I believe when Leslie McDonald was first recruited, he was touted as Jackie Manuel with a jump shot. I can’t say that he was Manuel with a shot all the time. In fact, I would say he had more of a shot than he had of Jackie Manuel. If McDonald was a defensive threat, I didn’t see it, but perhaps it would be more evident with more playing time. With Marcus Ginyard as the primary defensive stopper, McDonald was unable to see the floor much.
What I didn’t like:
1. Defense. I just didn’t see it and maybe it will be better as he matures as a player and gets some more time. He didn’t play a lot, so it’s hard to get in a grove and rhythm, but if he comes off the bench, he has to be able to come in and give all his energy because he doesn’t get a lot of playing time, so he has to give it all.
What I liked:
1. Contributions. When McDonald did play, he would actually be an offensive threat from my perspective. He would typically be good for a few buckets if he got over 10 minutes and even had a few games where he cracked double digits.
I like McDonald and think he will do well with more experience. I consider him a good option off the bench, even though his shooting percentages need to improve. I hope the defensive does become more evident, because we all know what opposing guards tend to do against UNC.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Bye Bye Ed Davis
Ed Davis is heading pro, which I thought would happen anyway, but now it's official. He is projected to be a first round pick Terry Davis said the potential NBA lockout weighed heavily on his son's decision. Davis did say that he would finish out his degree in the future, but gave no indication as to when that would happen.
Here's what Roy Williams said about Davis's leaving early:
"Ed is a wonderful young man who I am proud to have coached. He was having a very productive season before suffering a broken wrist. He helped us win a national championship as a freshman and his injuries this past year were certainly an obstacle in us returning to the NCAA Tournament. We wish him great success and look forward to supporting him and following his professional career."
The old injury bug popping in again. Most fans know that Davis missed the final 13 games on the season with a broken wrist, but also, he missed some time earlier (I believe against Wake Forest), with a hamstring injury.
I would have been nice to see Davis develop more as an offensive threat. One could consider him the defensive Brandon Wright, as Wright was more developed on the offensive end and Davis the defensive side.
Chemistry wise, I think the departure will improve the team. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but Davis does not seem like a team player that Carolina needs. One example that comes to mind is when UNC won the 09 Championship, Davis was in his warm-ups with a towel created to be a hood. During postgame celebrations, he was rather non-expressive. Maybe he was upset about not playing as much, but that was something I noticed about Davis. Next year, you might as well pencil Tyler Zeller and John Henson as the starters with Travis and David Wear playing back up. David is still out until at least June with his hip injury and may not even be able to play next year. Stay tuned on that one.
Here's what Roy Williams said about Davis's leaving early:
"Ed is a wonderful young man who I am proud to have coached. He was having a very productive season before suffering a broken wrist. He helped us win a national championship as a freshman and his injuries this past year were certainly an obstacle in us returning to the NCAA Tournament. We wish him great success and look forward to supporting him and following his professional career."
The old injury bug popping in again. Most fans know that Davis missed the final 13 games on the season with a broken wrist, but also, he missed some time earlier (I believe against Wake Forest), with a hamstring injury.
I would have been nice to see Davis develop more as an offensive threat. One could consider him the defensive Brandon Wright, as Wright was more developed on the offensive end and Davis the defensive side.
Chemistry wise, I think the departure will improve the team. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but Davis does not seem like a team player that Carolina needs. One example that comes to mind is when UNC won the 09 Championship, Davis was in his warm-ups with a towel created to be a hood. During postgame celebrations, he was rather non-expressive. Maybe he was upset about not playing as much, but that was something I noticed about Davis. Next year, you might as well pencil Tyler Zeller and John Henson as the starters with Travis and David Wear playing back up. David is still out until at least June with his hip injury and may not even be able to play next year. Stay tuned on that one.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Season in Review: Dexter Strickland
As I did last year, I will review each scholarship player numerically with the underclassman going first and building up to the seniors. So first up on the list is Dexter Strickland.
