Lucas: Black Enjoying The Challenge

By Adam Lucas

There's none of the typical teenage bravado when Leaky Black discusses his first month as a college basketball player. It's a little refreshing just how honest the Carolina freshman is about not just his initial exposure to college basketball, but simply his initial exposure to college.

"It's been a grind," Black says. "It's been one of the hardest things I've gone through in my life. It's eye-opening, it's humbling, and it reminds me I have a lot of work left to do."

The Concord native is feeling a little overwhelmed. In other words, he's feeling the exact same way every college freshman feels at some point in that first month or two of college.

"There's always one day in the week that knocks you back down," he says. "You think you're doing well, and then something happens that reminds you to humble yourself. It's not just school, and it's not just basketball. Doing them both is challenging."

This is the side you don't often get to see of college basketball newcomers. Most of the talk about Black and his classmates Nassir Little and Coby White have been about what position they might play or how many minutes they might be on the court. Black's candor is a nice reminder that they're not simply dealing with a new level of the game they've played all their lives; they're dealing with a new level socially and academically also.

There are those rewarding days, though, the ones that reinforce Black's long-ago decision (he committed to Carolina as a high school sophomore) to become a Tar Heel. He had one last month when the 2018-19 team went through the program's internal photo day. The highlight: for the first time, equipment manager Shane Parrish issued Black his Carolina blue number-one jersey with "Black" embroidered on the back.

There's a gleam in the player's eyes when he talks about that moment.

"It gives me chills just to talk about it," he says.

In addition to the rigorous schoolwork, Black knows he's chosen what is likely the most demanding position in Chapel Hill for his basketball education. Playing point guard for Roy Williams is a little like signing up for a 400-level class as a freshman. Only the most advanced students should try it, and even the very best occasionally have moments when it seems too daunting.

Black enjoys the challenge.

"You have to be willing to lead the team," he says. "You have to know your position, and you have to know all the plays and sets, because you basically have to be Coach Williams on the court.

"At our first practice, I saw everyone pushing the ball, so I thought I would pick up on that and push the ball as hard as I could. Then I realized it's not just pushing the ball, it's pushing the ball under control. You learn as you go, and I'm lucky that there have been several guys giving me some pointers."

Black's unique size and skill set—he's listed at 6-foot-7 but he's always played point guard—gives Williams some flexibility on how to use the freshman. The Tar Heels have a variety of pieces to use in the backcourt this season, and Black isn't particular about what Williams asks him to do this year.

"I just want to be hard to take off the court," he says. "If Coach needs me to push the ball, be long, be active on defense, I'll do anything. I want to do whatever it takes to stay on the court and give my team the best chance to win."

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Nassir Little

Coby White

Related Videos