University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Playing His Game
December 10, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Dec. 10, 2011
By Adam Lucas
Reggie Bullock is a different player these days.
You've noticed that, certainly. It's been hard to miss. There he was again against Long Beach State on Saturday night, firing in 11 points in a six-minute stretch that saw Carolina move from a six-point deficit to a three-point lead. He is making a habit of sinking big, momentum-changing shots; he also nailed key three-pointers against Wisconsin and Kentucky.
His shooting, then, is attention-grabbing. What isn't quite as noticeable is the work he's put in away from the spotlight to make his games more productive. Before the Tennessee State game on Nov. 22, Bullock began a routine with assistant strength and conditioning coach Jackie Manuel--the sophomore had to rotate to several spots shooting three-pointers, and he couldn't move from a spot until he made five in a row. The duo has made the extra shooting a habit, putting in time before or after each practice and game.
Around that same time, Bullock became more committed to stretching before games. It sounds simple, but it was one of those fundamental changes that has made him a more complete player. This was not the kind of stretching you or I would do, where we try to see if our toes are still reachable. This was legitimate, almost Hansbroughesque, I-take-this-seriously stretching.
"I had been getting on him to be more professional about his game," Manuel says. "I told him he needed to invest more and take care of himself more. He had to do the simple things, and he had to put in the work to be consistent."
You want consistency? Bullock has now made multiple three-pointers in three straight games; it's the first time since the first four games of his Tar Heel career that he's made multiples in at least three straight outings.
The shooting, then, is impressive. The 11-point stretch was a clinic, featuring an impossibly high arching baseline jumper over an outstretched defender and a series of three three-pointers. After the last trifecta in the run, Bullock sprinted back on defense with a wide smile. He could have been any kid at any level in any gym in America at the moment they realize they're in the flow. And after a freshman season with more setbacks than hot streaks, he deserved that moment.
What might ultimately be more important to Carolina's future prospects is the maturation of the rest of his game. During that same 11-point outburst in the second half, he also had a steal and a rebound. For the game, Carolina was +10 with Bullock on the court.
"Reggie," Roy Williams said, "was huge."
Saturday merely continued a post-Las Vegas stretch of impressive games from the Kinston sophomore. With him on the floor, the Tar Heels were +7 against Wisconsin, +10 against Kentucky and +21 against Evansville. It's led to some speculation about a possible spot in the starting lineup, but Bullock contends he's only now figuring out the best way to maximize his current role.
"My role is to be that spark player off the bench," he says. "I'm defending, I'm getting on the boards, and I'm trying to do the little things."
He's meeting his goals. He makes the extra pass, unfailingly, every single time. Sometimes he is even too unselfish, as in the second half when he passed an open three-pointer to move the ball to John Henson, who was even more open from 18 feet. Lots of players make the extra pass when their shot isn't falling. Bullock does it even when he's hot, a sign of a mature player.
He won the defensive award from the coaches after the Michigan State game (his first career defensive win), was the club's best screener against Evansville, and won the cumulative good/bad plays honor (a measure of virtually everything that happens on the court) against both UNLV and Kentucky.
He's made noticeable progress on the defensive end, where Williams has utilized Bullock's length and athleticism to create favorable Tar Heel mismatches against shorter shooting guards. Bullock even spent a few possessions on Long Beach's Casper Ware, who needed 24 shots to score 29 points.
Again, it's been Manuel in his ear about his defensive potential. "What I tell him is that when he goes on defense, he has to take that three off his jersey and just be five," says Manuel, who wore number-5 for the Tar Heels and may have been the best defender of the Williams era. "And then when he goes back on offense, he can put the three back on there and be Reggie."
That's an interesting combination, mostly because it's so unexpected. Bullock was supposed to be a shooter, not Jackie Manuel with some offense. He's not at Manuel's level yet defensively, but just the fact that it's being discussed shows you how much progress he has made.
Bullock was asked to describe that second-half sequence against the 49ers, the one when he seemingly was around the ball on every possession--defending, scoring, and generally being the centerpiece of the Carolina quintet on the court. Remember, this is someone who still says, "Yes, sir," to media questions, but he's able to mix the humility with just the right amount of confidence.
"What would I call that?" he says of his game-changing minutes. "That was me playing my game."
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 and Facebook.
