University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: The Candidate
February 16, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Feb. 16, 2011
By Adam Lucas
Some candidates announce their campaign with a speech. Others--especially if they reside in 1920s America--go on a whistlestop tour. Some send out a press release.
Tuesday night, John Henson did none of those things. He just played. That was plenty to be a fitting announcement for his candidacy for Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, an award a Tar Heel has never won.
The first five Wake Forest possessions looked like this:
Possession #1: Henson slides across the lane to help Dexter Strickland with a driving C.J. Harris. Henson raises his arm in the air like a broomstick and Harris has to arc the ball over it, clanking his shot off the rim.
Possession #2: Henson spends some time marking Travis McKie on the perimeter. McKie has a brief notion to drive on him, but perhaps remembering Harris's issues, decides against it. Unwilling to probe the paint, the Deacons have to jack up a 24-foot three-pointer, which misses badly.
Possession #3: Harris appears to have a free run into the lane, where he suddenly encounters Henson. Harris shovels the ball to McKie, as if trying to pass his problem to someone else. Henson blocks McKie's shot.
Possession #4: Henson again prevents McKie from driving, then helps on Carson Desrosiers and gets another blocked shot.
Possession #5: More dribble penetration, this time from Gary Clark. More shot-changing by Henson, who turns what first appears to be an easy Clark layup into a twisting--and missing--attempt.
A minute later, the candidate struck again when he forced a McKie traveling violation as the Deacon freshman tried to back Henson down. That's supposed to be the book, to try and overpower him physically, but it didn't work on Tuesday. The perception seems to be that the Tampa native is some physical freak who just uses his long arms to play defense, but he's quietly turned into a crafty defensive player who defends without fouling--he hasn't been disqualified from a game this year and his 43 personal fouls are less than, for example, Dexter Strickland's 47.
"I've gotten much better at sliding my feet," Henson said. "I probably get a travel call in every game where a guy tries to go hard into me and I kind of pull the chair out from under him."
Remember, this is a league where dramatically toppling over at any perceived contact has long been glorified. Figuring out a way to use an offensive player's momentum against him should qualify for canonization.
That Henson also found time to score four points and grab a couple rebounds during the game's opening minutes is almost inconsequential. He completely changed the game defensively, the kind of every-possession defensive impact Carolina may not have had since--these are big words--Jackie Manuel. By the time he checked out for the first time with 13:26 remaining in the first half, Wake had managed just five points and the Tar Heels had built a lead they would not surrender.
When he was on the floor in the first half, the Demon Deacons shot 6-20 (30%) from the field. When he was out of the game, they shot 5-10 (50%). There is no one else in the ACC who has such a consistent impact on an opponent's offense, which is why Henson should win the award easily.
Some defenders impact the game on the perimeter. Some defenders impact the game in the paint. Henson has carried his defensive presence to the point that he's now even changing the game when the ball is out of bounds. At least once per game, he's making it impossible for an opponent to in-bound the ball. He did it twice against Wake, creating two turnovers, one of which led to a forceful Harrison Barnes dunk. Wake allowed the diminutive Harris to be the in-bounds passer with Henson guarding the ball, which left Harris looking like a mouse trying to see around a giraffe.
Especially given the way Carolina's shooters have struggled lately, those fast-break opportunities off Henson's defense--off a blocked shot, or, as with the in-bounds pass, off a deflection--are precious.
"In the team concept, blocking shots is a great weapon," he says. "We utilize it a lot to get the fast break started."
It's not a coincidence that the Tar Heels have quietly developed into a formidable defensive team in a league that suddenly seems built on defense. Opponents are hitting just 40 percent of their field goals against Carolina, the third-best defensive field goal percentage in the ACC. In league games only, the Tar Heels' 40.1 field goal percentage defense is second-best, behind only much-lauded Florida State.
What makes Henson's defense so valuable is that it's always there. It's not like running a play for a scorer or setting some screens to free a shooter. If he's on the court--and to be there in close games, free throws will continue to be a topic of discussion--he's making Carolina a better defensive team.
"With him back there, you can pressure more," said Kendall Marshall. "You don't have the fear of getting beat. If you do, the second line of defense is incredible with him back there. They're going to have a lot tougher time making shots over him than over me."
In fact, the Wake game marked the fifth time in the last eight games that a Tar Heel opponent shot under 39 percent from the field. That's a stat that has made Carolina winners in seven of those eight games.
As we know, Roy Williams doesn't give a flip about individual honors. Winners, he says, get the awards and rewards. Right now, his Tar Heels are winning. Part of the foundation for those victories has been the award-worthy play of their sophomore big man.
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.
