Lucas: Camp Game Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. The second session of Carolina Basketball Camp began winding to a close Tuesday afternoon with the second session camp game, which matches most of the current Tar Heel roster against a team of Carolina alums in front of hundreds of campers. The alums won the first game in a very tight contest last week; this week, the current team prevailed, 71-68. The format of the game is slightly different than a normal game, as the teams play until one side reaches 35 points and then break for halftime. The first team to 70 wins, which enabled RJ Davis to hit a walk-off driving game-winner off the glass for the winning margin.

2. Most of the 2023-24 team, including transfers and freshmen, played. The exception was Elliot Cadeau, who has played in several of the evening pickup sessions and was mentioned in last week's story (and we'll also have some notes on him a story being posted tomorrow morning). The alumni team included a starting group of Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, James Michael McAdoo, Ed Davis and Kenny Williams, plus Garrison Brooks, Jawad Williams, Desmond Hubert and Jackson Watkins (who drilled a corner three) off the bench.

3. The big difference from last week with the alumni team was the lack of a true point guard. Last week, Cole Anthony was able to both score and facilitate with the ball in his hands. This week, it was tougher for the veterans to take advantage of their post superiority because they didn't have a true lead guard. Williams and Barnes took care of most of the ball-handling duties.

4. For what it's worth (very little), the starting five for the current team was Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, Jay'Len Withers, Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram. You should read absolutely nothing into those starters. The coaches have no impact on the lineup decisions for this game and don't even watch the game. Deon Thompson and Byron Sanders coached the alumni team, while Marcus Paige handled coaching duties for the current Tar Heels.

5. The second half intensity level was again high. The current team held a decent lead for most of the second half, but after going up 67-59, the alums began chipping away while the current Tar Heels tried (and missed) to end the game with a three-pointer. You won't see players trying to draw a charge in most normal pickup games--McAdoo drew one that sparked a big cheer from his teammates. Unfortunately, his teammates also leaped off the bench on another occasion, as a no-call on a McAdoo drive was a big play in a three-point game midway through the second half.

6. Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram again shot the ball well from three-point range, continuing a trend from last week's camp game. His shot has perhaps not been quite that consistent in the regular nightly pickup games, but he's been a weapon in both matchups against the alumni.

7. Another player whose shot made a noticeable difference on Tuesday and has made clear strides is Seth Trimble. The sophomore point guard hit a three-pointer and a pull-up, midrange jumper in the camp game. Earlier this week, he had a dominant sequence in a pickup game in which he scored on four straight possessions on a variety of jumpers and penetration. Don't misunderstand--Trimble isn't preparing to take RJ Davis' job. But it's obvious he is playing with more confidence, has worked on his shot, and is ready to make contributions as a sophomore. Remember, he's a very good defender.

8. Had to be a surreal moment for Paxson Wojcik at one point in the first half, when he was matched up against Jawad Williams. Paxson was just a toddler when his dad, Doug, was an assistant coach for Tar Heel teams featuring Jawad in 2002 and 2003.

9. Cadeau is already a very popular Tar Heel. His presence on the bench prompted "We want Elliot" chants from the campers. RJ Davis isn't the trendy new guy, but just a reminder that he's a very, very good player with three years of college experience. Davis shot it well and also distributed the ball effectively on Tuesday. Having Davis and Cadeau in the same backcourt should make Carolina difficult to defend.

10. With the teams in a next-basket-wins situation, the current team called timeout. Interestingly, it was mostly Cormac Ryan (who didn't shoot it well on Tuesday but has looked very good from the perimeter every other night) and Wojcik who did most of the talking in the huddle. Both players have shown a willingness to speak up since their arrival a couple weeks ago.

11. The Tar Heels will begin the handful of NCAA-allotted summer practices next week. Very, very early impressions from watching a week of pickup: Carolina has improved in some important areas (perimeter shooting, sharing the ball, depth) that were a deficiency last year. This isn't a perfect team, obviously. But it's been fun to watch the competitiveness as a roster with a heavily new influence tries to carve out roles. We'll have more on the overall atmosphere of the last week in a story tomorrow morning.

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

RJ Davis

Seth Trimble

Jackson Watkins

Related Videos