University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Watts Plays Big
November 5, 2010 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Nov. 5, 2010
By Adam Lucas
When his team developed a startling lack of post depth this spring after NBA departures, graduation and transfers, Roy Williams said the coaching staff identified six possible candidates to join the Tar Heels and provide some minutes in the paint.
It turns out there might have been seven, and the extra contender was already on campus--Justin Watts.
The Tar Heels outgifted and outtalented Barton (those well-versed in the Roy Williams lexicon will understand the meaning of those pseudo-words) 108-67 in a game more notable for rotations and attempts than for the actual score. After all, Carolina won the exhibition game by 48 points last year and, well, how did that turn out?
Instead, Friday night was about finding out the first public answers to some of the questions Williams himself has mentioned in the preseason. Notably, what are the Tar Heels going to do about a post rotation that includes only Tyler Zeller, John Henson, and transfer Justin Knox (who quietly played a solid 17 minutes and picked up 8 points and 4 rebounds)?
The Tar Heel head coach mentioned the possibility that Harrison Barnes or Reggie Bullock could play some minutes at the power forward spot as the season progresses. Right now, though, the surprise solution is Watts, the junior who will attempt a David Noel imitation as an undersized Durham native providing some minutes in the post.
"It's (a) drastically important (role)," Williams says. "You're going to have foul trouble, and you're going to have the flu. He's the most veteran player we have. Justin is really doing a nice job...He's done some good things for us defensively."
This isn't the first time Watts has earned November praise. He was the first player off the bench in the second half of last season's opening game against Florida International and had the student section chanting his name by the end of that contest. The rampant Carolina injuries forced him into the starting lineup in a pair of games in December, but then an ankle injury effectively curtailed his ability to stay in the rotation in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Last year, the Tar Heels seemed to have an abundance of post depth. This year, they've moved into the shallow end. Listed at 6-foot-4, Watts isn't going to physically overwhelm any opposing power forwards. But this is college basketball 2010, when quality post depth is rare. Williams isn't asking Watts to grow to 6-foot-8 or lead the team in rebounding. He's asking him to play solid defense and grab a few rebounds.
Watts earned Williams's praise for fronting in the paint and forcing a couple turnovers in a recent scrimmage, and his leaping ability is an asset for rebounding. He's not afraid to be physical if it's necessary; Dexter Strickland calls Watts "the strongest guy on the team" other than Knox.
"I have to use my quickness," Watts says of his defensive goals. "It's different from playing the guard spot. But with the defense we play, we're in the lane and denying, so I'm doing the same things a guard would do."
He has a very clear idea of the role his coach has outlined for him. "Do the little things," Watts says. "Help the young guys out on defense, talk to them. Play defense, get offensive rebounds, do the little things people don't notice."
You might observe that there's no mention of scoring anywhere in that job description. That doesn't mean he can't do it, as he pumped in 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting in just 18 minutes. The baskets came on an assortment of jumpers (including a three-pointer) and put-backs, but that's not what's most likely to keep him in the rotation. Unlike last year, this is a team that expects to score consistently and effectively.
But intangibles like the three assists and zero turnovers he notched against Barton are a keeper. Listen to how Williams describes Watts's role: "He's got to be a big-time player."
In most cases when the head coach talks that way, he says "could" be a big-time player. Not in this situation. On a front line thinner than John Henson as a high schooler, there's no room for it to be a possibility. It's a requirement. He's "got" to be a big-time player.
There will be tougher nights against bigger, stronger opponents. But the first test of the experiment suggests there could be more minutes in Watts's future.
"I told Coach I didn't have a problem playing the four," he said. "If you're on the basketball court, you're a basketball player. It was a little surprising, but I just try to do what he asks me to do."
Williams brought in newcomers from Iowa to Alabama to Washington to Kinston to reenergize his eighth Carolina team. And the extra minutes and effort to plug one of the most glaring holes on the roster?
He might have found those in a most unexpected location: the home bench in the Smith Center.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of six books on Carolina basketball, including the official chronicle of the first 100 years of Tar Heel hoops, A Century of Excellence, which is available now. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.
