Carolina's freshman backcourt duo of Caleb Love and RJ Davis is going to give Roy Williams plenty of options in the backcourt. Both have already shown an impressive ability to get the ball to the basket and score, but both also have the understanding of how to run a team and how to play with the tempo the head coach demands.
Cole Anthony averaged a staggering 34.9 minutes per game last season, the most for a Tar Heel guard since Marcus Paige played 35.6 minutes per game during the 2013-14 season, the highest figure in the Williams era. The presence of both Davis and Love—plus depth from Andrew Platek and Anthony Harris, once the sophomore fully returns from a knee injury—ensures this year's minutes won't be as heavy. Davis and Love could play together, or they could rotate among the two guard positions.
We'll begin finding out how Williams chooses to put the pieces together when the season opens on Nov. 25. Love is already optimistic about how the two work together.
"We can do so much together," he said. "Me being a point guard, I can dish him the ball when it needs to be there. Him being a shooting guard, he can go get a bucket because he can score with the best of them. He is so shifty and fast and he can get around people so fast. We complement each other well."
Practice Notes:
Continued COVID-19 concerns mean even the process of signing basketballs is different this year. As always, the Tar Heels will sign balls and sell them, with the proceeds going to charity. Usually, the team assembles in one room and cranks out the autographs in one or two sittings. This year, the unsigned balls have been lined up in a Smith Center hallway, 200 at a time, and players go by individually to sign the balls. Once the full team and coaching staff have signed that set, they're ready to be shipped out. The order form is online now to facilitate fans adding a ball to their collection…The traditional Maui Invitational surfboard was presented to the team on Wednesday. Games will be played in Asheville Nov. 30-December 2, which is less than four weeks away.
You'll be able to read more about freshman shooter Kerwin Walton on Friday here at GoHeels.com. Until then, Walton had some good insight on the intensity of the freshman class and the spirited atmosphere it has helped foster in practice. "That helps us be more competitive," he said. "The more competitive and tough that we are with each other, I know we'll be tough together. That builds camaraderie and makes us a better team. If we're not pushing each other in practice, we won't be a better team and we won't win a championship."…
This means nothing other than it's the most impressive single outside shooting display spotted at practice so far: Andrew Platek made 16 straight three-pointers in a drill last week. The senior has had perhaps his most consistent October and November, and in three weeks the task will be to carry that practice production over into games…The entire team got a laugh last week when Cameron Johnson and Puff Johnson showed up independently at the Smith Center—with both wearing the exact same shirt. Cameron is Friday's guest on Friday's Carolina Insider podcast, so subscribe now to make sure you hear some great insight from the Phoenix Suns sharpshooter, including what he thought of Coby White's, "Wow, bro!" reaction to Johnson's NBA Draft selection… NBA vet Tyler Zeller practiced with the Tar Heels on Wednesday.
A tangible example of why it's beneficial for a young team to have experienced alumni in town occasionally for practice: on Wednesday, 2012 ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller stopped by and went through several drills with the Tar Heels. That left him defending freshman Walker Kessler in one half court set. "Walker Kessler is going to get better at holding guys off," Williams said. "If he can hold off Tyler Zeller, he can hold off anybody." After the drill, Zeller paused to impart a couple subtle nuances of the position to Kessler…Head manager Kiersten Steinbacher was given the responsibility of selecting the player to shoot the final free throw at practice on Wednesday. Make it, and post-practice running was over. Miss it, and it had just begun. She picked Anthony Harris, who swished the shot and was promptly mobbed by his teammates.
