University of North Carolina Athletics
Season In Review: J.P. Tokoto
May 7, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Our latest edition of the Season in Review series looks back at J.P. Tokoto's sophomore season.
Season stats: 9.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 48.9 FG%, 50.0 FT%
Season in a sentence: J.P. Tokoto emerged as a sophomore, starting every game except one and showing some valuable versatility.
Season highlights: Coming off a freshman season when he struggled to find his fit and averaged just 8.6 minutes per game, Tokoto blossomed as a sophomore. He earned All-ACC Defensive honors from both the league media and coaches, and usually drew the defensive assignment against the opposition's best wing player.
The Wisconsin native first displayed his newly versatile game in the season opener against Oakland, scoring 13 points to go with five assists and four steals. He then grabbed seven rebounds against Holy Cross and nine against Belmont, showing a willingness to get to the backboard that was not always present as a rookie. He shot 7-for-11 from the floor in the loss at UAB, then was a standout in the win at Michigan State, contributing his first career double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds). After a 15-point showing (7-of-10 from the floor) in another big win against Kentucky, Tokoto had one of the most complete performances of his career in the victory over Davidson, as he posted career highs in five different categories: points (22), rebounds (11), steals (5), blocks (4), made field goals (8).
Against the ACC: Tokoto continued to show his versatility against ACC opponents. He had a near double-double (12 points and nine rebounds) in the league opener against Wake Forest, then grabbed eight rebounds at Syracuse. He set a career high with six assists--to go along with 14 points--in a win over Boston College.
Even in games when Tokoto wasn't shooting especially well, he found a way to contribute. He hit just two baskets against Clemson, but got eight rebounds and had four assists against just one turnover. Against Maryland, he was just 1-for-4 from the field, but still corralled nine rebounds, tied his career high with six assists and picked off four steals.
Although the win at NC State will mostly be remembered as "The Marcus Paige Game," it was Tokoto who scored six essential points late in regulation to give the Tar Heels the lead. He finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and just one turnover. That was part of a stretch of four straight double-digit scoring games that also included 12 points and seven rebounds at Virginia Tech (when he hit a three-pointer to give Carolina a lead it would not relinquish) and 11 points and six rebounds on 5-of-5 shooting at Notre Dame (when he buried a midrange jumper with just over a minute to play in Carolina's two-point win).
No recap of Tokoto's season is complete without a mention of his vast improvements in decision-making. Early in the year, Roy Williams frequently admonished him to "Make the easy play," an instruction that was sometimes not followed. But Tokoto finished his sophomore season on a streak of eight straight games with more assists than turnovers, and compiled a nearly 4:1 assist-turnover ratio during that stretch.
Postseason: Like most of his teammates, the game against Pitt in the ACC Tournament was not a season highlight (2-for-8 from the floor), but Tokoto tied for the team lead in rebounds (7) in a game that saw the Tar Heels struggle mightily on the backboards.
His production improved in the NCAA Tournament, as he again tied his career high with six assists against Providence, while also adding 10 points. His three-point play with 2:20 remaining tied the game at 74 against the Friars, and his three steals led to five Tar Heel points.
Tokoto finished his sophomore campaign with 11 points and six rebounds against Iowa State, and was 9-for-14 combined from the floor in his two NCAA Tournament games.
Season stats: 71.2%: The percentage of Carolina's minutes played by Tokoto, nearly on par with James Michael McAdoo (74.7%).
53.1%: Tokoto's field goal percentage on two-point field goals, due partially to his explosive ability to get to the rim for high-percentage shots, but also due to his improving midrange game.
