Danny Green News

Once a rookie is drafted, he must participate in preseason workouts and is generally expected to fade into obscurity on the bench during the regular season.

No. 6/4 North Carolina will face North Carolina Central in its season-opener and Carolina's second game of the season.

Four-time All-America Tyler Hansbrough is gone, as are Ty Lawson, last season's ACC Player of the Year, and Wayne Ellington, the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player last spring.

This is the one piece of advice Marcus Ginyard wishes someone had given him before his freshman year at North Carolina: "Coach Williams is right 100 percent of the time, no matter what," Ginyard said.

For years, everything Duke and North Carolina achieved - the conference championships, Final Four trips and national titles - has been connected in a back-and-forth game of one-upmanship. These days the Tar Heels have the upper hand.

How important is a coach who can flat-out recruit in a program that has great tradition? The answer is ... very important.

Each week I'll talk about the sport I love, college basketball: &#8226 What does it say when North Carolina loses key players like Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and Danny Green and still gets picked co-favorite in the ACC by the media.

ONE FANTASTIC RIDE: THE INSIDE STORY OF CAROLINA BASKETBALL'S 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON - Available from uncpress.unc.edu or wherever books are sold.

Roy Williams can't escape Dean Smith's presence. The legend's name is on the building.

Clemson will have a solid gauge on this year when Oliver Purnell and the Tigers travel to California for the 76 Classic.

North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson insists he never got caught up in what might have been as he watched his former team win the national championship.

The biggest college basketball games are decided by the biggest talents: Tyler Hansbrough, Emeka Okafor and Al Horford.

The rosters featured NBA All-Stars and players who helped North Carolina win national championships.

" The former greats of Tar Heel lore descended upon the Smith Center on Friday night as North Carolina tipped off its centennial season of basketball in star-studded fashion with the school's Pro Alumni Game.

Tuesday afternoon, a collection of Tar Heels were drafted all over again. Sept. 2, 2009 By Adam Lucas Early Tuesday afternoon, current Tar Heel Marcus Ginyard was explaining the significance of this weekend's basketball activities, which include Friday night's sold-out professional alumni game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed rookie forward Danny Green, their second-round pick in this year's NBA draft.

Danny Green #14 of the North Carolina Tar Heels gestures on court the Michigan State Spartans during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan.

So maybe the Cavaliers' roster isn't quite set just yet. The team is looking forward to having jump-shooting specialist Rob Kurz in training camp, but the deal isn't finalized.

Jerry Stackhouse doesn't think about what might have been. He and teammate Rasheed Wallace left Carolina after helping the Tar Heels to a Final Four in 1995, eliminating the chance of a potential 1995-96 dream squad that would have included Stackhouse, Wallace, Jeff McInnis, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ademola Okulaja and Shammond Williams.

Jerry Stackhouse doesn't think about what might have been. He and teammate Rasheed Wallace left Carolina after helping the Tar Heels to a Final Four in 1995, eliminating the chance of a potential 1995-96 dream squad that would have included Stackhouse, Wallace, Jeff McInnis, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ademola Okulaja and Shammond Williams.