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October 8, 2001

Thad Mumau
CarolinaBlue.com

Ever since it was announced that what's-his-name will play his college basketball at Duke, the general feeling seems to be that the Blue Devils are a cinch to win four straight national championships with the recruiting class of 2002.

It's a dynamite collection of talent, no doubt about it, a six-pack of size, shooting and savvy. Folks are looking back to the UCLA glory days to find a one-year gathering of prospects as fine as the one assembled this fall by Mike Krzyzewski.

Carolina fans are spending their time convincing themselves that there is no way all six will stay in college four years, while also finding consolation in the hope that no decent high school senior in his right mind will choose Duke a year from now.

Meanwhile, Matt Doherty and his staff remain positive and patient, waiting to see if Brad Buckman's wonderful weekend in Chapel Hill will be enough to stave off pressure from hometown Texas. They also feel good about the fact that Jason Fraser really liked his in-home visit with the Tar Heels.

It's a mighty big IF at this time, but if UNC lands the 6-10 Fraser of Amityville (NY) High School and the 6-8 Buckman of Austin (TX) Westlake, the Heels would have a strong enough recruiting class to rank No. 1 in the country in most years. Carolina already has commitments from the No. 2 and No. 9 prospects in the Prepstars.com national rankings in point guard Raymond Felton of Latta (SC) High and 6-4 wing Rashad McCants, respectively. Fraser is No. 15 and Buckman is No. 21. Getting four of the top 21 high school seniors would be a great accomplishment.

Duke, of course, has commitments from No. 5 (Shelden Williams), No. 7 (Shavlik Randolph), No. 12 (J.J. Redick), No. 22 (Michael Thompson), No. 31 (Sean Dockery) and No. 109 (Lee Melchionni, who is expected to walk on as a freshman).

If you want to play a version of the numbers game that defies everyone's assessment that Duke's recruiting class is a shoo-in for No. 1, Carolina could just miss being No. 1 this year with the addition of Fraser and Buckman.

Here's how: Take the rankings of that pair. Felton and McCants, and add them up to get 47. Add the numbers of Duke's top four commitments, and you get 46. The lower the number, the higher the ranking, so the very slight edge would go to the Blue Devils.

Of course, another top-50 prospect (Dockery) and one more just out of the top 100 (Melchionni) further strengthens Duke's class. But this view is something to help Carolina fans feel better.

As for the future Tar Heels, IF Fraser and Buckman decide to add a healthy dash of light blue to their wardrobes, Midnight with Matt, circa 2002, would boast an impressive cast of potential stars.

Jawad Williams, Melvin Scott and Jackie Manuel (they combined to give Carolina the No. 2 class in the country for 2001) make their debuts in the coming days, and their athleticism should spice a start to the kind of all-court hoops Doherty wants to play. Felton and Company would make things even more lively in the Dean Dome.

Turning a couple of ifs into reality could put the Tar Heels back into the picture in a big way. Maybe Duke shouldn't have those trophies engraved after all.

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