Dexter showed some flashes of being a good player and was somewhat forced to play out of position for the majority of the season by being the backup point guard. Next year, it will be nice to see him slide over to shooting guard and see if he fares better.
What didn’t like:
1. Inconsistency. Some games he would have a double figure scoring, but others, he would barely show up in the stat book. I would like Strickland to be able to establish himself more as a consistent player.
2. Shooting %. Strickland shot 43% from the field, 29% from 3, and 69% from the free throw line. As the shooting guard, you have to be able to shoot and Strickland was not always effective from a shooter’s perspective. In his defense, he did play some point guard, but the percentage needs to be brought up.
What I liked:
1. Drive. One thing I especially liked about Strickland was it seemed he was the only Tar Heel fully capable of creating his own shot. That comes with being the backup point guard and shooting guard at the same time, but at times, he was the only Tar Heel who would drive to the basket and see what happened. He was aggressive and I like an attacking guard. Next year, he should be better able to attack from the wing.
2. Willingness. Strickland showed some leadership potential by willing to play 2 positions. That means he has to learn the plays for two positions and handle setting up the offense and guarding one of the other team’s best players (because what guard hasn’t gone off the Tar Heels before?) Credit should be given to Strickland for being able to step up into a role that is a little out of his comfort zone.
I like having Strickland come off the bench. He can be the Danny Green with the spark and energy and leader of the second squad. He’ll improve, and I look forward to watching him develop into a better overall player.
Dexter showed some flashes of being a good player and was somewhat forced to play out of position for the majority of the season by being the backup point guard. Next year, it will be nice to see him slide over to shooting guard and see if he fares better.
What didn’t like:
1. Inconsistency. Some games he would have a double figure scoring, but others, he would barely show up in the stat book. I would like Strickland to be able to establish himself more as a consistent player.
2. Shooting %. Strickland shot 43% from the field, 29% from 3, and 69% from the free throw line. As the shooting guard, you have to be able to shoot and Strickland was not always effective from a shooter’s perspective. In his defense, he did play some point guard, but the percentage needs to be brought up.
What I liked:
1. Drive. One thing I especially liked about Strickland was it seemed he was the only Tar Heel fully capable of creating his own shot. That comes with being the backup point guard and shooting guard at the same time, but at times, he was the only Tar Heel who would drive to the basket and see what happened. He was aggressive and I like an attacking guard. Next year, he should be better able to attack from the wing.
2. Willingness. Strickland showed some leadership potential by willing to play 2 positions. That means he has to learn the plays for two positions and handle setting up the offense and guarding one of the other team’s best players (because what guard hasn’t gone off the Tar Heels before?) Credit should be given to Strickland for being able to step up into a role that is a little out of his comfort zone.
I like having Strickland come off the bench. He can be the Danny Green with the spark and energy and leader of the second squad. He’ll improve, and I look forward to watching him develop into a better overall player.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Sun Will Come Out
Yes, the sun still rose after Duke was labeled national champions. It hurts, but they did win. It's hard as a Tar Heel fan to see your arch rival win, especially when your team wasn't in the Dance to defend it's title. We went from the highest of highs to a low. Probably not the lowest of lows, but a low nonetheless.
But take heart because we have some young studs in the stable to build around and there is hope coming. Some of the early top 25 polls for next year have UNC ranked anywhere from 10 to 20. First, those polls are way to premature because who knows what's going to happen between now and the NBA draft, but I'm not going to be a sucker for the hype next year. I firmly believe that UNC can be good, but they have to earn that ranking before I give it to them. I gave them the ranking this year and we ended up in the NIT. I'm looking forward to it though.
As far as some future blog postings, I will be doing player-by-player reviews soon and also some book reviews for you to take a look at. Thanks for reading!
