Tar Heel Post
 
UNC and Roy Williams have confirmed that Larry Drew has left the team. Williams says that he felt blindsided when Drew's dad, head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, informed him of the news this morning.

In his press conference, Williams looked shaken by the news and seemed disappointed with Drew himself. He even stated that he saw no good reason for Drew to leave at this point in the season. 

 
The day after Signing Day, the Tar Heels picked up their first commitment for the 2012 class. Shakeel Rashad is a linebacker out of Jacksonville, Florida. This is a great start to the new recruiting class. The Tar Heel just landed a top 20 recruiting class for 2011, and it seems like they just got off on the right foot for 2012. It is great for Butch Davis and his staff to be able to recruit out of Florida. Florida has a lot of talent but is hard to recruit out of. The coaching staff has done a great job recruiting so I believe that they will pick up many more recruits for 2012.
 
The most popular player on a team is the backup point guard. Fans seem to always think that he is better than the starter. That was the case with Larry Drew and Kendall Marshall this year, but I would have to agree that Marshall is the better player. Marshall also deserves to start. The team has been much better when Kendall Marshall has started and he reminds me of another great point guard, Ed Cota. However, we need to give credit where credit is due. Against Boston College, Larry Drew had nine assists compared to only one turnover. That is good in anybody's book. I think it shows a lot of maturity after losing his job to a freshman to go out there and play hard. That kind of unselfish play is what will take us deep into the NCAA Tournament this year.
 
Well, it was not as much of a surprise if you follow recruiting analysts on Twitter, but as of two days ago UNC was not even on Simmons list and he had not officially visited. Things change quickly.

Around 11:15 AM today, Simmons picked North Carolina over USC and Oregon, among others, in what will likely wrap-up the Heels class. Simmons is a huge pick-up. Due to his recent performance in the U.S. Army All-American Game, Simmons climbed up to a five-star on Scout.com. 

 
We have mentioned this idea briefly, but it is worth bringing up again: the Tar Heels are the second best team in the ACC. After struggling early, they have found their swagger and toughness all because they started hitting some shots. After Reggie Bullock had that brilliant first half against Clemson, he has since played with more heart and emotion. That heart and emotion has led to more playing time and subsequently more offense.

 
The Tar Heels solidified themselves as the second best team in the ACC after they ran all over Boston College. It may have been cold outside but apparently the Tar Heels did not realize it as they shot a scorching 52 percent from the three-point line. Harrison Barnes led the way with a second straight 20 point game as he scored 26. For Boston College, only one player showed up as Joe Trapani scored 25. The Freshmen for UNC have really stepped up as Bullock added 16 points and Marshall had 6 assists added to Barnes' fantastic night. The Tar Heels have now won 9 out of their last 10.
 
Reggie Jackson was one of the greatest post-season baseball players of all time. He will forever be remembered as Mr. October.

 
InsideCarolina.com is reporting that the Tar Heels have received a verbal commitment from JUCO running back Stephen Houston. He was the fallback guy after Savon Huggins committed to Rutgers. 

The importance of the Houston commitment lies in the numbers. The depth chart did not look as deep as the staff would have liked at running back, and we saw this year how many running backs could get injured.

Another problem with the running back depth chart is the fact that many of them have had major injuries in the last year. Gio Bernard has struggled and sat out this last year with an ACL injury, and freshman Travis Riley has had a similar injury. So adding depth to this position is a very good idea.

Houston originally had committed to Mississippi out of high school, but did not have the grades to get in. Assuming he now has the grades, he should be a strong runner for the Heels. While not a heavily recurited or highly-ranked prospect, you never know how well a running back can produce after one year of Junior College. Hopefully, he will carry the ball for a lot of yards instead of just taking up a scholarship.
 
Tar Heel nation can breathe a little now. Carolina basketball is back where it belongs: in the Top 25. At least in one media poll.

In the Associated Press poll, the Heels came in at No. 23. The ESPN/USA Today poll was not quite as generous as UNC ended up just out of the Top 25 at No. 26.

If the Heels continue to play well they will climb up the polls, but that is yet to be seen. At any rate, It is quite a good feeling to be back in familiar territory.
 
Going into the season, Harrison Barnes would have been voted most likely to be named the ACC Rookie of the Week the most, yet this is his first one.

He was not even the first Tar Heel to be given this honor since Reggie Bullock was just named a Rookie of the Week as well. This is a great accomplishment for Barnes as we sense him breaking out. 

His game winning shots against Miami, and his 25 point game against N.C. State are the reasons for this honor.