University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Carolina Basketball Notebook
October 29, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Notes and quotes from the first month of preseason practice.
By Adam Lucas
Carolina will be a work in progress for much of the nonconference portion of the season, as the Tar Heels mix in newcomers to the program and try to find a rotation while working in a variety of players who have missed practice time due to injury. It's likely several players will be in street clothes for Friday night's exhibition game against Winston-Salem State, including K.J. Smith, who could play some backup point guard minutes but is working through an ankle injury.
And while Roy Williams was frank about his concerns about Carolina's losses on offense, it's also true that the Tar Heels have some potential defensively. Cole Anthony is a strong point guard who doesn't mind playing physically, Leaky Black collected several key steals last season, Garrison Brooks is a frequent defensive player of the game award winner from the coaches and Brandon Robinson is a veteran who understands Carolina's defensive principles. But the Tar Heels also may have a defensive asset that hasn't been present on recent teams: a true big man in Armando Bacot to clog the lane and block an occasional shot.
"When Armando and I are out there together, we've got a really long lineup on the floor," Black says. "In the Late Night scrimmage, he was really causing a problem trying to get to the rim against him. Once he gets everything down, that's going to be something to see."
Visitation: Carolina continues to have good success with prospective players who visit campus. That includes graduate transfers like Justin Pierce and Christian Keeling, and high school prospects-turned-Tar Heel commitments such as Armando Bacot and Cole Anthony. Why are those visits so impactful? "Because what we do at Carolina is not fake," Brandon Robinson said. "What you see is what you get. When I came on my visit, on day one it was exactly like it's been every day since then. Everyone hangs out with everyone else. The interactions with coaches and players was like one big family. That's important to guys. They want a family atmosphere and to be around guys they like. In college basketball, you're around your teammates so much. People want to be part of a place where they're going to be around people they want to be friends with. When guys come on a visit, we treat them like family, so it's almost like they're already part of it."
Notes: You've probably heard rumblings about Cole Anthony's leadership early in his freshman season. How exactly does that manifest itself? One window into it--which called to mind Roy Williams' story about his recruitment of Marvin Williams, when a similar situation caught the head coach's eye--came at a recent practice, when a veteran had endured a strenuous practice and was having some light cramping. The vet was headed to get water when Anthony held up a hand. "Stay there," he said. "I've got you." And then the freshman retrieved an extra cup of water and walked it over. It was a very small moment, but telling...Brooks isn't going to be the next version of Brad Daugherty, who was virtually automatic as the trailing big man in Carolina's secondary break knocking down 15- to 17-foot jump shots. But Brooks' comments about getting more comfortable in the midrange aren't just talk. He's knocked down multiple foul line-type jumpers in practice...Brooks has watched film of Sean May as a Tar Heel and has the following scouting report: "He had a really good touch, he was a magnet for the ball, and he had great footwork. He might even be a little better on film than what he has told us."...Expect Black to get the vast majority of the backup point guard minutes on Friday night if Smith is unavailable...The Tar Heels have added former junior varsity player Robbie O'Han to the varsity. O'Han is a senior point guard from St. David's in Raleigh.
Carolina will be a work in progress for much of the nonconference portion of the season, as the Tar Heels mix in newcomers to the program and try to find a rotation while working in a variety of players who have missed practice time due to injury. It's likely several players will be in street clothes for Friday night's exhibition game against Winston-Salem State, including K.J. Smith, who could play some backup point guard minutes but is working through an ankle injury.
And while Roy Williams was frank about his concerns about Carolina's losses on offense, it's also true that the Tar Heels have some potential defensively. Cole Anthony is a strong point guard who doesn't mind playing physically, Leaky Black collected several key steals last season, Garrison Brooks is a frequent defensive player of the game award winner from the coaches and Brandon Robinson is a veteran who understands Carolina's defensive principles. But the Tar Heels also may have a defensive asset that hasn't been present on recent teams: a true big man in Armando Bacot to clog the lane and block an occasional shot.
"When Armando and I are out there together, we've got a really long lineup on the floor," Black says. "In the Late Night scrimmage, he was really causing a problem trying to get to the rim against him. Once he gets everything down, that's going to be something to see."
Visitation: Carolina continues to have good success with prospective players who visit campus. That includes graduate transfers like Justin Pierce and Christian Keeling, and high school prospects-turned-Tar Heel commitments such as Armando Bacot and Cole Anthony. Why are those visits so impactful? "Because what we do at Carolina is not fake," Brandon Robinson said. "What you see is what you get. When I came on my visit, on day one it was exactly like it's been every day since then. Everyone hangs out with everyone else. The interactions with coaches and players was like one big family. That's important to guys. They want a family atmosphere and to be around guys they like. In college basketball, you're around your teammates so much. People want to be part of a place where they're going to be around people they want to be friends with. When guys come on a visit, we treat them like family, so it's almost like they're already part of it."
Notes: You've probably heard rumblings about Cole Anthony's leadership early in his freshman season. How exactly does that manifest itself? One window into it--which called to mind Roy Williams' story about his recruitment of Marvin Williams, when a similar situation caught the head coach's eye--came at a recent practice, when a veteran had endured a strenuous practice and was having some light cramping. The vet was headed to get water when Anthony held up a hand. "Stay there," he said. "I've got you." And then the freshman retrieved an extra cup of water and walked it over. It was a very small moment, but telling...Brooks isn't going to be the next version of Brad Daugherty, who was virtually automatic as the trailing big man in Carolina's secondary break knocking down 15- to 17-foot jump shots. But Brooks' comments about getting more comfortable in the midrange aren't just talk. He's knocked down multiple foul line-type jumpers in practice...Brooks has watched film of Sean May as a Tar Heel and has the following scouting report: "He had a really good touch, he was a magnet for the ball, and he had great footwork. He might even be a little better on film than what he has told us."...Expect Black to get the vast majority of the backup point guard minutes on Friday night if Smith is unavailable...The Tar Heels have added former junior varsity player Robbie O'Han to the varsity. O'Han is a senior point guard from St. David's in Raleigh.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballUNC Women's Basketball: Tar Heels Fend Off Columbia, Go 3-0 in Cancun Challenge
Saturday, November 29
UNC Women's Basketball: Tar Heels Outshoot Kansas State, 85-73
Friday, November 28
WBB: Post-South Dakota State - Nov. 27, 2025
Thursday, November 27
UNC Women's Basketball: Nivar Records Triple Double in Win vs SDSU, 83-48
Thursday, November 27