Twice as Nice: Copeland, former Reynolds star, will be making his second trip to Final Four

DETROIT

Mike Copeland is a career reserve at North Carolina, but he's one of the most fortunate players in all of college basketball this season.

On Saturday Copeland, a Reynolds High School graduate, will participate in his second Final Four when North Carolina will play Villanova in the second game of the day's national semifinals.

Copeland, a 6-7 forward, knows that dozens of great players haven't gotten the chance to play in one Final Four in their careers, much less Final Fours in back-to-back seasons.

"It's remarkable," Copeland said. "It's an unbelievable feeling. I couldn't sleep the other night when we got back from Memphis. I was so excited."

Some friends called Sunday night, after North Carolina's 72-60 win over Oklahoma in the South Regional championship game, to tell him that they had watched the game and saw him playing in the final minutes.

Others called to wish him good luck this week. A few wondered if Copeland might be able to help them get tickets.

"It's one of the best times of the year," Copeland said. "It's crazy. And two years in a row. I can't really explain my feelings about it, about going to it twice."

Of the four Tar Heels seniors -- not counting injured Marcus Ginyard, who isn't playing this season -- Copeland will play the least. But that doesn't mean his resolve to win this week is less than Tyler Hansbrough's, Danny Green's or Bobby Frasor's.

After last season's 84-66 drubbing by Kansas in the national semifinals, Copeland said he wants the title as much as anyone else on the team.

"That's one thing I've been telling my parents and my teammates, especially my teammates," Copeland said. "We've been through it. We know what we've got to do. We're not going to go tiptoeing through the tulips like we did this time last year."

Being in the Final Four is important for Copeland this year. He tore the anterior-cruciate ligament in his right knee in a pickup game last May. He had reconstructive surgery in early June and worried that he might not play this season.

He missed the start of the season in November. He can only imagine the tough time that Ginyard is having -- sitting on the bench in a suit in what could be the top moment of what should have been his senior season -- because of recurring foot problems.

"I wanted to go out with my team and with my class," Copeland said. "That was one thing Marcus was saying, that it kind of got to him because he knew he couldn't go out with us.

"We told him, ‘You've got to do what's best for yourself.' He's still practicing with us and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to help the team win."

Copeland does know what it's like to play in the Final Four. He played one minute last season in the second half against Kansas, when North Carolina was trying to come back from a 40-12 deficit in the first half.

Practicing in front of 20,000 on Friday at San Antonio's Alamodome was one thing. Playing in front of 45,000 the next day, with a berth in the national-championship game at stake, was entirely a different matter.

"I was definitely nervous," he said. "The crowd was so loud. I'll never forget that. I told my dad I'll never forget that moment, to be out there playing."

Copeland hurt as much after the loss as Hansbrough, Green or any other North Carolina player who played most of the game. He didn't expect an early exit, not from a team that arrived in Texas with a 36-2 record.

"That might have been the worst loss I've ever experienced," he said. "I feel like we fought back to get what we wanted to get, but after Danny missed that 3 (that could have cut the lead to two points), it just went downhill.

"It hurt so bad. Not only were we trying to win the whole thing, but we were playing against Coach's old team. He wanted to win that game more than anything, just like we wanted to do."

The game was still memorable for him in another aspect, however.

"That's the highlight, definitely," he said. "There's no words to explain it. I never thought that I could play in the Final Four as a kid. I got a chance to do it and it was the best."

Copeland has played in all four of UNC's NCAA Tournament games this season. He has amassed 11 minutes of playing time, made two of nine shots, grabbed four rebounds and scored five points.

What he wants now is to cap his college career with a title, even if he doesn't play in either game if UNC advances to Monday.

"It would be remarkable," he said. "I can't even really speak on it. It would just be unbelievable."

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.