North Carolina basketball coach Matt Doherty and I had the following conversation about the state of the program. He talks about this year's team, the future of the program, admits making some mistakes, and looks back to when he accepted the job in July 2000.

Doherty: "Obviously, it's been a disappointing season. I feel badly that we haven't been in better position as a team. But in terms of the program, that, to me, is a bigger picture. I think things are in place to get this program back to normal. 'Normal' for Carolina basketball is consistently being in the top five in the country, winning ACC championships and going to Final Fours."

Doherty: "I think inexperience, although I shouldn't be using that at the end of the year. Ballhandling has been an issue with us all year long. As a result, we don't get the shots we want, which means we're not shooting a high percentage. That also hurts our defense, because when we turn the ball over our opponent is going against an un-set defense. So, I would say ballhandling is the biggest hurdle we've had this year."

Doherty: "My philosophy started on Long Island. I was fortunate to play in a lot of different camps. I played in high school for Bob McKillop, whom you know very well. (McKillop now coaches Davidson College.) I think the thing that Bob taught me most was toughness and competing, as well as the little things.

"Then when I came to North Carolina (on a recruiting visit), I fell in love with Coach Smith, especially after the first practice. I saw him teaching and I was taking notes on the side. I think I was the first recruit ever to take notes at one of his practices. I love the intricate things in basketball: the way you set a screen, the way you feed the post, the timing, the rhythm. In other words, everything Coach Smith stood for. That's why I was a good fit here as a player for Coach Smith. All those little things, I could do. I wasn't a great athlete, I wasn't a great scorer. I wasn't going to stop people one-on-one, but I could do all of those little things that he wanted in a player.

"Then after working with Coach McKillop (three years as assistant at Davidson), I got to work with Coach (Roy) Williams. That just reinforced what Coach Smith taught us as players. I got to see the backside of it, where all the thinking and planning originated, the why and the how of doing things. All the planning that took place in the back office: the film studies, the formulation of plays and strategy, the coaching meetings. That just reinforced in me that this philosophy is the best philosophy. It's met the test. It's been successful in Kansas with Roy Williams, at Vanderbilt with Eddie Fogler, at South Carolina with Eddie Fogler, in the NBA with Larry Brown and George Karl. It's the same foundation, and it's the philosophy of Coach Smith. He taught us."

Doherty: "We will be chest-to-chest, denying one pass away, pressure on the basketball, forcing turnovers, hopefully blocking shots. That will create some exciting play on the offensive end. That's the way I want to guard people, to not let them breathe."

Doherty: "I'd really like to have our offense feed off our defense. Steals and blocked shots, get out and run, and have players who can think and play at high speeds. Then, if we don't have something on the break, we'd like to be able to cut people up with penetration and great execution."

Doherty: "It's no different from the philosophy of Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge. I'd love to bring in players who can pass, handle and shoot the basketball, who also have savvy and toughness. I think I just described Michael Jordan, Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Kenny Smith, at different sizes, from point guard up through centers. My recruiting goals are no different from what Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge brought in."

Doherty: "Yes, I can talk about the players who have signed the letters-of-intent. I cannot talk about the players who have not signed the national letters-of-intent. (Three players have signed the letters, three others have committed to Carolina. Two will sign in the spring, a third will come as a walk-on and get a scholarship the next year.) The three who have signed are Raymond Felton (6-1), Rashad McCants (6-4) and Sean May (6-8). Those players can pass, handle and shoot the ball. They have savvy. I believe they have toughness. Raymond and Rashad, particularly, are very quick. Sean, a post player, is very good on his feet, but is not going to wow you with dunking the ball and catching alley-oop passes, but he is a very smart player who can really think the game out on the floor and has a great skill package, as do Raymond and Rashad."

Doherty: "I think especially in Rashad and Raymond. I think they can be two great defenders who can really pressure the ball and get in passing lanes. I'm going to really push Sean to be a very good defender. He's a very smart kid, has good feet, and he weighs 265, maybe 255. We're going to make sure all of our players are in great condition."

