Future Heel excited about opportunity
By JOHN HOLT
CHAPEL HILL — This summer was an adventure for Marcus Ginyard. Ginyard, a senior at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Va., had a jam-packed schedule. All the better to prepare him for his promise to be a basketball player at the University of North Carolina.
"First I went to Brazil with my AAU team for 10 days, then traveled to Colorado for the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, then to ABCD camp in New Jersey, then to the Peach Jam in South Carolina, and I head off to Orlando for the AAU Nationals and Showcase tournament tomorrow," Ginyard said.
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 13.2 points a game this past season as his tiny school accomplished big things. He led the Knights to a 29-4 record, a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Title and the Virginia Independent Schools Division 1 State Championship.
"Winning the conference title was such a thrill because it’s just so competitive," Ginyard stated. "I believe our conference has some of the best high school teams in the country."
Ginyard had to go through a major transition for his AAU team out of Hampton, Va., which goes by the unlikely name "Boo Williams." Ginyard usually played shooting guard but was moved to the point for Boo Williams this summer.
"I think there are just so many things about the point guard position. I am starting to feel more comfortable with it. I am getting to handle the ball a lot more, and it is helping my ball handling skills," Ginyard said. "The key is just to be ready for it when I get to North Carolina."
Ginyard found the start of his summer — usually a vacation time for most prep students — to be an amazing, and busy, experience. First, he and his Boo Williams teammates traveled to Brazil to for 10 days of games against some semipro teams.
"That trip was a lot of fun," he said. "It was great seeing another country and culture. It was different than here because there was a lot of poverty.
"We played against six semi-pro teams. They get paid, but they’re not the true professional players. Then we played against one college team. We went 4-3 overall."
Later, Ginyard was honored as one of 48 players in the United States selected to play at the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs in late June. He participated as one of the members for the East Team.
The Arlington native feels there still is something he needs to improve before he arrives in Chapel Hill in the fall of 2005.
"I just need to improve on the confidence in my game. I need to keep doing the things that I do now, shooting, working on ball handling drills," he said.
Never the less, Ginyard feels he can bring something to the Carolina program that it can always use. "The biggest thing I can bring to UNC is my intensity, most of all on the defensive level. I feel that my defensive level on the game can turn it up for me on the offensive level."
Ginyard, who made a verbal commitment to the Tar Heels in August 2003, chose UNC over Duke, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest.
"I think just talking to Coach (Roy) Williams — the type of coach that he is and the things he can teach you and what he can do with his teams — was a big factor for me," Ginyard said.
While he can’t officially sign with the Tar Heels until November, Ginyard doesn’t view other schools as an option. In fact, Carolina’s only potential competition is the National Basketball Association.
After this past year’s NBA draft, where eight high-schoolers were selected in the first round Ginyard said there’s always an option these days about turning pro.
"If it’s an option then you have to look into it, but "If" is a big word. So I don’t know," Ginyhard said. "I am looking forward to my time at Carolina. I want to attend Carolina. If after one or two years, if it’s an option, well, then, yeah, it could be a consideration. But you just have to be ready for what’s going to happen."
Current Tar Heels are trying to make Ginyard feel comfortable about his decision.
"I talk to some of the current players occasionally, but not that often," he said. "Rashad (McCants) gave me a call this past spring. I will catch up with most of them this fall though when I go for a visit."
Ginyard also keeps in contact with Williams, who watched him at the Peach Jam AAU tournament, as much as he can.
"Whenever I have time and I’m not busy, I’ll try to call him," Ginyard said.
On June 2, the Tar Heels picked up a second commitment for the Class of 2005 when they got sharp-shooting guard Bobby Frasor out of Chicago’s Brother Rice High School.
"Bobby and I roomed together at the ABCD camp, so both of us will be playing alongside each other in the future. We have a lot in common. We met together and we’re relieved now," Ginyard said with a laugh. "We talked last night actually."
Ginyard wants the Tar Heels to connect with at least two more highly recruited targets for 2005. "I want Tyler Hansbourgh and Richard Hendrix to be my teammates at UNC," said Ginyard.
Hansbourgh is the top ranked player in the country for 2005 by theinsidershoops.com, and Hendrix is right behind him at No. 2. Carolina is among the top choices for both.
Ginyard feels the present Tar Heels have plenty on their plate.
"They are going to be a lot more fired up, and they have got all they need. It depends on if their going to use it or not. They have got it all there. Everyone is better than they were last year, and I think the senior leadership from Jawad, Jackie and Melvin Scott will be important. We’ll see," Ginyard said.
Ginyard feels there still is some unfinished business, though, coming up for his senior year at Bishop O’Connell.
"We have got to win the conference again and try to repeat with the state title. For me personally, I hope to play in the McDonalds All-American game and the Round Ball Classic," he said. "Just playing in an All-Star game and being a part of that elite group would be special."