SAN ANTONIO, Texas — North Carolina coach Roy Williams had something to tell Wayne Ellington after last season, and it wasn't to say what a great job he thought Ellington had done at the offensive end of the court.
Even though Ellington had enjoyed an outstanding career at Episcopal Academy, one that made him a coveted recruit of countless schools, he struggled on defense as a freshman Tar Heel, and that sometimes won him a seat near Williams on the North Carolina bench.
At their off-season meeting, Williams didn't mince words with Ellington.
"We discuss what each individual should try to improve on in the off-season," Williams recalled yesterday, "and I said to him, 'You should take it as an insult if I have to take you out of the game for defensive reasons this year.' "
Ellington took the meeting to heart, and made working on his defense a priority last spring and summer, both in Chapel Hill and Philadelphia.
So even though Ellington goes into tonight's national semifinal at the Alamodome between the Tar Heels and Kansas as his team's second-leading scorer and top three-point shooter, it's his defense that has won raves from Williams.
"There hasn't been one single game this year that I've taken him out for a defensive reason," the coach said. "He's emphasized it, focused on it, tried to get better in the individual skills. He really works at it each and every day. He's a far, far, far better defensive player now than he was two years ago, or even a year ago."
Ellington, a 6-foot-4 guard, said it was a matter of understanding what needed to be done from a fundamental standpoint and playing with intensity and assertiveness. He was helped by his work with assistant coach Steve Robinson.
"He had me working on different positions to be in, making sure I see my man and the ball at all times," Ellington said. "I think it's more understanding things.
"I'm capable of doing it. We're all capable of doing it with athleticism and length and everything like that. I think with another year I just got to understand everything better, and I understand what Coach wants from the defensive end of the floor now."
Defense may play a key role tonight even though the Tar Heels, who average 89.2 points, and the Jayhawks, who average 80.6, prefer a fast tempo. Whichever team advances to Monday night's national championship game may be the one that can slow the other down the stretch.
