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2014-15 Men's Basketball Roster
Joel Berry II
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 195
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Apopka, Fla.
- High School:
- Lake Highland Preparatory
2018 James A. Sullivan Award Finalist
2018 Third-Team NABCAll-America
2018 First-Team All-ACC, 2017 Second-Team All-ACC
2017 and 2018 Bob CousyAward Finalist
2017 and 2018 USBWAAll-District
2018 NABCAll-District
2017 Final Four Most Outstanding Player
2017 NCAA South Region All-Tournament Team
2016 and 2017 All-Final Four Teams
2016 ACC Tournament MVP
Career:One of the most decorated players in Carolina Basketball history • The 2017 Final Four Most Outstanding Player • One of seven players to score 20 or more points in consecutive national championship games (first since UCLA’s Bill Walton in 1972-73) • The only Tar Heel to earn All-Final Four honors in two seasons (2016 and 2017) • One of six Tar Heels to start in two national championship games • Played in 14 NCAA Tournament wins, tied for second in school history • Played in 10 ACC Tournament victories (tied for the most by a Tar Heel with Eric Montrossand Derrick Phelps, who played from 1990-94) • His jersey No. 2 will be honored in the Smith Center rafters.
One of four Tar Heels with 1,800 points (1,813) and 400 assists (451) with Phil Ford, Walter Davis and Marcus Paige and one of two (with Davis) with 1,800 points, 400 rebounds (405) and 400 assists • One of three (with Ford and Paige) in the top 15 in UNC history in both points and assists.
Played in 144 games with 112 starts • UNC went 109-35 in the games in which he played (missed 10 games due to injuries)• Is 13thin UNC history in both scoring and assists • Made 266 3FGs(.366) and shot 83.3 percent from the FT line (tied for the eighth highest in UNC history) • Second in 3FGsbehind Paige • Scored in double figures 94 times with 25 20-point games, including 22 in the 2017 national championship game vs. Gonzaga and 20 in the 2016 national championship game vs. Villanova • Double figures in assists twice (11 vs. Appalachian State on 12/21/15 and 10 vs. Syracuse on 4/2/16 in the Final Four) • Won MVP honors at the 2016 ACC Tournament after averaging 17.0 points and scoring 19 points in the championship game vs. Virginia.
SENIOR SEASON (2017-18)
2017-18:Third-team NABC(coaches) All-America • First-team All-ACC (was second team in 2017) • One of five finalists for the Bob CousyAward (with JalenBrunson of Villanova, JevonCarter of West Virginia, Devonte’ Graham of Kansas and TraeYoung of Oklahoma) • Led Carolina in scoring with a career-best 17.1 points per game • Free throw percentage of .893 led the ACC and was the second-highest in UNC history • Also was fourth in the ACC in threes per game and sixth in scoring • Scored in double figures 31 times • Career-high tying 31 points against Miami on 2/27 • Led the team in three-pointers with 93, the fourth most in UNC history • Made 2.58 three-pointers per game, tied for the fourth highest in UNC single-season history • Made at least three three-pointers 20 times • Scored 20 or more points 12 times and at least 25 points five times • Scored the game-winning points against Wake Forest, at Notre Dame and at Syracuse• Averaged 20.8 points in 12 road games • Second on the team in defensive player of the game awards with nine • UNC went 14-0 when he had zero or only one turnover.
2017-18 Game Highlights: Scored 21 points against Texas A&M in his final collegiate game• Had 13 points and six assists in the ACC semifinal win over Duke• Scored 25 second-half points and tied his career high with 31 points in the loss to Miami in his final game in the Smith Center • Made five three-pointers, including one with 4.1 seconds to play that tied the game at 88• Scored 19 of UNC’s final 25 points against the Canes• Broke a 74-all tie with a steal and coast-to-coast layup and added two free throws with 13 seconds to play in the 78-74 win at Syracuse• Sensational in the win at Louisville with a game-high 23 points, five three-pointers and five assists – but his blocked shot against 6-10 forward Ray Spalding on a breakaway layup was the play of the game • Game-high 21 points against Notre Dame • Led all scorers with 21 points (12 in the second half) and had six assists/no turnovers for the second game in a row in the 82-78 win over Duke • Scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half at Clemson • Season-best 10 of 16 from the floor • Scored nine of UNC’s final 11 points vs. the Tigers • Made a career-high nine free throws (in 10 attempts) and tied his career high with eight rebounds in the win over Georgia Tech • Hit four threes and scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half in the win over Clemson • Grabbed an offensive rebound, got fouled and made two free throws with 7.1 seconds to play in 69-68 win at Notre Dame • Led Carolina with 17 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds at Virginia (was the first time in his career he led UNC in rebounding) • Attempted a career-high 23 shots from the floor and scored 28 points (21 in the second half) in the loss at Florida State • Hit the game-winner on a runner from the left wing with 11 seconds to play in the 73-69 win over Wake Forest • Led all scorers with 21 points in the win at #20 Tennessee • Scored 13 second-half points against the Vols • Game-high 27 points (15 in the second half) and had four assists at Davidson • Had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots in the win over Michigan • Game-high 29 points at Stanford • Broke his right hand on October 22 • Missed two exhibitions and the regular-season opener vs. Northern Iowa.
