Monday, March 27, 2000
Forte not your average freshman
BY PAUL DAUGHERTY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
AUSTIN, Texas — Freshmen who play basketball at the University of North Carolina are dirt. Also, porters, lackeys and last in the buffet line, to say nothing of silent.
They are to be seen and not heard, like children and Duke fans. It's tradition, like reaching the Final Four. So who was this kid Joseph Forte, running his mouth in fifth gear, and what did he think he was doing?
“I'll average 12 points,” he said. This was in, uh, October. “I'll be a key factor on this team. I'm a go-to guy.”
That's good. Now, go to the soda machine and get me a drink. First, shut up.
“They always told me to shut up. They didn't take me serious,” Forte said Sunday. “I wouldn't take a freshman serious, either.”
They're taking him serious now. They have no choice.
Forte the freshman scored 28 of UNC's 59 points as the Tar Heels beat Tulsa to reach their 15th Final Four, third in the last four years.
Cota cool cat
It helped that Carolina played a lot of zone, which slowed the Golden Hurricane down to the speed limit. It helped that the Heels had a senior, Ed Cota, playing point guard. Cota has been in Chapel Hill longer than the chapel. “I push the buttons on this team,” he reminded everyone asking Forte questions.
It helped that the Tar Heels were taller than Tulsa the way trees are taller than Volkswagens. “Their bigness on the backline,” decided Tulsa's Eric Coley, “was a big factor.”
Got it. It was big that Carolina was big. But nothing was as big as Forte. Even if he is a freshman.
With the Hurricane trying desperately to cut off 7-foot Brendan Haywood and 6-11 Kris Lang, Forte was free to shoot jump shots. He curled off a screen for a 12-footer that put the Tar Heels up 10, with 4:47 left. He blunted Tulsa's comeback with two free throws with 26.5 ticks left, and he was on the line to ice it with a free throw with four seconds remaining.
“We were all over him toward the end, and he still made shots,” Coley said.
When it was over, Forte tossed the ball into the North Carolina cheering section. He was named MVP of the region. But he's still a freshman, a fact he will not be allowed to forget.
He will still be last in the food line. He will still be the last one to drink during the water breaks. He will still haul the dreaded green bag, a big canvas carry-on filled with the team trainer's supplies, from the hotel to the bus on road trips.
Not regular freshman
Michael Jordan did this, too, so it must mean something.
Upperclassmen voted Forte this honor. He earned it in October. “They thought it would give me some humility,” he said.
Probably not. But you should see the kid's shoulders.
It is unusual, at North Carolina, for a freshman to express himself beyond the cliched line. It's unusual for any player at UNC. Carolina is the IBM of college hoops. You half expect the Tar Heels to play in winged-tips. Air Businessmans.
But, as Forte noted Sunday, “I didn't want to be a regular freshman. I wanted to stand out.”
He did. He has.
“He scores so easy,” Tulsa coach Bill Self said.
“He's really becoming a good stopper,” UNC coach Bill Guthridge decided. Leave it to a Tar Heel to note a guy's defense who just scored 28 of your your 59 points. When Forte bagged 32 in the team's annual preseason scrimmage, Guthridge praised Cota and the junior Haywood, ignoring Forte.
“He was trying to keep me on the humble trip,” Forte said.
Good luck. Good luck, too, with the green bag. It's still yours, rookie.
Any chance of someone else hauling it to Indy?
“Oh, no. Oh, no,” Guthridge said. “In fact, we may put some more bricks in there.”
Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty welcomes your comments at 768-8454. Fair Game, a collection of his columns, is available at local bookstores.
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