University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Building A Defense
November 11, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
By Adam Lucas
Isaiah Hicks was cataloging the defensive exploits of his teammates after Friday's 112-34 exhibition victory over Belmont Abbey. There were blocked shots (seven of them). There were steals (19 of them). There were too many deflections and contested passes to count. There was even…
“Even Kennedy!” Hicks suddenly exclaimed. “Even Kennedy got out there and denied a pass and got a fast break out of it.”
Indeed, with about two minutes left in the first half, Meeks knocked the ball away near midcourt and cruised in for an uncontested dunk. The newly svelte sophomore admitted he had “just a thought” about trying one of the much-talked about windmills, but then thought better of it. “I thought that if I missed it, that was going to be ESPN right there,” he said.
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If the Tar Heels continue to defend the way they did on Friday, there should be more opportunities. Overmatched Belmont Abbey committed 32 turnovers while scoring just 34 points. Of course, that's what should happen against a team that is supposed to provide practice, not competitiveness, during the exhibition season.
But it was the energy level and potential rather than the statistical results that were so promising in the victory. Start with the personnel. The Tar Heels have athleticism and versatility throughout the starting five, with 6-foot-8 Justin Jackson and 6-foot-6 J.P. Tokoto the primary defensive thorns. Tokoto, of course, is a returning member of the All-ACC Defensive team, while Jackson has a similar wiry build that should help create defensive havoc.
Those two Tar Heels combined for four steals in 35 minutes against the Crusaders. Then, when Roy Williams went to his bench, he brought in even more defensive acumen, with Theo Pinson and Desmond Hubert—who has evolved into a quality defensive player in the paint, the area where Carolina was the weakest defensively last year—and that duo combined for six steals in 36 minutes.
“We have a deep lineup,” said Hicks, who is yet another cut from the athletic, defend-multiple-positions mold. “We can go out there and push it and not have to worry about being tired. You don't have to worry about anyone taking a play off on defense. We have so many athletic players, and we have the discipline to be a good defensive team.”
With some defensive luxuries at his disposal on the wing, expect Williams to be even more rigorous than usual about emphasizing ball pressure. It's something he always asks of his point guards, and when they're able to do it effectively—with Ty Lawson being perhaps the best example of a player who could sometimes be indifferent but was ferocious when he decided to be—it changes the entire Tar Heel defense.
The Carolina head coach dropped a slightly surprising statement on Friday night when he referred to Marcus Paige as “as good a defender as I've ever had at the point guard spot.”
That's heady praise from Williams, and he expanded on it during his radio show on Monday night with Jones Angell. And as you would expect with an Academic All-America pick, Paige has both the physical and mental qualities to be an excellent defender. “He's got really good feet, so he stays in front of the ball," Williams said. "He doesn't get beat on the drive nearly as much. He sees the big picture, sees what the other team is trying to do, and reacts to it before other guys. But the biggest thing is that he wants to be a great defensive player. You've got to have great feet, and he has that, but he really wants to be a good defender and it makes him mad when the other guy scores on him...He takes pride in his defense."
So although Paige doesn't necessarily have the imposing size of the rest of the Carolina starting lineup, he's still a solid foundation for the defense. In addition to Paige, Nate Britt has improved defensively, and Joel Berry II has the potential to be a solid defender. Britt learned during his freshman season how important it can be to defend all over the court.
“Ball pressure makes a lot of difference,” Britt said. “The offense gets pushed out, and that first or second pass is pushed out. The offense isn't as comfortable as they usually are. If we take them out of what they like to do, that's what Coach likes us to do.”
Last year's team was above average defensively, finishing 18th in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency rankings. But many of the best UNC teams under Williams have been top-15 teams in that category, including 2012 (14), 2011 (4), 2007 (10) and 2005 (12).
There are still too many variables—will the big men have the same success against stronger ACC competition, and will the freshmen be able to defend older, wiser top competition—to know if this year's club can compete with those squads. But there's reason to be optimistic.
“We have a lot of savvy on this team,” Tokoto said. “We have experience and athleticism, and guys know where to be. Coach is way more confident this year in throwing out defenses, whether it's a full court trap or a half court trap. That creates energy for us because no one is stagnant.”
