Everybody knows that Bob McAdoo was the only player in recent memory that the North Carolina basketball program had procured out of the junior college ranks.

But after getting off to a very lethargic start this season and still in search of some inside beef, the Tar Heel program has been linked to a number of junior college prospects this fall.

Perhaps the most well known name out of that group is 6-9 power forward Jamar Smith of Allegany J.C. in Maryland.

JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com had the opportunity to catch up with Vincennes Head Coach Dan Sparks, who enjoys a unique perspective when it comes to both McAdoo and Smith.

Sparks attended the same junior college program as McAdoo (Vincennes) before going on to a stellar college career at Weber State. He had a chance to scrimmage against McAdoo when the future NBA player made a visit to Vincennes, although the two players were never junior college teammates.

In addition, Allegany makes a yearly peregrination to Vincennes' Kiwanis Invitational in early November each year, so Sparks has had a chance to see Smith play several times in the past two years.

"Jamar Smith is no comparison to Bob McAdoo," Sparks said. "McAdoo was a scoring machine. If they would have taken kids out of high school when McAdoo came out, Bob would have went right to the ABA or NBA."

"We've played Jamar Smith at Allegany and he's a good player," Sparks continued. "But there's no comparing him to McAdoo, it's night and day there."

So the question begs, could Smith play at a North Carolina?

"From what I've seen on television, I think he probably could play there," Sparks said. "Six or seven years ago, I don't think he might be able to. He might have been a role player but not a main player."

Smith was recruited aggressively out of high school by Maryland, and many still think that the Terps have the inside track if they decide to offer him. But North Carolina and LaSalle are also factors in Smith's recruiting process.

"He's a pretty good scorer and he's built pretty good," Sparks said. "He's not bad in the low post area. I don't think he could handle the ball like McAdoo did or shoot off the dribble like Bob."

Sparks says he still has some film in the Vincennes archive on McAdoo.

"Bob caught it and just scored," McAdoo said. "If he didn't get 30 a night, he was unhappy."

While McAdoo was the last JUCO player that UNC recruited, the Tar Heels nearly recruited another Trailblazer player just a few years back.

"Dean Smith was going to recruit Shawn Marion, because I talked to him at the Nike Camp in Indianapolis," Sparks said. "But then he decided to retire."

Of course, Marion wound up signing with UNLV, where he played one year before heading off to the NBA. He is currently a member of the Phoenix Suns.

JUCO Junction will keep you posted on Smith's recruitment in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to this site for more information.