ST. LOUIS — On Saturday afternoon, Roy Williams offered praise for North Carolina senior forward Tyler Zeller with a condition. There are certain things a coach won't say with a player close by. There are certain things a coach won't say because the compliment is so strong that it could do more harm than good.
But Williams wasn't worried about hurting Zeller the day before top-seeded North Carolina plays second-seeded Kansas for a chance to go to the Final Four. No, Williams spoke in a large conference room in one area of the Edward Jones Dome, and Zeller fielded questions about facing the Jayhawks' size in another. A short distance separated the two, and Williams felt comfortable enough to speak.
"You're talking about a guy who's perfect," Williams said. "And I'll never say that in front of him. But I mean even when he screws up, (and when) I tell him whether it's very viciously . . . or just matter of factly, he says, 'Yeah, you're right.' There's not been one time that I've ever been mad at Tyler Zeller. And the number of times I've been mad at his actions have been few and far between."
The statement was an interesting choice of words. After all, perfection is the highest of goals in sports. Teams chase it. Players strive for it. At times, some collapse in the pursuit of it. It is almost never achieved.
Of course, Zeller isn't perfect. Even the best have flaws, and Zeller himself has talked about never becoming content. That is part of the reason why he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year this season. He evolved.
But perhaps Zeller is as perfect as he must be for North Carolina to have come this far. The Tar Heels probably don't win without his team-high 20 points and 22 rebounds against No. 13 seed Ohio on Friday. The Tar Heels probably don't match up well against Kansas' frontcourt duo of 6-foot-10 junior forward Thomas Robinson and 7-foot junior center Jeff Withey without him. And the Tar Heels probably don't have visions of winning their third national title in eight seasons without his average of 16.5 points and 9.7 rebounds a game.
Sure, perfection may be elusive, but the work toward the ideal is real. Each player gains his own lessons from the pursuit. Zeller, for one, has grown.
"You have to make sure you keep working hard and never get satisfied," he said. "I love to come in and work out. You've got to make sure that you keep getting better. You can't be like, ‘Oh, I'm really good at this. I don't need to work on it anymore.' You can always make yourself better. You try to make your weaknesses not as weak and your strengths even stronger."
But his strengths in March are worth remembering. He has averaged 21.6 points and 11.1 rebounds in his last seven NCAA tournament games. He has also scored 20 or more points in five of the contests during the stretch. Sophomore guard Reggie Bullock called him the Tar Heels' "consistent blanket."
That term is appropriate. The praise is a sign of Zeller's versatility. He is both physical and cerebral — he joined former Duke forward Shane Battier as the only other person to win ACC Player of the Year and Academic All-America of the Year honors in the same season. He is accomplished but hungry, eager but not overwhelmed.
"He's laid-back," Bullock said. "He doesn't really do much. He doesn't go out and party a lot. This is definitely a business trip for him to come here. Him going out as a senior, we don't want his season to end so early."
But that outcome Sunday is possible. The big news here is that sophomore guard Kendall Marshall, North Carolina's assists leader, is doubtful because of a broken right wrist. North Carolina looked lost at times against Ohio without him. Some will favor Kansas because he could be gone.
Yet Zeller is a reason for the Tar Heels to believe their season will continue in New Orleans next week. He offers experience as North Carolina's leading active scorer (1,489 points) and confidence as a stable presence alongside junior forward John Henson. He gives the Tar Heels a chance.
And sometimes, a chance is enough. Perfection is a funny thing, after all. The search for it leads to unexpected discovery.
Sometimes, as in Zeller's case, players learn they are as perfect as they have to be.
