University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: An Early Start
August 12, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
It didn't take very long on Monday night to discern the difference between a Carolina basketball practice in August and a practice in...well, pretty much any other month.
A regular feature of every Tar Heel session since the early Dean Smith days is "discussion," when the head coach gathers his team around the center jump circle and reviews items as a full squad. That includes the day's thought for the day, plus the offensive and defensive emphasis for that practice, all of which are found on the day's practice plan.
When Roy Williams gathered his club on Monday night for the first of the NCAA-allowed practice sessions in advance of this weekend's trip to the Bahamas for two exhibition games, Discussion was listed on the practice plan at 7:24 p.m. Not 7:15, not 7:30, but 7:24, just the way Dean Smith would have planned it, right down to the minute.
As Williams reviewed the offensive and defensive emphasis ("Box out") with his 2014-15 team gathered around him, he mentioned the term "defensive balance," because the offensive emphasis was "Offensive boards-defensive balance." Then he paused.
"Joel, what's defensive balance?" he suddenly asked freshman guard Joel Berry. Receiving a not entirely complete answer from the rookie--and any answer not in Williams' exact words probably would have been considered not entirely complete--the coach then provided a quick definition of the term.
That won't happen later this fall, when players will be expected to have a complete understanding of each and every one of Williams' favorite terms. But this was August 11, so there was time for a little review.
"This is a time to start learning as a team," as Williams put it to the players. "It's a reward for what you did last year on the court, but especially off the court, and it's a time to start learning."
That means, for example, that when freshman Theo Pinson failed to get back defensively and was burned downcourt for an easy layup--to be fair, he had the virtually impossible task of trying to keep up with Marvin Williams, one of seven Tar Heel alums in the pros who practiced with the team on Monday (more on them tomorrow) and someone who is paid $7 million per season by the Charlotte Hornets to play basketball--Williams blew his whistle and stopped the action.
To make matters worse, Pinson had been beaten off a made basket by his team. "When that happens," the head coach said, "just come sit right over here," gesturing towards the bench.
But the August practices aren't just for freshmen. They're a time to emphasize even the tiniest details that might make the difference in a game in February or March. It's the difference between playing pickup games and between playing Roy Williams-style games.
During a fullcourt practice period designed to emphasize boxing out and transition execution, Williams stewed on two straight possessions by the more experienced white team. Finally, after watching Raymond Felton convert a layup near the rim, the head coach had to stop play.
He wasn't frustrated with the defense that allowed Felton to score. Instead, he was miffed that the defensive team didn't convert to offense fast enough. "The point guard is under the basket and just made a layup," he said as he addressed the Carolina post players, who have the responsibility for inbounding the ball after a made hoop. "That means he's not back on defense. And we let the ball bounce three times before we threw it in."
The difference in the way the players had executed the play and the way Williams wanted the play to be run was a half-second, at most. But that was plenty important enough to halt the action and explain the correct way to do it. It's August, and no detail is too small, especially the details that will be expected to be committed to memory in a few short months.
The Tar Heels will practice three more times before departing for the Bahamas on Thursday afternoon. Exhibition games will be played on Friday and Saturday evenings.
