Mike Copeland knows that North Carolina is going to need him to play more during the rest of the season with three top players sidelined by injuries or suspension.
And he is ready to do whatever Coach Roy Williams asks of him in coming off the bench, as he has done in the last two games in wins against Virginia on Saturday and Maryland last Tuesday.
"It's crazy, because I was thinking about red-shirting," Copeland, a 6-7 senior forward from Winston-Salem, said. "Actually I think I got the red-shirt but I said, ‘No, the team might need my help.' And look what happened."
What happened is that Marcus Ginyard is out because of lingering pain in his left foot, which was operated on Oct. 8 to repair a stress fracture; Will Graves was suspended last week for the rest of the season after violating team rules, and Tyler Zeller has been out since Nov. 18 after breaking his left wrist in a win against Kentucky.
All three players work in the front court mostly. Williams said last week that Copeland and Bobby Frasor, a senior reserve guard, will play more and be asked to produce more to make up for the losses.
As for Copeland, a career reserve, the situation offers a chance to end his UNC career in strong fashion.
"I'm a senior; I've got a little bit of trust with Coach," Copeland said. "He knows what I can do and my limitations. It's great. I'm not fresh to these things. I know what to do."
Copeland, a former Reynolds High star, has played in UNC's last three games. Before playing at N.C. State late in the game on Jan. 31, Copeland had played in five games all season.
The 11 minutes playing time that he has earned in the last three games match his playing time all season before the N.C. State game. He was on the floor against Maryland for seven minutes, his season high. Against both Maryland and Virginia, Williams put him into the game in the first half, long before the outcome was decided.
Williams is preparing Copeland should he be needed for extended periods of time if Tyler Hansbrough or Deon Thompson or Ed Davis get into early foul trouble. Copeland could play in the first half again on Wednesday in a showdown with Duke in Durham for first place in the ACC.
Copeland doesn't have to worry about scoring when he is in games. He doesn't have to shoot to help UNC in Williams' thinking, but he does have a lot of responsibility to keep in mind to meet Williams' demands.
"He told me to help the team, not hurt the team," Copeland said. "He told me to get out there and rebound, block out on missed shots and stop fouling. He told me to do what I can do; don't try to make a play and do too much."
The Maryland game wasn't five minutes old when Copeland came in and joined three other reserves and Wayne Ellington. He played at the end of the first half against Virginia. He was back early in the second half with UNC up 44-30.
Copeland wears a small support on his right knee, which was seriously injured last May in a pickup game. He underwent surgery in early June to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and recovery delayed his return to game action until the last day of December.
Copeland said that the knee is 90-percent recovered, feels strong and gives him no problems.
"I feel like I have to step up, and I've got to do a lot better things than I've done in the last two games," Copeland said. "It's just getting back used to (playing), getting back used to the game feeling.
"It feels good to be out there and I'm happy. I've just got to play better. I definitely feel like I can help the team. I'm here to help the team."
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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