BY MIKE LONDON
SALISBURY POST

NEW ORLEANS — It’s not all that easy for a 6-foot-6, 270-pound forward to completely disappear, but UNC sophomore Julius Peppers managed to do just that in the recent ACC Tournament.

In three games in Atlanta, culminating with that awful loss to Duke, Peppers had more fouls (3) than rebounds (2) and scored a paltry six points. Even more than his dragging teammates, Peppers looked mentally tired, emotionally spent and physically worn out.

The big guy’s nickname — “Pep” — seemed one of the more ironic monickers of all time. He played a handful of minutes in the Georgia Dome, but looked like each giant step he took might be his last.

But at UNC’s team meal prior to its first-round NCAA South Regional game with Princeton, coach Matt Doherty announced that Peppers would move into the starting lineup in place of Kris Lang. Lang, nursing a torn muscle in his right leg , is far from 100 percent, so Doherty reasoned that Peppers would offer a better matchup against a small Princeton team that was certain to try to spread the Heels out.

“It was something different,” said Doherty. “I don’t know if it means anything, but Peppers also started the Maryland game. That was probably our best game of the year.”

The game Doherty referred to occurred on Feb. 18. Peppers shot 7-for-10 from the field as the Tar Heels ran the Terps out of Chapel Hill by 96-82.

But Peppers was right back on the pine and Lang back in the lineup for the next game — the disastrous loss at Clemson.

“I talked to him after Clemson and said, ‘Pep, are you disappointed that you didn’t start,’ ” remembered Doherty. “He looked at me like I was crazy. He doesn’t worry about starting, just contributing.”

Most of the season Peppers did contribute, although with the Heels much deeper this year than last and with Lang much healthier (most of the time), he rarely made the sort of enormous impact he had in last year’s run to the Final Four. In the 2000 postseason, Peppers was a near-star, often much more effective than the ponderous Lang.

Now Peppers may be gearing up for a repeat performance in the NCAAs. His teammates and Tar Heel fans are saying better late than never.

“Joe (Joseph Forte) has really been talking Pep up lately,” said Doherty. “He keeps telling me how good he looks, how strong he looks, how he’s got this extra hop in his step.”

Peppers responded to the rare starting chance with an exceptional game against Princeton, playing 33 minutes, shooting 5-for-6 from the field for 12 points, coming up with three steals, grabbing five rebounds and giving strong hints of good things to come.

“If anyone has a worthy excuse for being mentally tired, it’s Pep,” said Doherty. “He played a full football season and now this. But it sure looks like the newness of the postseason has got him excited again.”

The prospect of facing a rejuvenated Peppers has Penn State coach Jerry Dunn both excited and agitated.

“Peppers is not someone I would like to meet up with on a football field — or a basketball court,” said Dunn. “He’s an enforcer. He just wills his way inside and gets things done.”

Doherty agreed with that assessment and offered the opinion that Peppers is sometimes underrated because the perception is that he’s really just a football player who does the hoops thing as a lark.

“Let me tell you,” said Doherty,“he does things that go beyond just brute strength and athleticism. He’s got some serious basketball skills.”

Skills that have been under-utilized in recent weeks.

“I didn’t think he was looking all that sharp, but when I look back, maybe I should’ve used Pep more in the ACC Tournament,” admitted Doherty.

That opportunity is in the past, but expect to see a lot of Peppers from here on out. He’s unlikely to pull off another disappearing act.

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Mike London is covering UNC in the NCAA Tournament.