March 8, 2001

Chris Boyer
TheACC.com

ATLANTA - It's the first day of the ACC Tournament and North Carolina sophomore Joseph Forte has already been asked the question. No, he hasn't been asked whether he thinks the Tar Heels will win this year's conference tourney or what seed he thinks they will get for the NCAA Tournament. No, the question that was asked as soon as Forte walked off the court from his team's shoot around and made himself available to the gathering media, was the now familiar, "Are you gonna go pro, Joe?"

From his well thought out answer, it's easy to tell it's not the first time he has been asked.

"I'll determine that at the end of the year, that's when I will make that decision. There will be a lot of factors that go into it, and I will be talking to coach Smith about it a lot."

Although, Matt Doherty is his current head coach, it is obvious that Forte will rely a lot on what the former Tar Heel head coach and current athletic department administrator, the legendary Dean Smith has to say.

"I mean why not listen to what he has to say? I want to make a smart decision and I think Coach Smith is one of the best people to help me do that."

Until decision time comes, however, Forte has his mind set on winning an ACC Tournament and knows the competition is going to be tough.

"All of the teams can win this thing this year. It's been an up and down year in the ACC, and just about every team has won some big games. Obviously there are favorites, but I think anybody can win it."

Forte thinks that moving the tourney out of North Carolina has helped to open it up a bit more.

"I really think it should be an advantage for Georgia Tech. I mean we are in Atlanta, right? When it's in Carolina it's definitely an advantage for us and Duke. I think we have taken it for granted that it's always been up in North Carolina. I think the crowd down here will be really different."

While the trip to Atlanta takes the Tar Heels on the road, it brings Forte back to his original home.

"I will probably have about 20 or 25 people here watching me. Guys I first started playing basketball with, friends and family. I am really excited to be down here."

Forte will be even more excited if he and the Tar Heels leave with the Tournament title and a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

"I think we need to win the Tournament to get a #1 seed, and I know we really want to be a top seed, so I guess we have no choice but to win the tournament."