You could make an argument that more players have regressed under Hubert than those that have clearly improved. Is that because they’re being used incorrectly or the staff simply fails to develop kids?
I'm not here to defend Hubert and say he's this or that... But RJ developed into a pretty good basketball player under Hubert. Seth certainly has developed under Hubert. So I don't think it's accurate to say guys just fail to develop under him. If you want to blame him for the lack of development of Washington or Withers, then fine. I tend to think Washington is a limited player and Withers has been the same player the last 4 seasons so being the same player for this season isn't all that surprising.
I think Hubert's biggest issue when it comes to personnel is he's a mediocre at best talent evaluator. If we're being honest, the vast majority of people overrated Elliot Cadeau in terms of how quickly he would impact UNC basketball. He's a fine player who is developing. There's nothing wrong with that. But he isn't the player that he was advertised as. And Hubert said before this season that that Cadeau would be "unrecognizable" this season. Idk, a lot of his game is pretty recognizable to me, lol.
Now, I tend to think Hubert is one of those people that just overemphasizes positives and that can make some of your quotes sound rather stupid in the future. But this is what he said about some of the players.
Cadeau before this season:
“You won’t recognize him this year. He's worked extremely hard this summer,” said Davis. “He's consistently knocking down threes, mid-range jump shots. The level that I've seen is just the progression of maturity and the leadership. It's just off the charts.”
Withers:
“Jae’Lyn is a versatile big man who can do a number of things really well on both ends of the court. He can consistently make three-pointers, run the floor, post up, attack the offense and create plays off the bounce. He is also an excellent defender and rebounder, exactly what we were looking for at that position. He is a North Carolina kid and we are glad he is back home.”
Wojcik:
“Paxson is a talented basketball player who excels at doing everything on the court at a high level,” Davis said. “He brings consistent perimeter shooting, rebounding and passing from the wing. He will be a great leader for us. We are excited to have Paxson as part of the Carolina Basketball family.”
Washington:
"He's the best shooting big man coming out of high school that I've ever seen."
If those quotes come with a kernel of truth to them, he's a poor talent evaluator. I know the offseason is a time to be irrationally positive, but some of those are lol-worthy.
