-season brought Forte leaving for the NBA, followed by the worst
>season in Carolina history, during which many fans turned on Jason Capel
>because of his perceived attitude problems. It seemed so simple then, but
>Capel was fighting an uphill battle against his tyrannical coach.
>
>After the first horrible loss to Duke, Capel couldn't take it anymore.
>"Coach, you need to get your head out of your @#%$ and try to help us," he
>begged, having exhausted all other means of helping his team as a senior
>leader.
>
>Doherty's response was not exactly what the team needed. "Jason, you're
>un-athletic, slow, your brother sucked, and your dad isn't that good of a
>coach. Don't @#%$ tell me what to do. I'm the God @#%$ coach of this team
>and if you want to leave and be a loser like your dad and brother, then go
>ahead!"
>
>After Adam Boone, Brian Morrison, and Neil Fingleton had already left the
>team to transfer, the story broke about Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel, and
>Melvin Scott considering following out the door. The three then-freshmen had
>to be convinced not to transfer by members of the basketball program (not
>including their head coach) at the 11th hour, when each of them was prepared
>to make their decision to leave public.
>
>As part of the agreement to return, Doherty promised the three players he
>would change, and was placed in mandated anger management counseling.
>
>The troubles had already had a strong impact on recruiting. Other schools
>used their knowledge of the problems against UNC in head-to-head battles,
>and in at least two major cases (Jason Fraser and Torin Francis), the
>visiting recruits were told by current and former players who had played
>under Doherty not to make the same mistake. Rather than vindictively
>plotting against the coach, the players were only looking out for peers that
>they had gotten close to through summer ball and all-star events.
>
>That's where most of the "Torin's mom didn't want him to come to UNC" came
>from. She was told by current and former players to absolutely,
>unconditionally not allow her son to play for Doherty, less he suffer the
>same experience they were trapped in.
>
>The summer before the 2002-03 season was relatively quiet, awaiting the
>arrival of savior recruits. We all thought that maybe Doherty had changed.
>Our thoughts were supported with a Preseason NIT title...until we lost our
>first game, a second half meltdown against Kentucky.
>
>The next Tuesday, Doherty may have sealed his own fate during a single
>practice, where he targeted Manuel especially harshly. Before practice,
>Manuel was warming up shooting the basketball. Doherty walked out and
>pounced on his defensive specialist. "Why the @#%$ are you shooting,
>Jackie?" Doherty asked. "I'm just trying to get better, Coach." Then it
>really went downhill, in front of the entire team..."You can't get better.
>You are a @#%$ terrible piece of @#%$, Jackie. You can't shoot, you aren't
>that good on defense, you can't finish. Why the @#%$ did I recruit you? You
>weren't a McDonald's All-American. You don't deserve to wear the @#%$ rubber
>your shoes are made out of!"
>
>"I should have gotten James White or Julius Hodge. You know how much God
>@#%$ better this team would be if you weren't on it? In fact, come to my
>office right now."
>
>The team follows their coach into his office, where Doherty puts in a
>highlight reel of the aforementioned White and Hodge. "See! Look how much
>better they are than your sorry @#%$! Get out of my sight!"
>
>A full-fledged player mutiny was underway. Felton, Manuel, Scott, and May
>were fed up to the point of quitting the team and walking out of traffic.
>Ironically, it was help from Rashad McCants, now public enemy #2 behind
>Baddour for the Pro-Doherty crowd, and Will Johnson that convinced those
>four players not to leave, but the damage was done. The team sent Johnson to
>talk to Doherty, but it was already too late.
>
>One week later, Sean May became Doherty's target of choice for ridicule in
>front of his teammates, much in the same manner as Manuel was attacked, and
>very much exemplary of the way Doherty tore his players down. May's
>victimization included being called a "fat @#%$" and this statement: "You're
>not half the man or player your father was."
>
>It wasn't just May and Manuel. At some point, every player on the team
>received this type of unprovoked, belittling attack in front of his
>teammates. Nobody escaped Doherty's ire, and at one point this season, every
>player except for Williams, Sanders, and Grant was planning on transferring
>because they couldn't handle Doherty any longer.
>
>Nor were these isolated incidents-rather, they characterize what everyday
>life under Matt Doherty was like.
>
>In early February, Chancellor Moeser called Phil Ford about the whispers he
>had heard about the state of the basketball program for the fourth time.
>Loyal to UNC to a fault, Ford had felt out of place addressing the concerns,
>but now, he knew he could be quiet no longer. He told Moeser the whole
>story.
>
>Immediately afterwards, Moeser called Baddour to investigate and examine the
>situation. Ford tells the players to keep the issues "in house," meaning
>away from the public scrutiny of the media. Directly afterwards, the player
>comments to reporters took a strangely positive turn.
>
>About this time, Scott May became the unofficial voice of the team, athletic
>department, and players, all of whom were under strict orders to keep the
>problems "in the family." Meanwhile, the elder May met with Moeser, Baddour,
>and Doherty many times during February and March.
>
>After investigating the situation, Moeser tells Baddour to handle the
>situation and make a decision in the best interest of the program. The
>players are told "if you go through it, we will work it out in the
>off-season." It's no coincidence that they were told this right before the
>thrilling victory over Duke.
>
>More relaxed, the players were able to play with more focus and intensity
>than they had since the preseason NIT. I can't go into specifics here, but
>the team's desire to not play in the NIT and then their inconsistent
>performance through much it speaks volumes. They were ready for the season
>to be over.
>
>Finally, following the loss to Georgetown, Baddour conducts his meetings
>with the players to find out more. Some players have kept diaries, including
>6 pages of critical incidents from Jon Holmes, and Baddour has his decision
>by that Saturday.
>
>This is the state of UNC Basketball. As cited elsewhere, Doherty alienated
>many people in the athletic administration, including ticket director Clint
>Gwaltney, Steve Kirschner, associate athletic directors, associate chairs,
>secretaries, treasurers, interns, janitors, and almost everyone else
>associated with the program.
>
>Though it's not pretty, all of the above is absolutely, 100% true. Share
>with anyone you think needs to know, but keep my name out of it. I trust
>your eyes have been opened a bit by my confessional, though I am sorry for
>every Carolina fan that it had to happen."