But take heart because we have some young studs in the stable to build around and there is hope coming. Some of the early top 25 polls for next year have UNC ranked anywhere from 10 to 20. First, those polls are way to premature because who knows what's going to happen between now and the NBA draft, but I'm not going to be a sucker for the hype next year. I firmly believe that UNC can be good, but they have to earn that ranking before I give it to them. I gave them the ranking this year and we ended up in the NIT. I'm looking forward to it though.
As far as some future blog postings, I will be doing player-by-player reviews soon and also some book reviews for you to take a look at. Thanks for reading!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Addition by Subtration
One of the biggest offseason questions will be whether or not Ed Davis does go pro. At the beginning of this year, I would have said that was a bad idea, but that’s when I thought Ed Davis was going to be an 18 and 11 guy every night. Since Davis was not like that and then was injured, I’m not convinced he would be willing to stick around and risk another injury. Most mock drafts have him as a top 10 pick. In fact, I can’t think of one that doesn’t have him as a top 10 pick.
If Davis did leave, I don’t think it would be the end of the world. In fact, I think this team would be better for a few reasons:
1) I don’t think Davis is a true team player. He doesn’t strike me as a team oriented guy. Not to say that he is a selfish guy who demands the ball all the time, but that fact that he doesn’t seem to put a lot of work into his game and that can hurt team chemistry because people see that he doesn’t work very hard and is still getting playing time. Ed Davis is a talent, but it seems like he is Ty Lawson as a freshman, where Lawson was not allowed to start because he kept messing around. Ed Davis is not a trickster like Lawson, but he just seems to not put the effort in, similar to how Lawson was, when he just got by on talent and not being a complete player.
2) If Davis leaves, I think that would open the door for Tyler Zeller to emerge as a main threat on offense. Zeller is obviously more offensive minded than Davis, but with John Henson on the weak side, Zeller could probably get away with more than he normally could because of Henson’s shot blocking ability. I was very impressed with Zeller as he came back from injury and really picked up where he left off. He was good for 9 points and 5 boards a night, which is good as your 6th man and I think if he starts, those numbers are only going to go up with more minutes and shot opportunities.
3. With Davis gone, the line-up would probably be Zeller at center, Henson at the power forward, Harrison Barnes at the other forward, with Will Graves, Dexter Strickland, Larry Drew II, or Kendall Marshall in the backcourt (which will probably remain a question mark until we get closer to the season. But the front court would still be strong with the 2 above bigs and the Wear twins playing the backup role. I believe if we needed to go small, Barnes could slide over to the 4 because of his height.
This is all speculation at this point, but if Davis does opt for the NBA, I don’t consider it a huge loss and the pieces will fall back into place soon enough. My honest hope is that he does go pro, but we’ll see what happens.
If Davis did leave, I don’t think it would be the end of the world. In fact, I think this team would be better for a few reasons:
1) I don’t think Davis is a true team player. He doesn’t strike me as a team oriented guy. Not to say that he is a selfish guy who demands the ball all the time, but that fact that he doesn’t seem to put a lot of work into his game and that can hurt team chemistry because people see that he doesn’t work very hard and is still getting playing time. Ed Davis is a talent, but it seems like he is Ty Lawson as a freshman, where Lawson was not allowed to start because he kept messing around. Ed Davis is not a trickster like Lawson, but he just seems to not put the effort in, similar to how Lawson was, when he just got by on talent and not being a complete player.
2) If Davis leaves, I think that would open the door for Tyler Zeller to emerge as a main threat on offense. Zeller is obviously more offensive minded than Davis, but with John Henson on the weak side, Zeller could probably get away with more than he normally could because of Henson’s shot blocking ability. I was very impressed with Zeller as he came back from injury and really picked up where he left off. He was good for 9 points and 5 boards a night, which is good as your 6th man and I think if he starts, those numbers are only going to go up with more minutes and shot opportunities.
3. With Davis gone, the line-up would probably be Zeller at center, Henson at the power forward, Harrison Barnes at the other forward, with Will Graves, Dexter Strickland, Larry Drew II, or Kendall Marshall in the backcourt (which will probably remain a question mark until we get closer to the season. But the front court would still be strong with the 2 above bigs and the Wear twins playing the backup role. I believe if we needed to go small, Barnes could slide over to the 4 because of his height.
