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Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Kessler Finding Home On And Off Court
October 9, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
An exclusive conversation with freshman Walker Kessler.
By Adam Lucas
Maybe you have to spend frequent time around college basketball players—or college students in general, really—in order to fully appreciate this next scenario.
How to put this: many college students, especially younger college students, don't always have a tremendous interest in what's happening around them. They are in a completely new environment, classes are difficult, the social situation is stressful, and they have far too many problems to ponder what's happening with anyone other than themselves.
With that in mind, consider what happened with Walker Kessler last week at the Smith Center. The Tar Heel freshman had sat for a nearly half-hour introductory interview. He had a workout later that afternoon. Before he could go, he was asked to do a couple perfunctory video hits. State his name, state his hometown—the kind of routine activities that can sometimes spark a roll of the eyes.
And then something amazing happened. As the cameras were set up, Kessler looked around and made eye contact with the three people running the interview session. "So," he said, "how's everybody doing with everything that's going on?"
And now you have met Walker Kessler. He's absolutely unusual on the court, where he's a legitimate 7-foot-1 but can shoot the ball comfortably from the perimeter. But he's equally unusual off the court, where he's mature enough to ask a trio of relatively recent acquaintances how they're handling a pandemic.
Kessler's official visit to Chapel Hill cemented his college decision. Not surprisingly, it wasn't something that happened on the basketball court that sold the highly-sought after prospect. Instead, it was one of those moments that many eventual Carolina undergrads have experienced.
"Walker Miller and I were walking down Franklin Street," Kessler said. "We were just walking. It was at night, and it was such a cool feeling. I saw everyone around, and I was like, 'This is the place for me.'"
The Tar Heels are glad it worked out that way. Kessler will add to Carolina's impressive post depth for 2020-21, but he also presents a unique skill set that he compares most closely to Luke Maye.
After thoroughly researching all his college options—and there were plenty of them—Kessler decided there was only one perfect fit.
"Carolina basketball is a historic program," he says. "Being a big, this is Big University. Look at all the historic bigs who have come through here, and Coach Williams has developed so many bigs. How can you turn this down? There's no place like it…Coach Williams has a big emphasis on getting bigs the ball at least one time every offensive possession. If you get the ball enough, you're going to make some shots."
And the Tar Heels hope there are plenty of those made shots this year. The post rotation is deep, with senior Garrison Brooks a mainstay. Behind him, sophomore Armando Bacot boasts significant starting experience, Sterling Manley is working back from an injury, Miller is crafty around the rim, and freshman Day'Ron Sharpe is a prototypical physical presence in the paint.
In other words, the Tar Heels have plenty of size to defend around the rim and thwart guards who dribble into the lane, an area where they have occasionally struggled in recent years. With practice beginning Oct. 14, Kessler has already seen chemistry start to develop even among the bigs who are competing for playing time.
"The most important thing is that on and off the court, we're a team," he says. "Everyone is going to do everything they can for the team. This is a team, this is unified, and it's a family. That's the most important thing I've learned. On the court, it's about effort. Coach Williams will get upset if you make a dumb mistake. But if you're giving 100 percent effort, he can live with it."
Just over a month away from the NCAA's announced Nov. 25 start date to the season, Kessler is already looking forward to one specific moment from his freshman campaign.
"I just want to play against someone while I'm wearing a Carolina jersey," he says. "Wearing that jersey and walking out of the tunnel, I have dreams about that right now."
Maybe you have to spend frequent time around college basketball players—or college students in general, really—in order to fully appreciate this next scenario.
How to put this: many college students, especially younger college students, don't always have a tremendous interest in what's happening around them. They are in a completely new environment, classes are difficult, the social situation is stressful, and they have far too many problems to ponder what's happening with anyone other than themselves.
With that in mind, consider what happened with Walker Kessler last week at the Smith Center. The Tar Heel freshman had sat for a nearly half-hour introductory interview. He had a workout later that afternoon. Before he could go, he was asked to do a couple perfunctory video hits. State his name, state his hometown—the kind of routine activities that can sometimes spark a roll of the eyes.
And then something amazing happened. As the cameras were set up, Kessler looked around and made eye contact with the three people running the interview session. "So," he said, "how's everybody doing with everything that's going on?"
And now you have met Walker Kessler. He's absolutely unusual on the court, where he's a legitimate 7-foot-1 but can shoot the ball comfortably from the perimeter. But he's equally unusual off the court, where he's mature enough to ask a trio of relatively recent acquaintances how they're handling a pandemic.
Kessler's official visit to Chapel Hill cemented his college decision. Not surprisingly, it wasn't something that happened on the basketball court that sold the highly-sought after prospect. Instead, it was one of those moments that many eventual Carolina undergrads have experienced.
"Walker Miller and I were walking down Franklin Street," Kessler said. "We were just walking. It was at night, and it was such a cool feeling. I saw everyone around, and I was like, 'This is the place for me.'"
The Tar Heels are glad it worked out that way. Kessler will add to Carolina's impressive post depth for 2020-21, but he also presents a unique skill set that he compares most closely to Luke Maye.
After thoroughly researching all his college options—and there were plenty of them—Kessler decided there was only one perfect fit.
"Carolina basketball is a historic program," he says. "Being a big, this is Big University. Look at all the historic bigs who have come through here, and Coach Williams has developed so many bigs. How can you turn this down? There's no place like it…Coach Williams has a big emphasis on getting bigs the ball at least one time every offensive possession. If you get the ball enough, you're going to make some shots."
And the Tar Heels hope there are plenty of those made shots this year. The post rotation is deep, with senior Garrison Brooks a mainstay. Behind him, sophomore Armando Bacot boasts significant starting experience, Sterling Manley is working back from an injury, Miller is crafty around the rim, and freshman Day'Ron Sharpe is a prototypical physical presence in the paint.
In other words, the Tar Heels have plenty of size to defend around the rim and thwart guards who dribble into the lane, an area where they have occasionally struggled in recent years. With practice beginning Oct. 14, Kessler has already seen chemistry start to develop even among the bigs who are competing for playing time.
THE INTRO: 𝙒𝘼𝙇𝙆𝙀𝙍 𝙆𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙇𝙀𝙍
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) October 9, 2020
Get to know the lengthy freshman from Newnan, GA 🗣#CarolinaFamily | @WalkerKessler13 pic.twitter.com/PIr6UgHMHS
"The most important thing is that on and off the court, we're a team," he says. "Everyone is going to do everything they can for the team. This is a team, this is unified, and it's a family. That's the most important thing I've learned. On the court, it's about effort. Coach Williams will get upset if you make a dumb mistake. But if you're giving 100 percent effort, he can live with it."
Just over a month away from the NCAA's announced Nov. 25 start date to the season, Kessler is already looking forward to one specific moment from his freshman campaign.
"I just want to play against someone while I'm wearing a Carolina jersey," he says. "Wearing that jersey and walking out of the tunnel, I have dreams about that right now."
Players Mentioned
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