University of North Carolina Athletics
Jacobs: Davis Injury Yields Henson Revelation
April 16, 2010 | Men's Basketball
April 16, 2010
by Barry Jacobs, TarHeelBlue.com
The news that Ed Davis decided to turn pro unofficially concluded North Carolina's 2009-10 basketball season.
The Tar Heels have now yielded 19 players early to the NBA, going back to Robert McAdoo in 1972. That's believed to be more than any other school, and an indication both of the caliber of players who come to Chapel Hill and of the handicap UNC coaches overcome year in and year out in maintaining program continuity.
In fact, you could argue the spotty results of the '10 season reflected the difficulty, often overlooked, of adjusting to early departures.
Roy Williams did a masterful job of maintaining the program's stride in 2006, a year after winning a national title and watching four key players leave early - Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants. A similar exodus ensued following the 2009 championship, with junior backcourt starters Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington going pro alongside seniors Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.
Given recent precedent, it was easy to assume Williams and Company would adjust seamlessly.
So much for assumptions.
Williams has been at this coaching business long enough to spy the pitfalls that lay ahead for the '10 squad, which had scant backcourt experience. "Everybody, we always love big guys and all that stuff but I've got to have guards," he said last summer. "I've got to have some perimeter players that know what they're doing."
Little did he know that he wouldn't have an overload of big guys, either. Tyler Zeller, perhaps the best all-around player on the team, missed 10 games due to a foot injury. Each of the Wear brothers, Travis and David, was sidelined for a time.
Davis, the Heels' interior anchor, broke his wrist and played but 23 of 37 games -- and still had 62 blocked shots, more than all but two players in the ACC.
Davis' 6.7 defensive rebounds per game would have topped the league, had he played enough to qualify among official leaders. Of course the 6-10 sophomore was in the process of developing his nascent offensive skills, too, making a handsome 57.8 percent of his shots from the floor.
Those who watched Davis in action, and wished he would work harder to get open on offense or assert himself more strongly, might have wondered if he's ready for the NBA. (To be fair a big man only can do so much; other than grabbing offensive rebounds, he depends on guards to get him the ball.) Unfortunately, as we've learned after watching enough half-refined talents head for the pros, getting drafted is as often about potential as polish, especially for big guys.
While the spate of injuries to frontcourt personnel clearly handicapped the Tar Heels, there was at least one serendipitous side-effect. Call it the Vinny Del Negro effect.
Back in 1987, N.C. State coach Jim Valvano coveted speed and quickness at point guard after tall, heady Nate McMillan graduated. Valvano tried Kelsey Weems. He tried Kenny Drummond. He tried Quentin Jackson. Each fit the physical profile, but did not fill the role of disciplined, team-oriented, pass-first playmaker.
Meanwhile, the 6-4 Del Negro sat quietly on the bench, racking up about two assists per turnover when he did occasionally see action. Finally, when all else failed, in his 50th college game the junior got his first start.
Still, the Wolfpack struggled until winning its last three games of the regular season. Then State surprised everyone by sweeping to the ACC Tournament title as the sixth seed, upsetting No. 3 Duke and edging top-seed North Carolina 68-67 in the finals.
The event's MVP? Del Negro, who went on to enjoy first team All-ACC honors as a senior and a long pro career. He is currently head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
Del Negro's unexpected emergence at point, confounding his coach's vision, was mirrored to a degree by John Henson's progress this season at North Carolina.
Henson - hugely gifted, lean and long-limbed as a colt - was assigned a wing forward's role as the 2010 season began. The team needed him there. His body-type seemed suited to the perimeter; Henson assured reporters that's where he and Williams believed his NBA future lay.
"When we recruited him, we asked him to be able to spend a great deal of time working on sliding his feet so he'd be able to guard a perimeter guy," Williams said in June 2009. "I would not be surprised to see John running around at the three spot. I would be surprised - no, I'll be dead - if he's running around at the one. I think that he can be a three or four or five for us."
Yet it's fair to say that, as Henson's freshman year wore on, his shooting, passing, ballhandling, and defensive skills did not take on the characteristics of a three (second guard). Finally, with Zeller shelved, Henson spent time near the basket.
He and Davis formed a devastating defensive tandem in a loss to Duke on Feb. 10. The Heels blocked eight shots in the first half alone, four by Henson, intimidating the Blue Devils into 22.5 percent shooting for the period. "They're an outstanding defensive team, especially when you get the ball inside," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said following the game.
Late in that contest Davis broke his wrist, sidelining him for the season.
So Henson, despite his spindly frame, became a permanent inside fixture and more or less prospered. He virtually matched Davis in offensive rebounds per minute, often flying in for electrifying follow shots. Only three ACC players blocked more shots (60), even though Henson averaged a mere 15.8 minutes per game. (He still must learn to control blocks, rather than revel in driving the ball out of bounds.)
Now Davis and Deon Thompson are gone, and the interior rotation returns four veterans, of whom Henson is clearly the most athletic.
Henson may never develop a rugged physique while playing in college. But don't expect him to go back to wing guard any time soon. Almost by accident, amidst ill-fortune, he quickly demonstrated a knack near the basket.
However that fact was discovered, it's good news for the Tar Heels.
