For UNC Media day, if most of the questions aren’t about Tez Walker then what will it be about?

Luke Tkach from the News and Observer joins us every Friday, and I know North Carolina's got their basketball media day today. So, Luke, how many questions will be asked about Tez Walker?

You know, my guess is not a ton. Not as many as maybe a week ago, but I think the over-under we should game we should play is how many questions are about this year and how many questions are about last year. Oh yes, I think we'll get a lot of questions about last year.

I did see that Armando Baycott like quote tweeted something about Caleb Love, always, always family. That's what's going to be the overriding discussion point. If UNC's offense looks better and they just have a better season, it's going to be attributed to addition by subtraction, isn't it? Yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot of that going on everywhere, but I mean, I think I think what this, what the targets need and more than anything was just a fresh start. I mean, the baggage built up so quickly last year, they were never able to get out from under it. And regardless of who's here and who isn't, I think the beneficial thing for North Carolina is just going to be being zero and zero. That's just not a chance they gave themselves last year because they embraced all those expectations. And then when the water got too deep, they couldn't swim.

So I'm happy getting the reset button is the way to go. You know, it's funny. I mean, I want to get to Tez and the Hurricanes while we have Luke Tkachir, but it's when I go back and think about the way I approached last season, I didn't think, I didn't look at them and see the number one team in the country, but I thought I saw a good team, right? I didn't see the team that was this close to winning the title. I saw a team that, okay, I know they got hot, but I also think they're good.

But boy, it just unraveled so quickly. It was as big a test for Hubert Davis as maybe any he's going to have. Yeah, I mean, I think year one was a big test, too, the way that team rallied late and created sort of the impression that that last year's team was capable of doing the same thing. It's funny.

You know, we talked about last year and this year, and we're spending most of this time talking about last year. It's so easy to take the over so hard to escape from. It really is because it was such a.

You know, I hate people overuse the word epic, but it really had that sort of epic poem drama of pathos and tragedy, not like real tragedy, basketball tragedy. And it's just it's just going to be very difficult to get out from under that. I think I think no matter how thin you slice it, that shadow is going to hang over this team and me. Look, if R.J. Davis and Armando Baker had left, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. But those guys and the other guys who returned sort of open the window to say, you know, which one of these is the real UNC, the UNC of March twenty twenty two or the UNC of all of twenty two, twenty three.

And obviously there's a big, big departure there. And people love to blame Caleb Love for just about everything. In fact, I'm surprised someone hasn't written that Caleb Love is the reason because Walker's appeal took so long. That's just sort of the way it seems to go with Caleb Love.

But, you know, he certainly did bear his share of the blame as well, perhaps not as much as was sometimes apportioned. And but it's going to be really interesting to see if the offense comes out and functions really well with one fewer shooter. And that was always sort of my my question about UNC was just even two years ago, there were just too many guys who needed the ball in their hands. There were too many sort of ball dominant players.

So now maybe you've got one fewer, even two fewer players like that. You know, can you get to a more fluid offense? And, you know, as Roy used to like to say, everyone looks better when the ball goes in the pocket. I feel like that would also help their defense if they're not just, you know, struggling mightily out. Sidney Lowe, you got to make shots. All right, let's your thoughts, your thoughts on the circus that became, hey, Tez Walker's eligible. That should have been it. Let's just keep it moving.

But your thoughts on the circus? Yeah, I mean, I you want to tell the NCAA the same thing I tell coaches all the time. Just you got to learn to take an L buddy. Sometimes you just get lost. You just say it and you move on. You don't need to make excuses. You don't need to point fingers. You don't need to, you know, I'm not going to single anyone out here, but you don't need to say that Clemson had a laptop on the sideline. You just need to take the L and move on. And the NCAA refused to do it.

It just there's a line and get shorty where John Travolta turns to Gene Hackman and says, Harry, are you trying to tell me you screwed up without sounding stupid? Cause that's tough to do. And that's exactly what the NCAA was trying to do.

They were trying to admit they screwed up without sounding stupid. The idea that it UNC behavior quote unquote was quote unquote inappropriate. Tez Walker isn't eligible. If UNC doesn't mount that campaign, that PR campaign, Tez Walker is eligible. If UNC doesn't threaten to go outside the process and bring in outside lawyers, which they were obviously prepared to do and imminently.

So, so I just, I I've said all along, you and I've had this conversation. The NCA was sacrificing Tez Walker on the altar of amateurism. If you, if we can even still call it that it was to make the point, the cruelty was always the point to make the point that the NCA is in charge and athletes like Tez Walker are going to have to do what the NCA says, whether they like it or not. And, you know, in the end, the pressure mounted to the point, not to mention the NCA boneheaded decisions to let guys with weaker cases than Tez Walker have waivers to play this year.

