GoHeels Exclusive: Late Night Notebook

Friday, September 27

8 PM

North Carolina

Late Night with Roy

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 28, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers

Photos

By: Pat James

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

In each of Brandon Robinson's first three seasons at North Carolina, at least 10 days separated the Tar Heels' first practice and Late Night with Roy (LNWR), the unofficial start of the season.

But with only two home football games – Saturday's showdown with Clemson and the Oct. 26 contest with Duke – scheduled between the basketball team's first practice on Thursday and its first exhibition game on Nov. 1, UNC opted to hold LNWR on Friday. If you thought that was early, you certainly weren't alone.

"This is only our second day out here, so we've just got to continue to get better and learn how to play with each other," Robinson told reporters after the event. "Yesterday was our first practice, so it's kind of different. … It was fun to get back out there in front of the fans. I'm just looking forward to keep getting better with the guys and just getting that chemistry."

With six of 17 players on Carolina's roster being newcomers, Robinson called Thursday's practice "hectic." There were multiple times, he said, when practice slowed down and he wanted to keep going. But that – and the team's chemistry – will improve over the next few weeks.

"Just playing together and playing together each and every day," said Robinson when asked what it takes to develop chemistry. "It's different from playing pickup and then going to practice because in pickup we don't play necessarily how we play during the games. … Then you're just going up and down and doing whatever you want, but now we're in a controlled setting."

Here are more notes from Friday's festivities:

Robinson's role
Thursday's practice marked the last first practice of Robinson's career. That wasn't lost on the senior.

"It's kind of weird because I just can't believe it's my last year," he said. "These four years have flown by. Me being a senior and seeing guys like Kenny (Williams) come back, guys like Theo (Pinson), all the guys who were here when I was young, and now I'm the oldest one, I'm looking at guys like, 'Man, I remember when I was in your shoes.'"

The lone remaining player who saw action in the 2017 national championship game, Robinson said Roy Williams has challenged him to be more of a leader this season. He said he's embraced that responsibility, but also added that he's "not going to try to be somebody that I'm not."

"I'm going to keep pushing each and every day to be the best version of me and to help my teammates in any way possible," Robinson said. "I'm not going to step outside myself and try to do other things that other people did. I'm going to try to lead in my own way and just try to lead by example and be vocal when I need to."

Welcome additions
As per tradition, the Tar Heel freshmen – Cole Anthony, Armando Bacot, Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris – won't speak to the media until after the first game. But that doesn't apply to graduate transfers Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce.

Pierce spoke Friday and described his transition from William & Mary to UNC as smooth.

"It's been really nice," he said. "I think having Christian, as well, is nice, and four other freshmen. So, we basically have half a new team. The guys have welcomed me with open arms."

Just like the freshmen, Robinson said Keeling and Pierce are learning. But given their experience, he added that they are "picking up things fast."

"They're both high-level basketball players. …" Robinson said. "I think they've been doing a great job, and they're going to be comfortable and they're going to do some great things for us."

Robinson provided glowing reviews of the freshmen, as well.

"(Francis and Harris), I'm proud of those guys coming in and not playing for a while and seeing their development, them getting way better each and every day," Robinson said. "Cole, you guys know is a really good talent. I love playing with him. He's a great talent.

"Armando, he is very talented, too, and I think he's been very helpful to our team because he pushes the other bigs and helps them get better. Him and Garrison (Brooks) go at it a lot in practice and play with each other. So, I see them getting better each and every day. I love them."

Black's return
After showing a lot of promise through the first 19 games of last season, Leaky Black sustained a high ankle sprain at Georgia Tech in late January. Ultimately, he returned for the NCAA Tournament. But the injury largely derailed his freshman campaign.

Coming off that, Black said he spent the offseason focusing on improving his work ethic.

"Being away from the game like that," Black said, "it was kind of shocking to me, like, 'Dang, the ball is going to stop one day. So, while it's here, you've got to take advantage of it.' I'm just trying to stay in the gym as much as possible, and that's just kind of boosted my confidence again, being in the gym and working on ball-handling and my shot with Coach (Hubert) Davis."

Black said Friday's scrimmage – which ended in a 43-all tie – marked the first time he went full-go in a workout in "a while." Unofficially, he finished with two points, an assist and a steal. Keeling led all players with 13 points.

Williams shows off moves
Perhaps the highlight of the night, Williams, wearing a pink blazer, and the coaching staff joined in on the dancing and did the electric slide.

"He learned it around 11 o'clock yesterday," Robinson said. "The girls on the dance team taught him. We were all in class. I got the last little bit of it. He got way better from yesterday, though. He was rough yesterday."

Coach Williams did not come to play! #LNWR pic.twitter.com/NeM5mlis5q
— UNC Tar Heels (@GoHeels) September 28, 2019

Honoring a legend
Leading up to Friday, Williams had asked women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance if he could attend LNWR and meet with the recruits in attendance. That, however, proved to be a trick, as Williams invited Dorrance onto the court midway through the event to recognize him for having the field at the new UNC Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium named after him.

The field, which will be known as Dorrance Field, will be officially dedicated before Sunday's 1 p.m. women's soccer game against Notre Dame.

"This guy right here," Williams said, "is the best coach I've ever been around in my entire life."

Along with CNN's Brooke Baldwin, former UNC soccer and current United States World Cup gold medal-winning goalie Ashlyn Harris hosted LNWR. As Dorrance started walking off the court, Harris pulled her former coach aside.

"Thank you for teaching me the core values of being a good person," she said. "Thank you for giving me the tools to navigate life. And most importantly, thank you for teaching me to invest in people and not just trophies."

Other notes

Nice to see the women's basketball team more involved in LNWR this year. In addition to being introduced and participating in the dancing, as usual, multiple players shared the court with the men's team during three on-court competitions. Senior captain Taylor Koenen was lights out during the first competition, which awarded players points for making shots from different spots on the court. She teamed with Robinson to win that.
Harris and Francis, who sustained injuries in high school, sat out Friday's scrimmage for precautionary reasons. Both players practiced on Thursday.
Andrew Platek and Sterling Manley also missed the scrimmage. Platek has a sprained ankle, but is expected to return next week. Manley is dealing with recurring knee soreness.
The loudest cheers of the night came when Williams was introduced. But one person came close to rivaling that: Coby White. White, who was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, received a standing ovation when he walked into the Smith Center. Before long, the fans started chanting his name.
White was one of more than 60 lettermen in attendance Friday. Two others were Quentin Thomas and Kenny Williams, who officiated the scrimmage.