University of North Carolina Athletics
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Lucas: Healthy Black Plays Versatile Role
October 22, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Leaky Black expects to play multiple roles as a sophomore.
By Adam Lucas
The younger version of Leaky Black probably never expected to share a weight room with Tyler Hansbrough.
Growing up in Concord, Black wasn't always a Tar Heel fan, but he knew and respected Hansbrough's game. This summer, that respect grew even deeper when Black frequently found himself working out alongside Hansbrough in the Smith Center weight room, where the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time leading scorer spends much of his offseason.
"I loved how hard and tough Tyler played when he was at Carolina, and he is still the exact same guy," Black says. "As much as he gets beaten on the way he plays, it's amazing that he's still playing. And it shows how professional he is in taking care of his body and mind. Tyler is who really opened my eyes to taking weightlifting seriously. A lot of guys just get in the weight room to get it over with. Tyler told me we need to get our bodies right and stay healthy."
Staying healthy, of course, has been Black's priority ever since suffering a severe ankle sprain in the game at Georgia Tech last season. The recovery period was extensive, but he's back practicing as Carolina prepares for next Friday's exhibition game against Winston-Salem State and the Nov. 6 home opener against Notre Dame.
The role Black will play for the 2020 Tar Heels is, well, extensive. He's the leading contender to back up Cole Anthony at point guard, but he's much more than just a backup floor general. Roy Williams recently said Black could play four different positions for this year's team, and the sophomore believes that's a reasonable expectation.
"I've played the one my whole life," he says. "That's just being comfortable with the ball and getting people into the right positions. Playing the two and the three means I need to get out and run and be active. And with the four, Garrison (Brooks) had to talk to me a little bit, but once I got going, we were playing together pretty well. My dad has told me since I was younger that defense is mental. You have to man up because you don't want your man to get by you."
Understanding the right way to handle four different positions is a significant step forward for a player who freely admits that last year at this time, he wasn't sure exactly where to go on most of Carolina's set plays. But Black is now a quasi-veteran on a team stocked with newcomers. Brooks recently identified Black as one of three veterans, along with Brooks himself and Brandon Robinson, who will need to provide leadership this season.
A promising freshman season showed flashes of Black's potential in multiple categories. Teammates have compared him to Shaun Livingston, who played 14 seasons in the NBA before retiring last month. Livingston, by the way, took a very memorable official visit to Carolina before deciding to go straight to the NBA out of high school; Sean May recently recounted tales from Livingston's impressive pickup performance on that visit for Black.
Black wants to follow Livingston's versatile example when setting his goals for his sophomore season. When he lists his optimal performance for the 2020 season, scoring is the fifth thing he mentions.
"I want to be a stat sheet stuffer," Black says. "I want to play hard and do everything I can. I want to get every steal, every loose ball, every rebound, defend all over the court, hit a couple layups, hit a couple pull-ups and post little guards up. Basically, I want to do whatever I can to help the team win."
The younger version of Leaky Black probably never expected to share a weight room with Tyler Hansbrough.
Growing up in Concord, Black wasn't always a Tar Heel fan, but he knew and respected Hansbrough's game. This summer, that respect grew even deeper when Black frequently found himself working out alongside Hansbrough in the Smith Center weight room, where the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time leading scorer spends much of his offseason.
"I loved how hard and tough Tyler played when he was at Carolina, and he is still the exact same guy," Black says. "As much as he gets beaten on the way he plays, it's amazing that he's still playing. And it shows how professional he is in taking care of his body and mind. Tyler is who really opened my eyes to taking weightlifting seriously. A lot of guys just get in the weight room to get it over with. Tyler told me we need to get our bodies right and stay healthy."
Staying healthy, of course, has been Black's priority ever since suffering a severe ankle sprain in the game at Georgia Tech last season. The recovery period was extensive, but he's back practicing as Carolina prepares for next Friday's exhibition game against Winston-Salem State and the Nov. 6 home opener against Notre Dame.
The role Black will play for the 2020 Tar Heels is, well, extensive. He's the leading contender to back up Cole Anthony at point guard, but he's much more than just a backup floor general. Roy Williams recently said Black could play four different positions for this year's team, and the sophomore believes that's a reasonable expectation.
"I've played the one my whole life," he says. "That's just being comfortable with the ball and getting people into the right positions. Playing the two and the three means I need to get out and run and be active. And with the four, Garrison (Brooks) had to talk to me a little bit, but once I got going, we were playing together pretty well. My dad has told me since I was younger that defense is mental. You have to man up because you don't want your man to get by you."
Understanding the right way to handle four different positions is a significant step forward for a player who freely admits that last year at this time, he wasn't sure exactly where to go on most of Carolina's set plays. But Black is now a quasi-veteran on a team stocked with newcomers. Brooks recently identified Black as one of three veterans, along with Brooks himself and Brandon Robinson, who will need to provide leadership this season.
A promising freshman season showed flashes of Black's potential in multiple categories. Teammates have compared him to Shaun Livingston, who played 14 seasons in the NBA before retiring last month. Livingston, by the way, took a very memorable official visit to Carolina before deciding to go straight to the NBA out of high school; Sean May recently recounted tales from Livingston's impressive pickup performance on that visit for Black.
Black wants to follow Livingston's versatile example when setting his goals for his sophomore season. When he lists his optimal performance for the 2020 season, scoring is the fifth thing he mentions.
"I want to be a stat sheet stuffer," Black says. "I want to play hard and do everything I can. I want to get every steal, every loose ball, every rebound, defend all over the court, hit a couple layups, hit a couple pull-ups and post little guards up. Basically, I want to do whatever I can to help the team win."
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