Doherty: "I think so. To clarify, let me say that my philosophy is not going to be much different than Coach Smith's and Coach Guthridge's. I think it's the same philosophy that you have to tweak each year according to your talent, according to the rules changes, and according to your competition. I think the biggest challenge now as coaches, that maybe Coach Smith didn't face, is the NBA. I tried to recruit four centers my first year here. Three went to the NBA (out of high school), the other went to play with his brother at Colorado. Maybe Rasheed Wallace wouldn't play college basketball nowadays. Maybe Eric Montross wouldn't play college basketball nowadays. That makes it tough.

"The big centers that Coach Smith was fortunate to coach are going to be harder to come by now. You have to drop down a little bit and maybe not recruit the best seven-footer in the country, because you're afraid he's going to go pro. You may have to recruit someone who isn't as talented, but who may be in college for four years. So, I think that's a big change. You might have to recruit in shorter cycles. Whereas you used to plan on having a player for four years in the '60s, '70s and early '80s, now you have to count on a great player not being with you but maybe two or three years. So, if you have a great freshman player now, you might need to be looking at a sophomore in high school to replace that great freshman that you have, in fear that he might leave after his sophomore or junior year."

Doherty: "I think the players who have gone directly to the NBA out of high school have been the centers. The NBA is always thirsty for the seven-footers. It goes height-wise from there. You always have to be concerned. Kobe Bryant didn't go to college, Jonathan Bender didn't go to college. He's 6-10, not a center, but a forward. Kevin Garnett's not a center, he's a forward. So, you have to be concerned about those kind of players, too. It's important to get the right kind of players. What kind of people are they? Do they value a college education? Do they value the college experience?"

Doherty: "I think confidence, or a lack of it, has been a problem for us from Day One. I thought coming into the season that one of our strengths would be our ability to shoot the basketball. When Hampton played zone against us (in the opening game of the season) and we got tight and didn't make shots, that really hurt our confidence. When you're dealing with young people - the junior and seniors can fight through it. Jason (Capel) and Kris (Lang) can fight through it, but when we're talking about some freshmen and inexperienced sophomores, that's tough to regain your confidence. I think it shook us up pretty good. Confidence is a fine line. As a coach, you try to give them confidence, but they also have to give you confidence, in games and in practice."

Doherty: "That's a good challenge, in my opinion. Every year I'm here, we'll have these five goals: get better each day, win your next game, win the ACC regular season title, win the ACC tournament and win the national championship. Obviously, some of those goals have fallen by the wayside, but we can still try to get better today, we can still try to win our next game, and we can still try to win the ACC Tournament. If that happens, we get to go to the NCAA Tournament and that other dream will be alive. As a coach, if I'm not motivating my team and showing them hope and getting them excited about the future, even though everyone around us might be gloom and doom, then I'm not doing my job."

Doherty: "No question. There have certainly been some games this year when I was concerned about that: UConn, at Maryland, the two Wake Forest games. But I think if you've seen us play recently, you saw we fought Maryland, we fought Virginia. We were down 16 in the second half at Virginia and came back to take a two-point lead. There's no quit in our kids. I'm really proud of that. I'm proud of Jason Capel, Kris Lang, and also Brian Bersticker and Orlando Melendez for not quitting on us as a coaching staff."

Doherty: "No question. Not only support internally from (athletics director) Dick Baddour and Chancellor Moeser, but the fan support has been one of the most touching things I have experienced in athletics. I wondered how the fans would react if we had a bad year. It's almost as if the fans realize that we need their help now more than ever before. To come out and support us the way they did at home against Maryland and Duke - throughout the whole year, really - is something. At my weekly radio show, I have great crowds at Michael Jordan's restaurant. The calls have been all positive. I spoke at the Wake County Educational Foundation meeting (last week). They had a great crowd there and they gave me a standing ovation. It's really been very, very touching. I think some people have given Carolina fans a bad rap, saying they were spoiled. The true blue Carolina fans are the best fans in all the world."

Doherty: "I've heard that and it's a valid criticism. In the position I was in when I first took this job, my first concern was the loyalty I had to the staff I had at Notre Dame. One thing you learn in North Carolina basketball is loyalty. I felt I would be hypocritical if I turned my back on those guys and left them without a job after they helped put me in this position. However, you always look back and wish you could do some things differently. Getting to know Phil (Ford) the way I know Phil now. Phil is a good friend to me. He's someone I confide in. He's been unbelievably supportive. He's been helpful in recruiting. We don't get Sean May without Phil Ford. I didn't know Dave (Hanners) and Pat (Sullivan) as well as I would have liked. So, coming into a new situation, it was tough.