JUNIOR SEASON (2016-17)
2017 Honors: Final Four Most Outstanding Player and All-Final Four selection • NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Team • Team captain (first non-senior to be named UNC captain in a national championship season) • Second-team All-ACC selection • One of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard • Four-time ACC Player of the Week (Tulane/Chattanooga, his MVP performance in Maui, Clemson/NC State and Wake Forest/Florida State) • Co-NBC Sports National Player of the Week for his play against Wake Forest and FSU and Naismith National Player of the Week for his play against Clemson and NC State • USBWA all-district and NABC second-team all-district team selection.
2017 NCAA Tournament: Played throughout the NCAA Tournament on a pair of sprained ankles • Had a hard time pushing off the floor on his jump shot, which affected his performance shooting the ball and driving to the basket • Shot 24 for 79 from the floor (.304), 12 of 47 from three-point range (.256) and 23 of 37 from the free throw line (.622) in the 2017 NCAA Tourney, yet was invaluable for his clutch play and leadership on and off the floor • Averaged 13.8 points, UNC’s second-leading scorer, and had 19 in the six NCAA Tournament games • Scored in double figures in the last five games.
Earned MOP honors at the Final Four after scoring a game-high 22 points with a team-high six assists and two steals in the 71-65 championship game win over Gonzaga • Made 4 of 13 three-pointers in the final, the 14th time all year he made at least three 3FGs • Scored 13 of his 22 points in the second half, helping Carolina erase a three-point halftime deficit • The 13 three-point attempts are the second-most ever in a national championship game and the most ever by a Tar Heel in an NCAA Tournament game.
Became the seventh player to score 20 or more points in consecutive national championship games with UCLA’s Gail Goodrich, Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton, San Francisco’s Bill Russell, LaSalle’s Charley Singley and Oklahoma State’s Bob Kurland • All but Singley are enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame • Is the fifth Tar Heel to earn Final Four MOP honors with James Worthy, Donald Williams, Sean May and Wayne Ellington • The first UNC point guard to earn Final Four MVP honors (fourth straight point guard overall) • Hit a key three-pointer with 4:18 to play in the title game, coming one possession after Nigel Williams-Goss hit a three after a disputed out of bounds call gave the Zags a 60-59 lead, their first in more than eight minutes.
Named to the NCAA All-South Regional team after scoring 37 points in the wins over Butler (26) and Kentucky (11) • Gutted out 33 minutes against Kentucky despite playing with two ankle sprains (stepped on a teammate’s foot in practice the day before the UK game, then twisted the other ankle on a drive to the basket early in the first half against the Wildcats) • Scored nine of his 11 points against UK in the first half as the Tar Heels built a 38-33 lead • Game-high 26 points against Butler (his NCAA best) • Made three 3FGs and was 7 for 9 from the line • Scored 16 of his 26 in the second half • Sprained his right ankle in the second half of UNC’s NCAA first round game vs. Texas Southern • Was a game-time decision to play vs. Arkansas • Played 34 minutes vs. the Razorbacks and scored 10 points with three assists and two steals • Committed only one of UNC’s 17 turnovers against UA’s high pressure defense.
2016-17 Season Notes: UNC’s second-leading scorer (14.7) • Led UNC in assists (138), three-point percentage (.383) and steals (53) • Second on the team in three-pointers made (88) and free throw percentage (.774) • Equaled the fifth-most 3FGs in a season and attempted the third most 3FGs in a season by a Tar Heel • Berry and Justin Jackson combined for 193 three-pointers, which is the single-season school record for most three-pointers by two players (previous was 177 by P.J. Hairston and Reggie Bullock in 2013) • Made multiple three-pointers in 26 games and three or more 14 times • Career-high seven 3FGs at Clemson and five against Virginia Tech, Pitt and Duke • Shot 44.7 percent from the floor and 40.8 from three-point range in the 31 wins in which he played and 33.8 percent from the floor and 25.6 percent from 3FG in UNC’s seven losses • UNC went 14-3 when he had four or more assists and 13-1 when he made at least three 3FGs (including the national title game in both cases) • UNC’s defensive player of the game five times (Tulane, UTC, Radford, NC State and Duke) • Scored in double figures 28 times with 20 or more points 10 times • Led UNC in scoring 11 times • Most Valuable Player at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational • Averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals in Maui.
