University of North Carolina Athletics
Zayden High
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Nov. 1 Practice Notebook
November 1, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
News and notes as the season opener approaches.
By Adam Lucas
On a roster loaded with newcomers, it's not always easy to focus on Zayden High. After all, North Carolina added five transfers plus two freshmen, and the most heralded first year player is point guard Elliot Cadeau, who comes with the added novelty of having reclassified to be eligible for the Tar Heels this season.
Quietly, however, High is working his way towards earning some early season minutes. The two times that the Heels have played in front of a crowd—the Live Action intrasquad and Friday night's exhibition win over Saint Augustine's—his activity has been noticeable. Against the Falcons, he had a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) in only 20 minutes of playing time. Four of his rebounds were offensive, a figure that trailed only Armando Bacot's five. He also had a team-high three blocks.
"That's what Zayden has been doing since he got here," Hubert Davis said. "He's tough, athletic and he defends. He's versatile enough to defend one through five. He likes contact—he thrives when it gets physical out there. He doesn't play like a freshman. He understands the game and where to be on the floor."
High, of course, is competing for minutes on a crowded depth chart. On Friday, for example, Carolina played without Jae'Lyn Withers, a more experienced player who has played three years of ACC basketball with Louisville. But it looks like High has done enough to earn a shot in Carolina's three-game nonconference stretch before heading to the Bahamas the week of Thanksgiving—when the pre-ACC schedule gets extremely challenging.
Notes: Interesting comment from Hubert Davis recently when asked what he now considers to be non-negotiables when adding players to his program. "In order to play here, there are three boxes that have to be checked," he said. "You have to love to play and have a passion to play basketball. You have to love this place. This place is different. You have to love what this place is about in terms of the history and what this program is built on with a foundation of teamwork and success. And you also have to check the box of loving your teammates. We wanted guys (this year) who easily checked all three boxes and I feel like we have a team that does that."…In the practices since Friday's exhibition game, there has been a heavy emphasis on ball pressure. Davis doesn't want passive guarding of the basketball. As he personally demonstrated this week, he wants active, aggressive harassment of the ballhandler…
Carolina's visit to Miami a couple weeks ago resulted in a couple additions to the Tar Heel training arsenal. The Miami Heat's practice facility had several specialty basketballs available for individual player workouts. All of them were subsequently purchased for usage by Tar Heel players, including one ball with a slick finish to drill on ball-handling, one with special white markings designed to emphasize rotation on a jumpshot, a couple of weighted balls, and more…There have been a couple of opportunities to get to know Harrison Ingram this week, including his introduction video and the accompanying story. Three nuggets that didn't fit in either of those pieces: 1. His sister, Lauren, plays volleyball for Duke. 2. Ingram is an avid chess player but hasn't yet played anyone on the team. The only potential partner might be James Okonkwo, and the two have talked about playing soon. 3. His do-everything persona has already endeared him to Tar Heel fans. "That's always how I have played," Ingram said. "I had an older brother four years older than me who played, and I was the little kid in the way at his workouts. He was a pass first point guard, and I grew up as a point guard. I eventually got taller, but I have point guard skills."
On a roster loaded with newcomers, it's not always easy to focus on Zayden High. After all, North Carolina added five transfers plus two freshmen, and the most heralded first year player is point guard Elliot Cadeau, who comes with the added novelty of having reclassified to be eligible for the Tar Heels this season.
Quietly, however, High is working his way towards earning some early season minutes. The two times that the Heels have played in front of a crowd—the Live Action intrasquad and Friday night's exhibition win over Saint Augustine's—his activity has been noticeable. Against the Falcons, he had a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) in only 20 minutes of playing time. Four of his rebounds were offensive, a figure that trailed only Armando Bacot's five. He also had a team-high three blocks.
"That's what Zayden has been doing since he got here," Hubert Davis said. "He's tough, athletic and he defends. He's versatile enough to defend one through five. He likes contact—he thrives when it gets physical out there. He doesn't play like a freshman. He understands the game and where to be on the floor."
High, of course, is competing for minutes on a crowded depth chart. On Friday, for example, Carolina played without Jae'Lyn Withers, a more experienced player who has played three years of ACC basketball with Louisville. But it looks like High has done enough to earn a shot in Carolina's three-game nonconference stretch before heading to the Bahamas the week of Thanksgiving—when the pre-ACC schedule gets extremely challenging.
Notes: Interesting comment from Hubert Davis recently when asked what he now considers to be non-negotiables when adding players to his program. "In order to play here, there are three boxes that have to be checked," he said. "You have to love to play and have a passion to play basketball. You have to love this place. This place is different. You have to love what this place is about in terms of the history and what this program is built on with a foundation of teamwork and success. And you also have to check the box of loving your teammates. We wanted guys (this year) who easily checked all three boxes and I feel like we have a team that does that."…In the practices since Friday's exhibition game, there has been a heavy emphasis on ball pressure. Davis doesn't want passive guarding of the basketball. As he personally demonstrated this week, he wants active, aggressive harassment of the ballhandler…
Carolina's visit to Miami a couple weeks ago resulted in a couple additions to the Tar Heel training arsenal. The Miami Heat's practice facility had several specialty basketballs available for individual player workouts. All of them were subsequently purchased for usage by Tar Heel players, including one ball with a slick finish to drill on ball-handling, one with special white markings designed to emphasize rotation on a jumpshot, a couple of weighted balls, and more…There have been a couple of opportunities to get to know Harrison Ingram this week, including his introduction video and the accompanying story. Three nuggets that didn't fit in either of those pieces: 1. His sister, Lauren, plays volleyball for Duke. 2. Ingram is an avid chess player but hasn't yet played anyone on the team. The only potential partner might be James Okonkwo, and the two have talked about playing soon. 3. His do-everything persona has already endeared him to Tar Heel fans. "That's always how I have played," Ingram said. "I had an older brother four years older than me who played, and I was the little kid in the way at his workouts. He was a pass first point guard, and I grew up as a point guard. I eventually got taller, but I have point guard skills."
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