Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

You have to remember that these games are even less structured than a typical early November exhibition game. The Tar Heels showed just enough in the 112-91 victory over the Bahamas All-Stars to get you excited for the winter, and had just enough flaws to give Roy Williams plenty to talk about once practice begins in earnest in October.
Chief among those points the head coach will address: turnovers. Carolina coughed it up 27 times against basic man to man defense, with ten of those miscues coming from the three freshmen. Not surprisingly, ball security was one of the first topics Williams brought up after the game.
The game was played in four ten-minute quarters, with automatic stoppages midway through each quarter. That gave Williams the chance to substitute five-for-five at virtually every break. For the record, the starting five were Kenny Williams, Brandon Robinson, Seventh Woods, Luke Maye and Sterling Manley. Keep in mind also that Cam Johnson did not play as he continues to work his way back from offseason surgery.
Garrison Brooks had a nice line in the box score, tying for the team high with 18 points and shooting eight for nine, but was largely the recipient of some excellent passes from his perimeter teammates. The longest shot he made might have been a four-foot bank shot in the second half; most of the rest were at point blank range. His frontcourt classmate, Sterling Manley, led the Tar Heels with 13 rebounds.
The other Tar Heel with 18 points was Coby White. The freshman had a spectacular first rotation in the first quarter, as he either scored or assisted on five straight baskets and six out of seven UNC hoops. Although White's three-point shot wasn't falling (he was 0-for-2 beyond the arc) he was six-of-seven from two-point range and also had a team-high five assists. And don't be fooled by the lack of three-pointers--White has been a very impressive shooter in summer practices and pickup action.
White's fellow freshman, Nassir Little, had some impressive individual moves and finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Four of his points were scored through contact as he flashed surprising raw strength for a freshman.
Virtually every possible combination was used during the 40 minutes, but it was interesting that Williams deployed White and Woods together for one second-half stretch. Woods had an up and down performance, but capped it with by far the most spectacular play of the game, a one-handed tomahawk dunk over a helpless Bahamas defender.
Woods also drew a charge, as the trio of Woods, Robinson and Platek spent plenty of time on the floor chasing loose balls. It might only be August, but all are well aware of how Williams expects them to earn playing time.
You never quite know what you're going to get in terms of competition in these games. On Carolina's first trip to the Bahamas, the opposing team arrived in the back of a pickup truck and appeared to have been assembled during lunch break at the local YMCA. But on the last trip, the opponents featured future NBA number-one draft pick De'Andre Ayton. Friday's opponent was somewhere between those two squads, as they only had four players approximately 30 minutes before the game, but eventually rounded up a group with enough individual talent and athleticism to make it interesting.
In addition to the first game look at the freshmen, the contest also provided the first game action for K.J. Smith. The Pacific transfer had a nice bounce pass to Leaky Black on the fast break for an easy hoop in the second half. Black, by the way, won't get the headlines of his two freshman classmates, but he had a solid seven points and didn't look overwhelmed.
You can get the full box score via the official Twitter account here. There's a postgame column with quotes and more coming later tonight.

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Garrison Brooks

Nassir Little

Sterling Manley

Luke Maye

Brandon Robinson

K.J. Smith

Coby White

Kenny Williams

Seventh Woods

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