Dad says May not swayed


By BARRY SVRLUGA, Staff Writer

Former Indiana basketball star Scott May said Tuesday that his son, Sean, still intends to play for North Carolina next season despite the program's recent problems.
Of the speculation that the 6-foot-9 high school All-America would back out of his commitment, the elder May said, "Those are just rumors. Sean is still where he's been all along. He's coming, and that's pretty much it. He said the other day that his focus is to come to Carolina and help turn things around."

Last week, point guard Adam Boone announced that he would transfer from UNC, becoming the third player in four months to announce his departure. Coach Matt Doherty, whose team finished 8-20 last season, UNC's worst ever, also met with disgruntled players who asked him to consider changing some aspects of how he runs the program.

The losses, defections and questions about Doherty's methods all led to concerns that UNC's top recruits, including May, point guard Raymond Felton of Latta, S.C., and wing Rashad McCants of Asheville, would decide to go to prep school or the NBA rather than Carolina.

"You always want to look at things when players who actually play leave," Scott May said. "That's something that gets your attention. I don't know the full gist of the story, so I really can't comment."

May, one of the heroes of Indiana's 1976 unbeaten national championship team, talked to Doherty for an hour by phone last week. Sean has checked in, as well.

"The coaches have been really supportive of the kid," Scott May said. "He wants to be at Carolina. He wants to play for them. He wants to help them turn things around."

Doherty said the remaining players and everyone on the way are staying in the fold. UNC announced Tuesday that it had received letters of intent from Byron Sanders, a 6-9 forward from Mississippi, and Damion Grant, a 6-11 center from Jamaica who plays at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. David Noel, a forward from Southern Durham, will join the team as a walk-on.

Scott May said Sean still plans to enroll for summer school at UNC, though he admitted that it was difficult for Sean to watch Indiana reach the national championship game while the program he chose struggled.

"It was tough for him this year," Scott May said. "IU had a great season, and you can't take anything away from them. But they have a young coaching staff, like Doherty's coaching staff is young. They turned things around, and I don't see why Carolina can't turn things around."
Staff writer Barry Svrluga can be reached at 829-8944 or bsvrluga@newsobserver.com