No. 18: Joseph Forte

18

Name: Joe Forte

Position: Guard

Jersey #: 40

Years: 1999-2001

Honors: 2001 ACC Player of the Year; 1st-team All-America in 2001; 1st-team All-ACC 2001; 2nd-team All-ACC in 2000; 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year; 2000 NCAA South Region MVP; Jersey No. 40 is honored in the Smith Center.

Notable Stats: 10th highest career scoring average at UNC at 18.6 points per game, which is the highest scoring average for a two-year player in Carolina history; 44th all-time leading career scorer at UNC with 1,290 points in just two seasons; Scored a school freshman-record 600 points in 2000; 34d highest scoring average for a freshman ever at UNC with 16.7 points; 399 career rebounds for an average of 5.8 per game; 210 career assists for an average of 3.0 per game; 121 career steals for an average of 1.8 per game; Averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals per game in 2001.

In Closing: Likely the most debated selection because of how his career at UNC ended, and that’s why he’s this low. Objectively, Forte was a great player during his two years at UNC. As a freshman, he led a Heels team that struggled during the regular season to the Final Four, scoring 28 points in an Elite 8 win over Tulsa. As a sophomore, he led Carolina to a No. 1 national ranking and share of the ACC regular season title. He was Co-ACC Player of the Year with Duke’s Shane Battier that season. Battier was the national Player of the Year. Forte is one of the most well-rounded Tar Heels ever. There was nothing he didn't do well on the curt, and the collapse of the 2001 team was more because of its deteriorating leadership than anything else. Forte's freshman season compares favorably with ones posted by Antawn Jamison and Tyler Hansbrough.

Prior Ranked Heels

30 - Brice Johnson

29 - Ed Cota

28 - Pete Brennan

27 - Mike O'Koren

26 - John "Hook" Dillon

25 - J.R. Reid

24 - Bobby Jones

23 - Brad Daugherty

22 - Raymond Felton

21 - Jerry Stackhouse

20 - Sean May

19 - Kenny Smith