University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Back In Rhythm
February 1, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
By Adam Lucas
After a long and sometimes frustrating wait, a key North Carolina player finally looked like he was back in rhythm against Boston College on Saturday.
It's Theo Pinson, of course. Who else did you expect?
Pinson had suffered through a difficult January. After playing well in Carolina's ACC-opening win over Clemson, scoring a career-high 13 points and grabbing six rebounds, the UNC sophomore went into a month-long slump. Prior to the win over the Eagles, he was 2-for-22 in January. He had missed 11 straight three-pointers.
In reality, however, Pinson's scoring is not his primary contribution to this year's team. What was most concerning about his January slide was the fact that he handed out just five assists against seven turnovers in those six games.
“It got to the point that I was trying to hunt big plays a little bit to get out of my funk,” Pinson said after the win over Boston College. “In my case, making a play for my team isn't always just making a shot. And I was trying too hard to make a play all the time instead of just letting the game come to me.”
On Saturday, he looked much more comfortable. The Greensboro native played just 15 minutes, close to on par with the 16 minutes per game he's logged since the return of Marcus Paige to the lineup (before Paige's return, Pinson was playing 28.5 minutes per contest). Those decreased minutes can be a challenge for a player who had gotten in a rhythm of spending more time on the court.
Pinson's sophomore teammate, Joel Berry II, knows the difficulties of trying to maximize sporadic court time.
“I feel that same way too, sometimes,” Berry says. “You feel like you have to make a big play to stay in the game. Theo is starting to realize if you make the simple plays and hustle and do what you have to do within yourself and don't do anything outside of what you can do, you'll find a lot more time on the floor.”
On Saturday, however, instead of trying to pack 30 minutes of playing time into a 15-minute window, Pinson simply concentrated on making the right plays in those 15 minutes. He was much more efficient, hitting four of his five field goal attempts, including a three-pointer, swiping a couple of steals, and most importantly, distributing six assists against only one turnover.
The coaches noticed his production. During his first cycle in the game, midway through the first half, Pinson had a steal, an offensive rebound, a pair of assists, and a basket, all in less than four minutes.
“That's what we need from you, Theo,” assistant coach Steve Robinson told him when Pinson left the court. “We need that same spark every night.”
“The coaches talk to me about it all the time,” Pinson said. “People at home don't realize how big those little plays are, and I have the ability to make those. I accept my role on this team and I try to be a spark when I come in.”
Let's be honest: the Tar Heels could've beaten Boston College without those types of plays or Pinson's contributions. But beginning tonight at Louisville, in a final ten-game stretch of what are likely to be multiple one- or two-possession games, his particular brand of reserve energy will be essential. He also has the potential to be a disruptive defensive force, but sometimes takes a defensive break when things aren't going well offensively. Starting tonight, that can't happen.
Somewhere in this stretch, Pinson won't win a game for Carolina. But he'll make the kinds of plays Carolina can't win without. When he's making his best contributions, he won't be the first player you think about in the aftermath of a big win. He'll be the one who made the plays you remember and think, "Oh yeah, Theo did do that."
With no prompting, Pinson immediately recalled what happened the last time the Tar Heels went to Louisville—they blew an 18-point second-half lead and lost, 78-68, in overtime.
“In this part of the schedule, one or two plays can change the game,” Pinson said. “We understand that and we have a lot of veteran guys who have been in these situations. We saw how little plays can change the whole game, because that happened to us last time (at Louisville). We know that, and we're ready to go.”
