University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Seniors Ready For Responsibility
September 24, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
By Adam Lucas
Before the season even starts, part of Carolina's senior class has already accomplished something that hasn't been done by a pair of Tar Heel seniors in nearly 60 years.
Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson each earned All-ACC nods last year. That makes them the first Carolina returning seniors to have junior year All-ACC credentials since—nope, not Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green; not any members of the loaded and veteran-heavy 1994 squad; not a pair from the 1977 national finalists—Tommy Kearns and Pete Brennan during the 1957-58 campaign.
That's partially a sign of the times, of course. In the 21st century, All-ACC players sometimes don't stay in college long enough to reach their senior years. But the remarkable stat far predates the early entry era, spanning back past Dean Smith's tenure, on into Frank McGuire's regime. It's been nearly 60 years since any Carolina team has had a pair of returning seniors who were All-ACC picks as juniors. That doesn't seem possible.
That it would be this class to break the trend is a little surprising. Gone from what entered as a quartet is the high flyer, J.P. Tokoto. What's left are Marcus Paige, who already has qualified to have his jersey in the rafters despite, as he says, being well aware, “I was never brought in to be a focal point for scoring.” There's Joel James, who would probably be playing somewhere else if assistant coach Jerod Haase hadn't happened to catch James' team demolishing James Michael McAdoo's squad in an AAU tournament. And there's Brice Johnson, whom the Tar Heels had to wrestle away from Clemson.
And yet, here is the trio, the veteran backbone of a team that has exactly what Roy Williams consistently declares is the key to an excellent team—experienced talent.
They haven't yet been to a Final Four, or even a regional final. But they know there's enough quality personnel to dream bigger, and they're well aware that this is their last opportunity.
“We have a dream,” James says. “We can say it all we want, but unless we take these steps every day to fulfill our potential, it's not going to happen. Winning a championship and hanging a banner are byproducts of us fulfilling our potential every day. So our greatest goal as senior leaders is to help the team fulfill our potential every day in everything we do.”
There's a little bit of everything in this senior class. Paige is the role model. As Johnson says, “He's the face of Carolina basketball, on and off the court.” Johnson is the fast-rising potential star with an equal helping of emotion and skill. James is the big man willing to do whatever it takes to contribute, the latecomer to basketball who nevertheless has done enough video work to dash off a scouting report on Eric Montross as a Tar Heel (“He was a beast, and you weren't going to push him out of the lane”) just as easily as he can discuss his admiration for Andrew Bogut (“I'm the one guy who actually watches Andrew Bogut mix tapes,” James says).
They're well aware that the time left in their Tar Heel careers is now measured more accurately in weeks than in years.
“This is the last time I get to do a lot of this stuff,” Paige says. “I appreciate every little thing we do, from the running to the team meetings to the hanging out with friends. I want to soak it in. I also want to capitalize on the opportunity. When I go to shoot on my own, I want to be more perfect because this is the last time I get to do it. I want to be more in the moment than I ever have before.”
“It feels like just yesterday I was moving in with Marcus, Joel and J.P.,” Johnson says. “Now it's our senior year and the three of us are still here. Things have changed. Bodies have changed. Roles have changed. And our mindsets have changed.”
