Maybe that’s why he had no trouble carrying an entire basketball team Sunday, when he lugged the Tar Heels to the Final Four with a career-best 28 points in their 59-55 South Regional final win over Tulsa.

Forte also tied for the team rebound lead with eight and played his best defensive game of the season, evoking memories of a certain former Tar Heel great.

Scary factoid time. The last time UNC took on Tulsa in hoops, way back in December of 1982, a kid named Michael Jordan was in the Tar Heel lineup. Young Jordan’s numbers against the Hurricane? You guessed it. The same 28 points and eight rebounds. Now, there’s one for the X-Files gang.

Anyway, back to the green bag.

Each year, Tar Heel veterans choose a rookie to carry around a bag loaded with training equipment and videos. Their choice prior to this season— by unanimous vote — was Forte.

Is the bag heavy?

“Very heavy,” says Forte.

And once a bag-carrier, always a bag-carrier. Forte, 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds (at least that’s what he’s listed at) shouldered the bag again after his Super Sunday, just as he’s done after every game since November.

“Maybe the way Joseph played, we should put a few more bricks in the bag,” kidded Tar Heel coach Bill Guthridge.

Forte seems like a shy guy. He’s the one Tar Heel who keeps his head down when he’s on the interview stage. He’s also the one Tar Heel who rarely changes expressions on the court.

But apparently, Forte’s changed since August. That’s when he showed up in Chapel Hill talking tough about his bright future. Maybe it was just the case of a kid who looks like he’s not old enough to drive trying to pump his own confidence. But Forte, fresh from a summer of playground success against the likes of Steve Francis, arrived with his mouth yammering like a machine gun.

He told the Heels he was there to help them out. He said he was there to start from Day One. He said he was there to be the go-to guy. He told them everything except that he was going to be the new Jordan.

“I didn’t say anything like that,” says Forte. “I’m not that crazy.”

But yes, Forte is well aware of the legends who have come and gone in Chapel Hill.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m here,” he says.

Anyway, his new teammates weren’t sure what to make of the new guy from fabled DeMatha High when the pickup games started — and Forte’s jaws started working overtime.

“Well, you have to have confidence” said sophomore forward Jason Capel, “because everyone recruited here expects to play. Guys weren’t just gonna give up their spots. Guys went at him, but he gave it back. We found out pretty quick he could play as good as he talked. And he talked real good.”

“Forte talked,” says fellow freshman Julius Peppers, “but he backed it up. It’s not like he’s a bad person. I thought he was funny at first, took it all as a joke. But then I saw him play.”

“I paid no attention to Forte’s boasting,” says senior Ed Cota. “I just said, ‘Shut up,’ patted him on the butt and went about my business.”

“C’mon,” pleads Forte. “I’m a good guy. You know I’m a good guy.”

The veterans thought so much of Forte that they bestowed the green bag on him. In a way it was a sign of affection. In other ways, it said something else.

“I think,” says Forte, “that they figured maybe I needed some humbling.”

Maybe Forte’s personality has been humbled a bit. Fortunately for the Heels his jump shot still looks confident.

Forte came to town saying he’d average 12. He underestimated himself. He averaged 16. He led the team. No freshman has ever done that. Not Mike. Not Vince. Not Phil Ford and not James Worthy.

Forte wasn’t sure he’d start on opening day until an injury felled Kris Lang. But he debuted with 24 points, the most ever scored by a Tar Heel freshman in his first game. More than Mike. Three games into his Tar Heel career, Forte (whose number 40 is no coincidence) was named Maui Classic tournament MVP.

“But the season wasn’t easy,” insists Forte. “I had some struggles on the way.”

Sure, there were some struggles. Like a 1-for-10 against Wake Forest in his first ACC road game. But the freshman learned while he carried the bag. He learned there’s a fine line between shooting a lot and shooting too much.

Forte does shoot a lot. He took 17 on Sunday (more than vets Brendan Haywood and Cota put together). In two games with Duke this season, when no one else could get free, he fired it up 39 times.

“I’ve gotten better,” he says. “I’m forcing fewer shots all the time.”

Meanwhile, Forte’s passing has improved, his rebounding has improved and Guthridge now calls him his stopper on defense.

Tulsa coach Bill Self calls Forte, who shot 9-for-10 on 2-pointers, the “best freshman in the land.”

But Guthridge wouldn’t call Forte the Heels’ go-to guy even after he drilled Tulsa.

“Coach isn’t gonna say a freshman is his go-to guy,” says a laughing Forte. “I can respect that.”

Besides, his teammates know it and opponents know it. Tennessee tried desperately to keep the ball out of his hands on Friday. Tulsa admitted it lost Sunday because it let Forte get it too much.

Put it this way. Tulsa lost five games this season. Three of them were against Fresno State, which features Courtney Alexander, the nation’s leading scorer.

“Fresno beat us by giving the ball to Courtney and getting the hell out of his way,” said Tulsa coach Bill Self.

And yesterday?

Let’s just say the rest of the Tar Heels got the heck out of Joseph’s way more than once.

“Yeah, I’d thought about how Alexander beat Tulsa” said Forte. “I didn’t want to shoot it as much as him, though.”

But he did what he had to.

Forte is the 15th freshman ever to start for the Heels. So it’s a wonderful coincidence for Heel fans that he hauled his team to its 15th Final Four.

Some ask if he’s going to get even better. You know, like Mike did?