2016-17 Regular-Season and ACC Tournament Game Highlights: Sat out a 10:06 stretch in the second half of the ACC semifinal loss to Duke after picking up his fourth foul (UNC went from up by eight to down by seven in that stretch) • Had seven points and directed a Tar Heel offense that shot 55.6 percent from the floor and scored 49 first-half points vs. the Blue Devils • Memorable 28-point performance in the win over Duke in the Smith Center to close the regular season – tied school record by making 5 of 5 from three-point range, all in the first half (the fifth time a Tar Heel has made 5 or 5 or better) • Scored 19 of his 28 in the first half as UNC built a 48-46 lead, then scored seven straight UNC points in the final 3:41 • Twisting left-handed layup gave UNC an 81-78 lead, jumper from the left elbow gave UNC an 83-79 lead and drive and floater made it 85-79 with 1:40 to play.
Made four three-pointers and scored 19 points at Pitt, his most points since he had 19 against the Panthers on 1/31 • Played 35 minutes vs. Louisville with no turnovers and 15 points (the most minutes he played in this year without a turnover) • Made 7 of 11 shots from the floor, led UNC with 18 points and had six assists and three steals in the win at NC State – helped hold Dennis Smith Jr. to no field goals in the first 16 minutes of the second half • Was the first time he led UNC in scoring since the Florida State game on 1/14 • Was his best shooting percentage (.636) since the Wisconsin game in the Maui final in November • Jumper with 3:33 to play gave UNC a 77-73 lead and started an 8-0 UNC run against Notre Dame • Matched his ACC season best with seven assists vs. the Irish • Led all scorers with 26 points, 17 in the first half, in the win over 9th-ranked Florida State • Led UNC to a 107-56 win over NC State with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals and was UNC’s defensive player of the game • Helped limit Dennis Smith Jr. to 11 points (and six turnovers) • Made seven three-pointers, five in a 21-point second half, and finished with a career-high 31 points in the overtime win at Clemson • Scored 19 of UNC’s 23 points in a seven and a half minute stretch in the second half during which UNC built a six-point lead • Made a career-high 12 field goals in 19 attempts.
Scored 23 points and had seven assists and two steals in the 103-100 loss to Kentucky • Played 34 minutes vs. UK in his first game after not playing vs. Davidson and Tennessee due to injury • Season-high eight assists at Indiana • Scored a game-high 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the floor in the 5aui championship game win over Wisconsin and helped limit Badger standout guard Bronson Koenig to 1 of 13 FGs with three turnovers • Sensational in the win over Oklahoma State as he scored 24 points with five rebounds, four assists and three steals • Sprained his left ankle vs. Radford on 12/4 on a drive to the basket (stepped on a defender’s foot) and did not return to the game after playing only 13 minutes vs. the Highlanders.
Scored 20 Points in Consecutive NCAA Championship Games
Joel Berry II: 2016, 2017
Bill Walton, UCLA: 1972, 1973
Lew Alcindor, UCLA: 1967, 1968, 1969
Gail Goodrich, UCLA: 1964, 1965
Bill Russell, San Francisco: 1955, 1956
Charley Singley, LaSalle: 1954, 1955
Bob Kurland, Oklahoma State: 1945, 1946
Carolina’s Final Four Most Outstanding Players
Joel Berry II, 2017
Wayne Ellington, 2009
Sean May, 2005
Donald Williams, 1993
James Worthy, 1982
ACC Tournament MVP and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player
Joel Berry II: 2016 ACC Tournament, 2017 Final Four
Kyle Singler, Duke: 2010
Shane Battier, Duke: 2001
Christian Laettner, Duke: 1991 Final Four, 1992 ACC Tournament
James Worthy, North Carolina: 1982
Art Heyman, Duke: 1963
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2015-16)
Sixth Tar Heel to earn ACC Tournament MVP and All-Final Four honors in the same year • Started at the point in 39 games (all except Senior Night) • Led the team in assists with 151, three-point percentage (.382), free throw percentage (.867) and steals (58) • Second on the team in scoring (12.8) in all games and ACC regular-season play (12.6) and led the Tar Heels in scoring in the ACC Tournament (17.0) • Second on the team with nine defensive player-of-the-game awards • Free throw percentage of .867 was the seventh-highest in UNC history • Made 60 of 66 from the FT line in ACC regular season and Tournament play (team high .909) and 9 of 10 (.900) in NCAA Tournament action • Was second in the ACC in FT percentage in conference play • Scored in double figures 34 times (second most on the team) • Tar Heels went 31-3 when he scored in double figures and 2-4 when he did not • Played 11 games without a turnover and 21 with one or fewer • Assist/error ratio of 2.4/1 • Committed a turnover every 19.8 minutes • Had the fewest turnovers in a season by a UNC starting point guard • Averaged 1.55 turnovers per game, fewest by a Tar Heel point guard • Sank 68 for 178 from three-point range (.388) • Raymond Felton is the only Tar Heel to ever average more points, rebounds, assists and steals per game in a season.
