Leaky’s perfect fit

[UNC Blue Hup]

I know we’ve discussed this many times my friends, but I was thinking..he would be perfect coming off the bench with his versatility to play and defend and play multiple positions..Coach Davis said he wants shooters (not his best quality) and Kerwin at the 3 with Caleb and RJ look like the starters or possibly Love/Walton/Puff..I’ve been hearing great things about a healthy Puff..but plug Leaky in off the bench as needed : fouls, hot hand....that should be his role

 

[bobcrane14]

If he is one of the five best players, Black should start. I believe that there are at least seven better players on the roster. His best chance to contribute is gaining twenty pounds to play Center when Bacot needs a rest

 

[Archer2]

If he is one of the five best players, Black should start. I believe that there are at least seven better players on the roster. His best chance to contribute is gaining twenty pounds to play Center when Bacot needs a rest

GTHD! Amirite?

 

[midline]

I don't know about Leaky. He seems to have all of the physical tools, and every summer we were confident that he was working hard on his shot. But his confidence in his shot never seemed to match the work he was supposedly putting in. Painfully obvious as opponents left him wide open and he would hitch and hesitate hoping someone would run at him so he would be forced to pass. But what I was hoping for was another Theo. Theo rarely shot except for a layup, or a put back. But he could get in that lane and kick it to others. And was excellent on defense. Leaky has defensive talent, but lacks on factor that seemed to be a theme with recruits over the last few years. A lack of lateral quickness. Folks could beat him off the dribble and when he got caught on a bigger player down low they could back him down with ease. I surely hope the light goes on and he finds the game to match his physical gifts, but I am not sure that the tone of the thread isn't right in that Hubert may use him in spurts to come off the bench and try to lock down a shooter for a little while

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I have no idea what GTHD means but the post it refers to is idiotic! No team in the ACC has 7 bench players better than Leaky! He may well come off the bench, but I doubt it. Who is backup point if both Caleb and RJ start?

 

[DSouthr]

I have no idea what GTHD means but the post it refers to is idiotic! No team in the ACC has 7 bench players better than Leaky! He may well come off the bench, but I doubt it. Who is backup point if both Caleb and RJ start?

The first 2 letters stand for Go and To and the last one stands for dukie, wanna guess what the "H" stands for? LOL

Now Leaky, ah the enigma of Leaky Black...Exactly where and how do you play him in order to allow what he can bring to be a net positive rather than allow the things he just has not shown he can do, what we really need from our 3 spot to not be over come by the negatives, which IMO was not a net positive last season. Yes, I do believe Roy stayed with him way to much last season. Understand, I am speaking to how he played, not the kid himself, he has done nothing but represent the program with class but on the court it has not been what we have needed far to often. We all watched that, I do not need to remind anyone of what we all saw. While I would love nothing more than for leaky to find a shooters touch and confidence, I am in no way expecting that to happen at this point. Not saying the kid brings nothing but I do question how we can cover up his weaknesses while benefitting from what he can do well?

Last season, we far to often played 4 on 5 on our offensive end, got away with it some because we rebounded so well to the extent at times our best offensive play was put it up and have one of our big men go get the offensive rebound and finish. But will we be able to do that next season with the loss of so much size in the paint? Point being, I think we have to be much more effective on the offensive end.

Everything seems pointed to Hubert being more inclined to go UNC small ball, which is different than most other programs version of small ball (most small ball is 3 guards and at times 4). I consider UNC small ball to be a long wing 3 that can shoot and a 4 that is as well similar to the wing I describe. Mancek and McCoy fit that at the 4, Styles maybe a bit (more a mid range guy than 3pt guy, call it a George Lynch type). I like Puff's length at the 3 and I strongly believe he will be a very good outside jump shooter< think Dunn can find some time there as well as a less long 3. But do you prioritize Leaky's length, experience, and ability to defend over our need to score from the 3? For me that would be hard to do. But how much defense are you willing to sacrifice just for a better op to score back down on the other end as may be the case with Puff? Roy did go to Walton strong last season and that was the case I describe, give up more on the defensive end in order to be more effective scoring on the other end. If we face a team that has a very strong jump shooter at the 3 or 4 spot bringing in Leaky to face guard that guy and shut him down is important and something Leaky can do, so it becomes situational.

 

[ChiShankCity]

His best role would be off the bench on an offensively gifted team where he can be an energy guy, athlete, and contribute without having to score.

On this team, he probably needs to start out of default and be surrounded by shooting. But his best fit is one where he doesn't have to score. It's tough today though. Times are different even from 2005 when we can have an offensive zero in the starting lineup and still be elite offensively. Today, if you have an offensive zero, that's how the defense will gameplan against you.

 

[gobblercalls]

His best role would be off the bench on an offensively gifted team where he can be an energy guy, athlete, and contribute without having to score.