"If I had it to do all over again, I would have liked to have kept at least one of those guys on staff. I wasn't creative enough at that time to figure out how I could do that. I wish I had been. If I had it to do over again, I would love to have one of those guys on staff. If somebody leaves my staff today, the first call I make is to Phil Ford. There is not a more popular player in the history of Carolina basketball, as far as I'm concerned, than Phil Ford. There's not a more dedicated person towards Carolina basketball than Phil Ford. If there's somebody who could be bitter towards Matt Doherty, it's Phil Ford, and he doesn't have an ounce of bitterness in him."

Doherty: "It is like having the most magnificent library available to you, that you could go up to any shelf and pick out a book to help you through any given situation. Having Dean Smith, in my opinion the greatest coach ever of any team sport, available is a tremendous asset. I can call him up at anytime, day or night. I have done that. He and I have met over planning practices. He and I have met over strategy. He and I have viewed film together. He has sat in on my practices. It's like a high school teacher being critiqued by his principal. I have the best 'principal' in all the world watching my practices. He takes notes after every game and goes over the notes with me.

"I'm learning at a faster rate because of Dean Smith. I play golf with Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge. I love the fact that they are here and that I have access to them at any time. If they weren't here, I would request them to be here. To me, they are North Carolina basketball. That's no knock on Frank McGuire and those guys. There are some people who have said that I'm trying to push Coach Smith away, or that we forced him to move to the basement of the Smith Center. That's the office that Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge requested. I felt funny moving into this office, really. I feel funny sitting on the backside of the desk when they walk in. I almost want to stand up and flip sides with them. I have the utmost respect for those two gentlemen. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for those guys."

Doherty: "The lettermen are vital to continuing the tradition of this program. I understand there are some lettermen out there who are not happy with some of the things that I've done. The only thing I ask of those people is to talk to me, visit with me, see my side of things. Listen to me speak of some of the things I wish I could have done differently. Try to see what it would be like to take over the most storied program in the history of college basketball. I didn't see this coming. I thought I would be at Notre Dame forever, or maybe take over for Roy Williams at Kansas. I've tried to reach out to a lot of players. I want to do a better job of that. I've tried to continue the tradition of Coach Smith of writing them at Christmastime. For the former players who are still active, we have a new practice facility that is really for summer play. For the NBA players to come back and have their summer camp, that helps our players.

"I do need to do a better job of reaching out. I finally feel situated now - I know the lay of the land a little better. On the flip side, so many former players have been tremendously supportive. You don't know the phone calls I get. Larry Brown calls me and says, 'Hang in there. I've been there.' George Karl calls me and says, 'Persevere. It's part of coaching.' Mike O'Koren, Ged Doughton, Peppy Callahan, Jim Huddock, Mike Cooke. I went up to Bobby Lewis at our Maryland game and told him, 'I'm sorry we're not doing so well.' He said, 'Matt, check your history. I was on some of Coach Smith's first teams. We weren't very good back then. Keep working hard.' Steve Previs calls me from overseas. 'We're still family, we're still with you.'

"This is a special place. I'm sure when Coach Smith brought in his own assistants he went through some tough times in his early years. I'm not surprised that I'm going through some rough times. But the future is bright. The hammer will drop, and when it drops, it will drop awfully hard. We'll get things back to normal."

Doherty: "I'm thrilled to be Carolina's coach. I look forward to leading this program for at least another 25 years. I turn 40 on the 25th, and I hope I'm coaching at least through the age of 65. I'm confident we're heading in the right direction. We'll get it back to normal, and when talking about Carolina, 'normal' is being in the hunt every year to win the national championship and gathering a lot of ACC championships."

Doherty: "I hope people don't look at Raymond Felton, and Rashad McCants and Sean May as saviors. They're going to be freshmen. We'll have nine freshmen and sophomores next year that we'll rely heavily on to play. That will be a tough challenge. Freshmen will make freshman mistakes. They will have to break some habits - It's going to take a team effort and some patience."