University of North Carolina Athletics
Tokoto Displaying Versatile Game
December 16, 2013 | Men's Basketball
By Andrew Tie
After North Carolina's 82-77 victory over Kentucky, Wildcats guard James Young said he knew sophomore guard J.P. Tokoto was a good defender but didn't know of his offensive abilities.
That's been Tokoto's reputation since he came to Chapel Hill-he has Vince Carter-like athleticism and can provide rebounding and defending, but don't worry too much about his shot.
"A guy like me, I can go do other things: rebound, pass the ball into the post, a lob or something for an assist, get a stop on the defensive end," Tokoto said.
But on Saturday, Tokoto proved some doubters-like Young-wrong by unleashed his full arsenal of offensive talent. He finished the game with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting, using everything from dunks to jump shots.
As UNC and Kentucky fought blow for blow in the first half, Tokoto stepped up and provided some much-needed scoring punch for the Tar Heels.
First, he scored on a tough and-one basket. Then he buried a long two, which was originally ruled a three. Several minutes later, he hit an actual three.
Only four UNC three-pointers on the year have come from someone not named Marcus Paige, and three have come from Tokoto. It's not his forte-he even said coach Roy Williams wouldn't let him shoot threes last year-but those shots are important to keep opposing defenses honest.
"I'm not afraid to take open shots," Tokoto said. "Even since last year, (Williams) said if the midrange jumper's open, take it. He's always been behind me 100 percent with taking good shots. He's seen the work I put in this summer fixing my form and getting my shots up."
But don't forget about that athleticism. It was on full display on a fast break near the end of the first half, as he hung in the air and finished the play with a defender in his face.
A minute after that, Tokoto jumped in front of a pass and took it the other way for an easy dunk to excite the crowd. He finished the first half with 11 points, which didn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"He played great, especially in the first half," said point guard Nate Britt. "Scoring wise, he put the team on his back, and that's what we needed from him. An advantage that our team has is that we have different people who can step up at different times, and he definitely did that for us tonight."
Of course, he wasn't perfect. Free throw shooting woes continue to plague Tokoto, as he went 0-for-2. He also turned it over twice, but these growing pains are to be expected as he plays more at the shooting guard, an unnatural position for him.
"I think they've accepted it," Williams said of his team playing different positions. "I'm not sure we've figured it out yet. J.P. knows he's going to spend some time at the two. James Michael (McAdoo) knows he's going to spend some time at the three. It's not a natural position for either one of them."
In the second half, Tokoto wasn't needed as much offensively, but he still contributed with four points off an uncontested layup and a dunk that sealed the win for UNC.
Forward Brice Johnson, who would send the white-clad UNC fans into a deafening roar on an alley-oop just before Tokoto's dunk, wasn't surprised by the offensive outburst by Tokoto.
"J.P.'s a great player," Johnson said. "That's what he's in there for. He starts. He's a great player. He just has to get his shot."
A minute after Johnson's dunk, Tokoto iced the game on a Kennedy Meeks inbound pass. He grabbed the ball and threw the ball down with his body swinging behind, showing off that freakish athleticism that we've all come to know and love.