On this team, he probably needs to start out of default and be surrounded by shooting. But his best fit is one where he doesn't have to score. It's tough today though. Times are different even from 2005 when we can have an offensive zero in the starting lineup and still be elite offensively. Today, if you have an offensive zero, that's how the defense will gameplan against you.

• PTS
  5.6
• REB
  4.9
• AST
  2.4
• FG%
  36.7
• Those numbers may not be very good but they are not zero. Maybe you could change your terminology accordingly??

 

[King Coach]

Leaky just lacks determination. I was hoping he would turn into a Kenny Williams. If you didn’t follow UNC you would have thought Kenny was the best player on the team just by the way he walked onto the court...dude just looked like a ball player....Then KW began to play like the ball player he looked like. Leaky has that same look...but just haven’t worked on his game enough. I say it’s determination. How else can you explain it?

 

[DSouthr]

Leaky just lacks determination. I was hoping he would turn into a Kenny Williams. If you didn’t follow UNC you would have thought Kenny was the best player on the team just by the way he walked onto the court...dude just looked like a ball player....Then KW began to play like the ball player he looked like. Leaky has that same look...but just haven’t worked on his game enough. I say it’s determination. How else can you explain it?

After last season, very clear to me that Leaky would have been better served to have bulked up after he got his growth spurt and dedicated himself to becoming a power forward and as such have some mismatches he could exploit. As a 4 he would be considered a strong ballhandler, and his ability to shoot from the mid range and not have to worry about all the way to the trey would be strong for a 4. Power forward snags the rebound and brings it up court, like Luke did at times, very helpful. Problem is he self identifies as a guard and specifically as a PG yet he shoots like a back to the basket center? I still can not understand how Roy saw the kid as a PG...

 

[GoNtheDistance]

After last season, very clear to me that Leaky would have been better served to have bulked up after he got his growth spurt and dedicated himself to becoming a power forward and as such have some mismatches he could exploit. As a 4 he would be considered a strong ballhandler, and his ability to shoot from the mid range and not have to worry about all the way to the trey would be strong for a 4. Power forward snags the rebound and brings it up court, like Luke did at times, very helpful. Problem is he self identifies as a guard and specifically as a PG yet he shoots like a back to the basket center? I still can not understand how Roy saw the kid as a PG...

offered Leaky early based on his size and skill set, and then that same skill set never really matured or developed like anybody thought it would.

 

[ChiShankCity]

Leaky just lacks determination. I was hoping he would turn into a Kenny Williams. If you didn’t follow UNC you would have thought Kenny was the best player on the team just by the way he walked onto the court...dude just looked like a ball player....Then KW began to play like the ball player he looked like. Leaky has that same look...but just haven’t worked on his game enough. I say it’s determination. How else can you explain it?

Kenny didn't shoot it great here apart from his junior year, but just by his shot, you can tell he was capable of shooting the ball. Leaky has never shown the ability to shoot the ball at all.

I think the best case is Theo Pinson. Theo's a better athlete and had much better basketball instincts than Leaky. But Theo couldn't shoot at all, but gradually improved and made himself affect the game in numerous ways without scoring.

In fairness, I thought Leaky was going to be really freakin good when I saw him as a freshman. Just never developed basketball skills.

 

[DSouthr]

Kenny didn't shoot it great here apart from his junior year, but just by his shot, you can tell he was capable of shooting the ball. Leaky has never shown the ability to shoot the ball at all.

I think the best case is Theo Pinson. Theo's a better athlete and had much better basketball instincts than Leaky. But Theo couldn't shoot at all, but gradually improved and made himself affect the game in numerous ways without scoring.

In fairness, I thought Leaky was going to be really freakin good when I saw him as a freshman. Just never developed basketball skills.

I thought Leaky would develop in to Theo-lite, not able to do all that Theo did but could do enough of it. But Theo did have consistent sweet shooting/scoring from the 1, 2, and 4 spots and leaky has not had that.

 

[bobcrane14]

I have no idea what GTHD means but the post it refers to is idiotic! No team in the ACC has 7 bench players better than Leaky! He may well come off the bench, but I doubt it. Who is backup point if both Caleb and RJ start?

Anthony Harris, and then Creighton Lebo are better suited to play point guard than Black

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

one piece of the puzzle that no one has mentioned is the expierence factor. The team is still really young and there will be times where the squad will need someone to step up and lead by example and Black is the only one that can provide that..

 

[CarolinaBlue5]

I get the Theo comparison with Leaky! I thought the same thing when Leaky was coming in! Theo was better and will be better at every aspect of the game! Better shooter, better handle, better passer, and better athlete etc.....the big thing that sticks out to me tho, is that Theo was a dog! That really stood out to me when he guarded Bagley at UNC! Bagley got his but Theo held his own...Leaky has ZERO dog in him! The lack of that and his limited scoring ability really make it hard for him to play 30 min and be effective! I’ve said it 100 times here, I think Leaky is a rotational player that can play 12 or so minutes a game! Personally, I really hope Puff steps his game up and can take some minutes at the 3, as well as McKoy and Styles some!