This is all speculation at this point, but if Davis does opt for the NBA, I don’t consider it a huge loss and the pieces will fall back into place soon enough. My honest hope is that he does go pro, but we’ll see what happens.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Never Again
That's what John Henson said after the NIT Championship lost. Meaning, never again will the Tar Heels be back in the NIT because that's not where they belong. They should be playing on Thursdays or Fridays, not Tuesdays.
At the beginning of March, I didn't know if I wanted the Heels in the NIT. I was hoping they would just to keep playing. But after the play that we saw the second half of the season, I was less excited about the possibilities of playing in the NIT because I did not want to get embarrassed, but the NIT was beneficial for a few reasons.
1. It gave young players more game experience as well as a post-season atmosphere, even though it was the NIT. 2. We get to see John Henson play more because to me, he was the lone bright spot for this team.
Dayton played well and were a tough team. One of the more defensive minded teams. They kept stepping up when UNC would narrow the lead down to 2, and nail a back breaking 3 pointer. Boo Dayton Flyers. Oh well.
This team certainly exceeded my expectations in the NIT and made the record more respectable, but one must ask, where was this all year? This year's team did beat Ohio State, who had the amazing Evan Turner. They also beat Michigan State who is currently playing in the Final Four. They lost by 1 to one of the top teams all year in Kentucky. Injuries played a part with a number of players missing time, but the turnovers never helped and once the losses started coming, the confidence is dwindled, if there at all.
Next year, should be brighter, but I don't want to say we'll be back in the Final Four. I think next year's team can, but I thought the same about this year's team as well. There are a number of other pieces that will need to fall in before we can truly speculate. One big question is whether Ed Davis will be back next year or not. Another is whether John Henson can actually gain some weight. We'll see soon enough.
It will be sad to see Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard go out the way they did, but I believe they should have stepped up more. Maybe they were just role players who were forced to be stars, similar to Kris Lang and Jason Capel. It is hard to image that a chunky freshman named Deon Thompson would become the NCAA leader in games played, but it can just be added to his pretty good player, just not a superstar. I wish them the best as they continue in life.
At the beginning of March, I didn't know if I wanted the Heels in the NIT. I was hoping they would just to keep playing. But after the play that we saw the second half of the season, I was less excited about the possibilities of playing in the NIT because I did not want to get embarrassed, but the NIT was beneficial for a few reasons.
1. It gave young players more game experience as well as a post-season atmosphere, even though it was the NIT. 2. We get to see John Henson play more because to me, he was the lone bright spot for this team.
Dayton played well and were a tough team. One of the more defensive minded teams. They kept stepping up when UNC would narrow the lead down to 2, and nail a back breaking 3 pointer. Boo Dayton Flyers. Oh well.
This team certainly exceeded my expectations in the NIT and made the record more respectable, but one must ask, where was this all year? This year's team did beat Ohio State, who had the amazing Evan Turner. They also beat Michigan State who is currently playing in the Final Four. They lost by 1 to one of the top teams all year in Kentucky. Injuries played a part with a number of players missing time, but the turnovers never helped and once the losses started coming, the confidence is dwindled, if there at all.
Next year, should be brighter, but I don't want to say we'll be back in the Final Four. I think next year's team can, but I thought the same about this year's team as well. There are a number of other pieces that will need to fall in before we can truly speculate. One big question is whether Ed Davis will be back next year or not. Another is whether John Henson can actually gain some weight. We'll see soon enough.
It will be sad to see Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard go out the way they did, but I believe they should have stepped up more. Maybe they were just role players who were forced to be stars, similar to Kris Lang and Jason Capel. It is hard to image that a chunky freshman named Deon Thompson would become the NCAA leader in games played, but it can just be added to his pretty good player, just not a superstar. I wish them the best as they continue in life.
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