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But he didn't fully realize what it meant to be a Tar Heel until he first put on the powder blue uniform more than a year later when this college basketball season started.

"I felt honored just to go to the same school as Michael Jordan went to, Vince Carter, Marvin Williams, all those guys. Just to be on a team that they've been, and the guys that just left, I just felt real honored," said Strickland, a Rahway, N.J. native who starred at Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick High School.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound freshman guard will return to the Garden this week for the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Syracuse will meet No. 13 Cal in Thursday's first semifinal, while defending NCAA champion and No. 6 North Carolina faces No. 15 Ohio State in the second game (7 and 9 p.m.).

The winners will hook up in Friday's championship game at 7 p.m.

"I can't wait. I know that like 10 of my family members are coming. Even though I played in the Garden before, it's still going to be a good feeling," Strickland said.

During his time at St. Patrick, Strickland was named a McDonald's All-American and helped head coach Kevin Boyle and the Celtics win three New Jersey Tournament of Champions titles in four years, including last season.

This season, the Celtics are ranked No. 1 in USA Today's preseason poll and are projected to win their fourth Tournament of Champions crown in five years.

Yet with all those accolades come expectations, and Tar Heels coach Roy Williams says those expectations are very real.

"There's a lot of pressure on a kid who's coming from that type of program who's gotten a lot of awards," Williams said. "So there's some expectations and when you're coming to a place like North Carolina those expectations are real. The people expect you to be really good."

Adding to those pressures is the Strickland's switch of positions.

He played shooting guard on last year's St. Patrick team opposite Kyrie Irving, the talented point guard who will suit up for North Carolina's archrival Duke beginning next year.

Since arriving in Chapel Hill, Strickland has had to switch to the point because that's what Williams wants. Strickland is averaging 4.3 points and 2.0 assists over 14 minutes per game, but has committed eight turnovers in three games.

"He's changing positions and he has the ball in his hand a lot," Williams said. "And to ask him to think about what defense he just called and to think about what offensive set we're supposed to be in and to get back and stop the break and do all those kind of things that he did not have to do in high school adds a lot of it to him mentally.

"So he has the physical part of it that the game's so much faster and the guys are bigger and stronger and quicker. At the point guard here he has so many of the mental things that he has to think about. It's a big-time challenge for him but we've had some guys do it in the past and Dexter will be one of those as well."

Lamont Halsey and Sheronne Strickland, Dexter's stepfather and mother, have attended all three of Strickland's games. Halsey said Dexter struggled in the first game against Isiah Thomas and Florida International.

"His first game he looked a little nervous," Halsey said. "He was playing too fast. He had five turnovers but he made a big shot to end the half. After that he settled down and played better."

In his second game against North Carolina Central, Strickland played better, posting nine points, three assists and two turnovers. In Sunday's win over Valparaiso, Strickland scored just two points, but had two assists and just 1 turnover.

"The biggest thing is to keep the turnovers down," Halsey said. "Run the team, be a vocal leader, lead by example. You want the guys out there to believe in you and know they can count on you."

Strickland said the most difficult thing is learning to get back quicker on defense.

"Just the point guard's mentality, getting back on defense. When a shot goes up, instead of me crashing the boards like I did in high school, I get back to protect the backcourt so it's just a different mindset," he said.

Strickland gets tips from Carolina sophomore point guard Larry Drew. He has also watched film on former Carolina point guard Raymond Felton of the Charlotte Bobcats and played pickup with former Tar Heels guard Shammond Williams.

"God willing, if I go to the NBA, I'm going to be playing the point guard, so he is trying to do everything possible to help me learn that position," Strickland said.

Asked which coach yells at him more, Boyle or Williams, Strickland said: "It's a good question, I'd have to say Coach Roy."

Off the court, Strickland has gotten an education on just what it means to be a Tar Heel.

"The first couple of days I was on campus, I still didn't feel like I was part of the whole organization," he said. "It felt like I was still on my visit. It didn't sink in until I actually went to class and started getting friends on campus.

"I can't complain at all. Everything is here for me. Food, I have 24-7 access to the gym. I work out when I want to. I'm getting stronger, getting healthy. Everything is good. I can't complain at all."