2016 NCAA Tournament
Averaged 13.7 points, had 30 assists, only eight turnovers and shot 50 percent from the floor (32 of 64) in six games • Scored 20 points in the national championship game vs. Villanova, including 15 in the first half as UNC built a 34-29 lead • Made all four of his three-point attempts, the second-best 3FG performance in championship game history • Had 10 assists in national semifinal vs. Syracuse, most by a Tar Heel in the national semifinal since Phil Ford had 10 vs. UNLV in 1977 • Also tied his career high with seven rebounds • Had eight assists and no turnovers against Notre Dame in the regional final • Scored all 14 of his points in the second half and had five assists in the win over Indiana.
2016 ACC Tournament
The 18th Tar Heel (and second UNC point guard) to win Most Valuable Player honors • First Tar Heel to win the award as a sophomore • First UNC point guard to win MVP honors since Phil Ford in 1975 • Scored a game-high 19 points in the championship vs. Virginia • Three-game total of 51 points (17.0 per game), eight assists and three turnovers • Scored 20 points against Pitt, 12 vs. Notre Dame and 19 vs. Virginia • Shot 17 for 24 from the floor (.708), 7 for 10 on three-pointers (.700) and made 10 of 10 free throws in the three games • All three turnovers came in the quarterfinals – played 66 minutes in the last two games without a turnover • The three opposing starting point guards went 7 for 32 from the floor and had nine assists and eight turnovers over the three games.
Game-high 19 points vs. Virginia in the ACC championship game • Made 4-4 FTs in the final 15 seconds to clinch the title • Scored 10 of his 12 points against Notre Dame in the first half • Led UNC with 20 points and tied his career high with four steals vs. Pitt in the ACC QF • Made 7 of 8 field goal attempts, his best single-game percentage (.875) as a Tar Heel.
2015-16 Game Highlights
Scored 10 second-half points in win at Duke, including a 3FG and coast-to-coast drive that gave UNC a nine-point lead with 3:22 to play • Sank both ends of a 1-and-1 with 17 seconds to play for a five-point lead • Made career-best 5 of 9 three-pointers and scored a career-high 21 points at Virginia • Scored a then-career-high 19 points vs. Georgia Tech, including 8 of 9 from the free throw line in the second half • Had 16 points, four assists and no turnovers vs. Clemson in his first career ACC start • First career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 11 assists vs. Appalachian State • Scored 11 of his then-career-high 17 points in the second half and directed a Tar Heel attack that shot 61.1 percent in the final 20 minutes in the win over UCLA.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014-15)
Came on strong at the end of the season • Averaged 15.2 minutes at the point over the last 14 games after returning from a seven-game layoff due to injury • Missed eight ACC games due to injury and illness • Had 46 assists, 21 turnovers and 12 steals in 30 games • Went 10 for 20 from three-point range in the last 10 games, including 6 for 11 in the post-season • Scored 60 points in the last nine games (6.7 per game).
Game Highlights
Scored nine points and had three assists vs. Wisconsin in the NCAA Sweet 16 • Had seven points and four assists in the ACC championship game vs. Notre Dame • Scored eight straight UNC points midway through the first half in the ACC quarterfinals vs. Louisville • Led Carolina with a season-high 15 points and made a season-best three 3FGs in the win at Georgia Tech • Missed seven games due to injury.
PREP
Played for Coach Jason Vallery at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Fla. • Parade All-America • First player in Florida high school history to win Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Basketball award three times (Vince Carter won the award in 1995) • Also won Gatorade Player of the Year honors three times, just the sixth player to do that in any state • Named King of the Court, 4-A Player of the Year and first-team all-state by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches • Led Lake Highland Prep to consecutive state titles • Was Tournament MVP as a senior, when he averaged 22.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, five assists and 2.2 steals in five games • Averaged 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 steals in his prep career • Averaged 24.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals as a senior • Had 39 points in 2014 state semifinals and 20 points and nine rebounds in the title game • Averaged 25.3 points as a junior and 23.8 as a sophomore • Played in the McDonald’s All-America Game and the Nike Hoop Summit • Invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic but didn’t play due to injury • Earned third-team All-America honors from MaxPreps in 2014 • Won the Nike Peach Jam in 2013 • Earned a gold medal on the USA’s U-17 team in Lithuania in 2012 • Played one year of football.
PERSONAL
Born Joel DeWayne Berry II • Birthday is April 1 • Son of Joel and Kathie Berry • His sister played four years at Rollins College • Majoring in exercise and sport science with a focus in sport administration • Chose No. 2 because he’s the second (named for his father) • Worked on playing smarter and shooting in the offseason • Would love to go back and watch Michael Jordan in his prime • Favorite former Tar Heels are Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson.
