The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

July 21, 2009

Game at North Carolina a new experience for youthful Herd

By Gary Fauber

When Donnie Jones was an assistant at Florida, coaching huge games in packed arenas was the norm.

In his first two years as Marshall’s head coach, trips to Memphis and Louisville provided big-stage atmosphere.

All of that will be dwarfed by what the Thundering Herd will see just days before Christmas.

When Marshall travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., on Dec. 22 to take on national champion North Carolina, it will be like nothing any of them has ever seen as a college basketball player.

“Obviously, it is a chance to play one of the great programs in college basketball,” Jones said. “It will be a great experience for our basketball program. Some of our kids are from the state of North Carolina, so it is a chance for them to get back to their home state and play against one of the truly historic programs.”

Damier Pitts and Hassan Whiteside know all about the Tar Heels’ legacy. Five national championships. Dozens of NBA draft picks. The impenetrable advantage of calling the Dean Dome home.

Those players are no doubt aware, but to actually be on the court will be an altogether new experience.

Jones, meanwhile, knows what it’s like to go up against the likes of UNC coach Roy Williams. Jones was an assistant to Billy Donovan when the Gators played against Kansas, then coached by Williams.

“I have a lot of respect for him,” Jones said. “It will be a great opportunity to take the team into that atmosphere and see what level you have to play at to win a national championship.”

Jones will take another young team into Chapel Hill despite losing only two players, forwards Markel Humphrey and Adam Williams. Guard Darryl Merthie, a former non-qualifier, earned back a year of eligibility through his hard work in the classroom.

There is plenty of experience back, from senior guard Chris Lutz and senior forward Tyler Wilkerson, to sophomore guards Pitts and Shaquille Johnson. But there are plenty of new faces as well, such as Western Carolina transfer Camden Miller and Whiteside, a highly touted 6-foot-11 center.

Jones said Tuesday he is still awaiting word from the NCAA Clearinghouse on the eligibility of 2009 signees Whiteside and DeAndre Kane, a 6-4 guard. Both played last season at The Patterson School, a veritable Marshall pipeline in Lenoir, N.C. Current Herd forward Tirrell Baines also went to the prep school, as did center Marcus Goode, who left the Marshall program in the middle of last season.

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