In his first season coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels, Hubert Jones took the Tar Heels all the way to the Championship game as an eight-seed. North Carolina was extremely inconsistent throughout the entire season but ultimately picked up play when it mattered the most.
The Players
The Tar Heels picked up Brady Manek from Oklahoma and had a breakout campaign from Armando Bacot, which helped North Carolina become one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.
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Good rebounding teams always find a way to win games and that’s essentially what North Carolina did. The Tar Heels weren’t elite shooting the basketball and didn’t defend all that well, especially against the three. North Carolina wasn’t even that great defending in transition but they could rebound.
North Carolina was able to limit second chances and gain a whole bunch of second chances on the other side of the ball. That was crucial to its success. But now Manek is done and Bacot is going to the NBA. Those two guys were key components of North Carolina’s run.
As the days go on, we’ll know more about other Tar Heels players and their intentions with going professional. Leaky Black would have another year of eligibility along with Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, Dontrez Style, and Puff Johnson who were all freshmen. A lot of this young talent would leave for the NBA quickly but with the new NIL agreement, these players, especially at UNC, could make a fortune playing college basketball while also earning a degree.
New Talent
Only time will tell with that. The new incoming class for the Tar Heels will include three four-star recruits including Seth Trimble, Tyler Nickel, and Jalen Washington. The Tar Heels will also bring in Will Shaver, who is just a three-star prospect.
Of course, it would also make sense for North Carolina to enter the transfer portal and find some big men who can shoot from distance and rebound at a very high rate. North Carolina needs more size with Manek gone and Bacot likely going into the NBA.
Last season, North Carolina had eight scholarships that were tied to freshmen. If those freshmen elect to stay, North Carolina is going to be very good. But the reality is, it’s likely that Caleb Love will leave for the NBA and it’s hard to know about R.J. Davis’ intentions at this time.
Ultimately, if the Tar Heels can convince Leaky Black to return for another season and hold onto R.J. Davis and potentially Caleb Love, the Tar Heels could be very interesting if they add a couple of big men from the transfer portal who are experienced.
The Future
Either way, the future is bright for North Carolina basketball. Hubert Davis brought a different energy to North Carolina this season and the inconsistency likely won’t continue under Davis’ watch. Everyone was just adjusting to his style and adjusting to the team. Eventually, once the team connected, the sky was the limit.
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Let’s see what North Carolina’s roster looks like in a couple of weeks, but either way, it looks like Hubert Davis is going to be a star in the coaching business for the Tar Heels.
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