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

©2001, Czabe.com
Radio Resume | Hear Me At | Sports Gallery | Audio Files
Top 3 Lists | We Recommend | FAQs | E-Mail

The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of any radio stations, networks, or organizations for which Mr. Czaban is currently employed or contracts with. The opinions are pretty damn good, most of the time, but are subject to factual discrepancies and Mr. Czaban's personal biases from time to time. Any such discrepancies or disagreement you have with these opinions, are welome at steve@czabe.com. This website is intended for entertainment and information purposes only. All other uses of the material found within is done so without approval. This is not an actual legally binding disclaimer, but you get the point.

Interesting story. Steve Czaben, however, is one of the most untalented pieces of garbage to ever sit in front of a microphone. He's not even a Jim Rome jock sniffer. He's like a JT the Brick jock sniffer.

So I discredit most of this, but it is pretty damn interesting.

kind of makes sense though, i was wondering why he'd had such a hard time finding another coaching gig after his work with notre dame, cataclysmic failure at UNC notwithstanding (not unlike the ending of my own experiences there).

I don't know Czaben's work- this appeared in my e-mail and thought people would find it interesting. Is he a national guy?

He can be funny in small doses.

I don't know if he still phones it in to Milwaukee's LAZAH! one-oh-three morning show, but when he did, three, four years ago, and I'd hear it, I could chuckle. Mostly did obvious riffs, of course, all the same.

But, yes, I can't see taking three- or four-hours of him on his own show.

Hell, I don't even listen to the "World's Greatest Sports Talk-show" anymore, and I used to be a regular caller to that (when I was eleven, twelve, thirteen). Steve "the Homer" True's schtick just wore off for me, I guess. And he was good.

When we used to get Romey in Atlanta, he was kind of the designated fill-in guy when Rome was "in the basement".

I believe that he is nationally syndicated on Fox Sports Radio---I've heard him occasionally weekends/overnights on our local FSR afilliate.

I want to say that he is based in DC, but his true home is Complete-lack-of-talent-ville.

Edit: Czaban is now doing mornings for FSR in the old Tony Bruno slot. So we know the guy owns a set of knee pads.

Didnt he always come off as so laid back in televised iterviews and such..

What a Jeckyl and Hyde persona , if true...

The only incident that I can remember which lends creedence to the article was his confrontation with the Duke coaches and players. Head coaches have to rise above that sort of thing.

Speaking of which: what is your opinion of Coach K NEVER shaking hands with the opposing teams assistants, only the head coach? I heard Paul Hewwit asked about it----he was poilitical but basically said he thought it was classless.......

<------ big fan of the cartoon swear.

Didn't know about it, sounds like hierarchical BS to me. There's such a fie line on this stuff- if Bob Knight does the same thing, and the team is winning, then he's "old school", but if they are losing, the game has passed him by and he needs anger management classes.

Sounds like Doherty's downfall was turning that on way too early in his career when the players had no reason to listen to it.

Well, Knight had a record to monger on. Whereas Doherty did not. Sounds like a fucking asshole. I can guarantee Bobby Knight never brought a team into his office to berate a dude and show clips of folks he "should've recuited instead."

Knight coached at Army, so did K. They tear you down, but they build you up again into what they want. Doherty was good at the demolition, not good at the rebuilding.

Although those players he recruited didn't do too bad this year

Knight coached Krzyzweski at Army. That's my favorite part.

Knowing quite a bit of people at UNC during these years and being in such close proximity myself, this whole story was pretty well known in the last half of the season leading up to Doherty's firing.

what in the holy hell are you basing this guarantee on?

Sacrifice.

I guess i can't guarantee it, as I have never attended a Bobby Knight practice, but call it a strong feeling. There is a reason Knight was able to win, you gotta have a little carrot, to go with tthe stick

Doherty probaby started to feel the immense pressure of what it was to be coaching one of the premiere teams in college basketball history.

I'd probably snap too more then a few times.

One thing is for sure, he could definitely recruit.

I'm mesmerized by your avatar.

I'm guessing it doesn't take that much recruiting skill to get someone to come play for UNC.

Darn tootin'. And Doherty will coach again, perhaps at a smaller, less scrutinized program. Dude was a 'genius coach' after his stellar first season, then came the mutiny - did players' egos have much to do with this I wonder.

And why is this Mr. Czaban trying stoke this fire again. Is this some personal vendetta? It makes no sense to me. Roy's the coach, they won the NCAAs, so what's the hub-bub? It's not like he fondled Forte in the showers, they just had it out with each other. Let dying 'Heels lie.

I've heard rumors *whistles*

I wouldn't be so sure. Remember, UCLA may be the most storied programme in NCAA Division I, but it has had its fallow period (1975 thru '94 without a title, correct?). Georgetown was a big name for a bit too, but that didn't mean Esherick could bring much in to replenish. Louisville has had its down moments. And who at Michigan can even remember the fab five, considering how awful they've been of late (even with a much-celebrated Dukie bringing it from the bench!)?

So, never a sure thing, with recruiting.

Am I right?

Is everything Jesse Helms said about the Chapel Hill campus true?

You're probably right, but that doesn't mean the coach just has to sit back and watch the recruits roll in. He's gotta do some legwork.