University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: From Energy To Execution
March 1, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
By Adam Lucas
CORAL GABLES—Like his teammates, Joel Berry II had survived virtually everything possible from Miami over the previous two hours. He'd weathered the Hurricanes erasing an eight-point second-half Tar Heel lead and eventually taking a 48-47 lead with 11:33 to play.
He'd survived the typical perimeter explosion from an unexpected source, as Miami's Ivan CruzUceda entered the game with six made three-pointers all season…and promptly hit half that many in one game against the Tar Heels.
He'd even ignored the occasional late-game shakes that have plagued the Tar Heels at times this year, directing a UNC offense that went the final 5:54 without a turnover on the way to holding on for a key 73-64 road win.
But the locker room chairs at the BankUnited Center—those proved to be a little too much for the freshman to handle. Berry was simply trying to get dressed so he could go say hello to the 11 family members who had made the approximately three-hour drive from his hometown of Apopka, Fla., after the game. They were going to be deservingly happy to see him, as Berry had a hand in the game's two biggest possessions—hitting Marcus Paige for a three-pointer just after Miami had taken that one-point lead, and then swishing a three-pointer of his own two minutes later.
That's when Berry went tumbling into his locker, the victim of a folding chair that he didn't know folded. His spill sent freshman classmate Theo Pinson into hysterics, but was one of the only missteps on an afternoon when Carolina finally closed out a tight game, taking a contest tied at 50-50 with 8:49 remaining and not flinching on the way to a nine-point win.
“We've been in that situation before,” said Brice Johnson, who was stellar with 11-for-15 shooting, 22 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of steals. “We know we've been there. We have to play with composure and do all the little things Coach tells us to do.”
The tone for those little things was set, as it often is, by the team's leader. With eight minutes left in the first half and Carolina holding a four-point lead, Paige (listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds) stood in against Miami's 6-foot-6, 208-pound Davon Reed and drew a floor-shaking charge.
There have been times this year Roy Williams has lamented his team's lack of urgency. Saturday was not one of them. In addition to Paige's solid defensive play, With his team up by three points and eight minutes left in the game, Johnson threw himself on the floor in the second half to secure a pair of offensive rebounds. Carolina didn't score on the possession, but even Williams was left to simply shake his head and smile on the sidelines. What else could he do? His team was doing exactly what he had asked it to do.
At halftime, assistant coach Hubert Davis had implored the Tar Heels to, “Play like it's your last game. Play like you don't have any games left.” That, for the most part, is exactly how they played throughout the afternoon.
“Those types of plays make a huge difference,” Paige said. “Not only do we get the ball, but those are energy plays. You see your guys sacrifice themselves and take a charge or dive for a ball, and that gets your team going.”
The energy, in turn, sets the table for the execution. That's what happened on that possession with 11 minutes left. Think of how many times this year the Tar Heels have rushed a key possession or taken a bad shot in a big situation. That's not what happened this time.
This time, Berry, who played 19 minutes off the bench, controlled the offense coming out of a Roy Williams timeout. He didn't panic when the first option on the play—get the ball inside—wasn't open, and didn't panic when the shot clock dipped under 20. Instead, like a quarterback going through his reads while the pocket dissolves around him, he waited for the play to develop, eventually allowing Paige to come off a pair of screens and wriggle free for the three-pointer that gave Carolina a lead it would never relinquish. Go back and watch the play again; Berry actually moves the ball with his dribble to give Paige the room to work around the defense.
“I waited until he set his man up,” Berry said. “I knew he was going to be on that side. I tried to deliver it right in his shot pocket, and he knocked down the shot.”
“He's poised enough to make an extra pass, or call a set and set up a play,” Paige said. “He's starting to figure it out, and it's pretty cool.”
The confidence built on that possession paid dividends two minutes later, when Berry nailed a three-pointer from in front of the Tar Heel bench, catching it in rhythm and never hesitating before letting it fly. His description of the play, which broke a 50-50 tie, is exactly why Williams seems to trust him with the Carolina offense:
“I'm a good shooter,” Berry said matter of factly. “I shot it, and it changed the momentum of the game.”
He managed to say this without it at all sounding boastful. He could have been talking about anyone—it just happened to be himself. The most encouraging thing about the shot, of course, was that he made it. But a close second was the fact that Berry had the confidence to take the shot in that situation, a time when on occasion the Tar Heels have been content to let Paige try to bail them out.
Maybe Berry can provide that secondary late-game general the Tar Heels have needed. Just keep him clear of any hungry folding chairs.
