Last night I went to the Colonial Center to watch the Indiana Pacers play the Charlotte Bobcats in pre-season NBA basketball.Why, you ask?
Let me start at the begining.
The year was 2002.
The 2001-2002 North Carolina Mens Basketball team finished the season with a record of 8-20, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1975 and finishing with a losing record for the first time since 1962 (Dean Smith's first year as coach). The season also saw the end of UNC's run of 30 straight 20-win seasons and 35 straight seasons of finishing higher than third in the ACC.
As Tarheel fans, me and my dad and my buddy Jack Pringle, felt terrible. It was a sad time for Heels fans.
That is when we learned of UNC's prized recruit for next year. The Savior, 2002 National High School Player of the Year, Raymond Felton, of Latta South Carolina, would be playing in the High School State Championship game in Columbia at the Carolina Colliseum.
We got tickets and went to the game.
Felton was supposed to be good. Felton: earned first-team All-America honors from USA Today, Parade, Sporting News and Basketball America; led Latta High to back-to-back state championships and a 104-9 record during his career, earning Mr. Basketball in South Carolina as a junior and senior; established the state career scoring record with 2,992 points; set a state record with 117 3-point field goals as a senior; averaged 30.8 points, 7.7 assists and 3.9 steals per game as a senior; also played football (quarterback and safety) and baseball (pitcher and shortstop) for two years in high school; ran the 100 meters one year; led the state in interceptions as a sophomore on the football field; and was named to the all-state academic team as a senior.
Was Felton really that good, or did he just dominate the smaller schools of South Carolina 1A Basketball?
Felton was that good and broke fellow Irmo Yellowjacket B.J. McKie's finals scoring record by scoring 45 points with 10 assists and six steals in the 2002 South Carolina Class 1A championship game.
We left the game elated and re-energized about Tarheel basketball.
Ever since that day, Raymond Felton has been my favorite B-ball player.
I followed Felton as he played for the Heels and even had to drive to Clemson to watch him play.
In his freshman year, he was voted Carolina Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Week three times, had 236 assists, and averaged 12.0 points a game.
During his sophomore year, Felton was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award and the Naismith Award, and had 213 assists, led the Tar Heels in steals (63) and free throw percentage (81%) while averaging 11.5 points per game.
In his third and final season at North Carolina, Felton averaged 12.9 points and 6.9 assists per game and led the Tar Heels along with fellow juniors Rashad McCants and Sean May and freshman Marvin Williams to the 2005 National Championship over the University of Illinois on April 4, 2005 in St. Louis, the 5th Title in UNC's history (1924, 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005).
I previously posted a photo of my Championship Game poster where Felton is shown dribbling the ball shortly after tip-off against Illinois(link).
What no-one seemed to notice is that I got Felton to autograph that poster.
Felton Left UNC after winning the National Championship his junior year and was selected 5th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. Just as he did for the Latta Vikings, Felton now wears jersey No. 20 as a professional. In his rookie season in the NBA he averaged 11.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.6 APG while splitting time with veteran point guard Brevin Knight.
Felton is a great basketball player and great South Carolinian. Felton has never been in trouble and gives back to the Latta community(link).
This Year, Felton will be a starter for the Bobcats and the Bobcats are his team. I have drafted Felton on all of my fantasy NBA teams and I really think the Bobcats can make the playoffs (if they stay healthy).
Felton Fun Fact: Felton first began dribbling a basketball at age two.
2 comments:
Ray was the consummate team player at Chapel Hill. In the tradition of Tar Heel point guards, he sacrificed individual stats for the good of the team and could have averaged 20 ppg easily.
Where would you rate him in terms of Carolina point guards, in the modern era after white guys with short shorts and ethnic names from New York ran the point? Obviously, Phil Ford will always be #1, but I'm having a hard time putting Kenny Smith or Ed Cota ahead of Felton because of the championship Felton won.
Felton is better than Smith and Cota. Smith was a good NBA player, Felton will be better.
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