It totally undercut itself. It said, well, we're taking a hard line on waivers and then didn't, uh, it's just a classic failure of leadership at the NCA. And I honestly, I, I think Charlie Baker is a really smart guy. Um, I thought he would be able to fix some, if not all of what's wrong with the NCA. I'm extremely disappointed in the way he let the situation be handled. He should have stepped in long ago rather than just putting his name on a press release, blasting UNC for basically for being impertinent. I mean, that whole press release was basically UNC should know it's play. That was the whole point of everything they did with Tez Walker.

Know your place. Here's the NCAA's bigger problem. Um, and I promise this is going to ultimately be, uh, be a big deal for them is that when they allowed first time transfers to transfer without penalty, you don't have to sit out a year. They opened the door for explain to me why again, second time transfers have to sit out.

Why are we punishing the second time transfer and not the first time transfer? Uh, and the, the answer will be, oh, wait a second, because that is the legal challenge. That is the legal challenge. It's going to take this whole thing to the point where, well, I mean, they're going to be declared employees anyway.

Uh, and who knows how many jurisdictions, uh, coming up within a couple of years, but that's going to take the NCAA down. All right. Uh, I'm not, uh, you know, are you coming tonight to tonight's hockey game? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I wouldn't, I wouldn't miss a preseason hockey game.

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Call 1-888-SOTYKTU to learn more. Yeah, I, you know, I, I'm going to go, I want to see this most, I guess you'd say it's a full team. I still think when you, when you is going to be a part of the opening that line up before all is said and done. But, um, you know, I don't think it's in Rod Brind'Amour's DNA to play 70, unless he's, you know, in some sort of salary cap crisis or COVID injury crunch.

And Sebastiano is trapped at the border in Vancouver. Um, yeah, no, I, I, I, I am curious to see, because I think, you know, after last night's came out, I mean, that was basically the AHL team, the hurricane don't have with Toronto. Um, I'm curious to see whether they can keep their foot on the gas, the way they have in some of these other preseason games. I know we say that preseason doesn't matter and it does it. But when you look at the history of the hurricane, they're good teams have been really good in the preseason.

Um, that's been true the last couple of years. It was obviously true in, in oh six and oh nine. And it's just, uh, actually I shouldn't say oh nine. I honestly don't remember if they're any good in the preseason.

Oh nine. But, um, I want to see them continue to do that because I think it will be a good sign to play the way that they have to play to be successful. You can't just flip the switch on opening night. You've got to bring that into the season with you.

I think they have so far. Um, you know, I, I, it's always curious to see, you know, we're table terrifying and is in his process. Um, but, but he's also proven that, uh, his own pace tends to get in there at the end. Um, and we haven't really seen anyone do the old Ray Whitney, pull a groin, play in the last preseason game trick. So, I mean, I feel like that, that everybody's really kind of pulling on the same rope here. Nothing against Ray Whitney. It's a veteran move.

I salute it. Um, but you know, it's, uh, it just feels like I want to see that continue tonight. Uh, here's my guess at best Andrei Svechnikov is 50-50 to play in the opener at best. I mean, he's, he's still wearing a yellow Jersey in practice. He's not gonna, he's not in the lineup tonight. Uh, tonight and Wednesday are only five days away.

Not a ton is going to change. I think there's really only one practice day between tonight and Wednesday. I believe, uh, it's either Sunday or Monday. I don't think they're, they're off tomorrow. I think they're doing off ice stuff. They're doing off ice stuff Monday. So I think there's only one real practice day.

So I don't know how they can make a determination. And I would not be shocked if Felix Unger Sorum was in the opening night lineup. They got it. They got a free hit for what, eight games, nine games before they have to ship him up back to, uh, the junior team and in Sweden, he's been impressive. Yeah.

I I'll be honest. I know that's how it works with Canadian junior players. I don't know, uh, what, what the rules are for European players. Um, they may be the same. They may be different. I don't know to be honest.

I haven't had, I have not had that conversation with, with Tom diamond or John Waddell. So I, I have to admit, I don't know the, the specifics of Felix Unger Sorum specific case. However, if it is the same as Canadian junior players, which it may very well be, uh, absolutely let the kid play in an NHL game or two, or just hang out with the team for a couple of weeks, get to soak it in a little bit and take that back to his team with the confidence boost of knowing you played well enough to be the 25th, 26 guy, however you want to look at it. Um, he's obviously a very promising player. He's a very young player. Um, uh, you know, based on his, his date of birth and his birth year and all that, um, there's no reason to rush this kid.

No. Um, so, so just, yeah, I mean, do the smart thing. I mean, honestly, I would say the same thing about this batch, uh, this, this team season, uh, as long as they don't open the season, Oh, 12 and two, uh, this team season doesn't really start until April. So let Andrei Svechnikov take all the time he needs to get back to a hundred percent. Um, and, and be at full strength because he's going to try to come back early. That's in his nature. He's going to come back as soon as he feels ready, be smart, be patient.

If it takes a little longer, that's fine. Um, you know, just, just handle it well because you, you, you don't need him in October. You know, you need him in may. That's true of everybody on this team.

Game one through seven, not nearly as important as game 83 through 107. That's the way I look at it. I think you do as well. Luke, I will see you tonight. Sounds good.