 

[bobcrane14]

one piece of the puzzle that no one has mentioned is the expierence factor. The team is still really young and there will be times where the squad will need someone to step up and lead by example and Black is the only one that can provide that..

The team has plenty of experience. Four returning starters plus Manek started for four seasons at Oklahoma. Davis, Harris and McKoy have at least one year under their belts. That is a lot more experience than most teams.

 

[bobcrane14]

I would make Rechon Black watch tapes of Dennis Rodman at least three times per day. Install an alarm on his phone that forces him to watch Rodman. Explain to Black that he will only play if he dives for loose balls, that he may not possess the ball for more than a second. His job is to pass, screen, rebound with ferocity, and to be such a defensive pest that the man he is guarding takes a swing at him

 

[DSouthr]

I get the Theo comparison with Leaky! I thought the same thing when Leaky was coming in! Theo was better and will be better at every aspect of the game! Better shooter, better handle, better passer, and better athlete etc.....the big thing that sticks out to me tho, is that Theo was a dog! That really stood out to me when he guarded Bagley at UNC! Bagley got his but Theo held his own...Leaky has ZERO dog in him! The lack of that and his limited scoring ability really make it hard for him to play 30 min and be effective! I’ve said it 100 times here, I think Leaky is a rotational player that can play 12 or so minutes a game! Personally, I really hope Puff steps his game up and can take some minutes at the 3, as well as McKoy and Styles some!

Yeah, the main difference I see between Theo and Leaky is that Theo had that alpha dog mindset, where he believed he was very good at even aspects of the game that he struggled with. Theo believed he was a great jump shooter, it was not easy to get him to chill with the many jump shots he wanted to take. Leaky on the other hand seems to come from a place of much less belief. At times last season, Leaky seemed to me that he could not get the ball out of his hands and to a team mate quick enough, seemed at times to run away from position to get the ball passed to him.

 

[bobcrane14]

Leaky just lacks determination. I was hoping he would turn into a Kenny Williams. If you didn’t follow UNC you would have thought Kenny was the best player on the team just by the way he walked onto the court...dude just looked like a ball player....Then KW began to play like the ball player he looked like. Leaky has that same look...but just haven’t worked on his game enough. I say it’s determination. How else can you explain it?

I explain it by saying that he doesn't enjoy playing basketball. He plays because he is 6'8" with long arms. Black should give his best effort for one more year. Concentrate on defense, rebounds, passing and screens. He then must graduate. Upon graduation, Black should join the Marine Corps. In the Marines, he will embrace discipline and leadership.

 

[Archer2]

I explain it by saying that he doesn't enjoy playing basketball. He plays because he is 6'8" with long arms. Black should give his best effort for one more year. Concentrate on defense, rebounds, passing and screens. He then must graduate. Upon graduation, Black should join the Marine Corps. In the Marines, he will embrace discipline and leadership.

You should start a blog called “Hogan’s Hot Takes”.

GTHD

 

[gobblercalls]

You should start a blog called “Hogan’s Hot Takes”.

GTHD

He should name it "The Idiot Speaks".

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Anthony Harris, and then Creighton Lebo are better suited to play point guard than Black

Does being a pukie automatically limit both rhetorical and reading skills? When did anyone say Leaky was suited to be the backup PG since the experiment failed??? Ant is an excellent 2 and glue guy but isn't a PG and Lebo is a legacy who isn't' ready for ACC level comp??? I would rather have a very limited spurt with Leaky as PG than either of those choices, but.....

I asked who was the backup PG IF both Caleb and RJ start....to those who actually pay attention, this indicates I believe RJ is our backup PG and that is why he shouldn't start!

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

The team has plenty of experience. Four returning starters plus Manek started for four seasons at Oklahoma. Davis, Harris and McKoy have at least one year under their belts. That is a lot more experience than most teams.

Let’s break this down: Davis, Harris, Puff, Love, Walton JUST entering their 2nd year and Puff barely played. Two freshmen who have not played a minute as college players...Two transfer players coming from different programs who have NEVER played in the Carolina system. Lebo who looks to have some game but who is not on scholarship. That’s 10 members of the current team with little to none real experience on the hardwood... And how did the Pierce and Keeling experiment work?

Bacot is a junior and Black is a senior and that is it for upperclassmen who have worn the CAROLINA jersey. Hopefully the thinking that most players improve the most in their sophomore year in college is still relevant today because it will be another tough season unless Love, Walton and Davis and Puff do not really step up their game to another level.

Anyone who does not think experience is as important as talent just need to look back at Carolina’s last couple of championship teams and see how many seniors and juniors started...

 

[DSouthr]

Let’s break this down: Davis, Harris, Puff, Love, Walton JUST entering their 2nd year and Puff barely played. Two freshmen who have not played a minute as college players...Two transfer players coming from different programs who have NEVER played in the Carolina system. Lebo who looks to have some game but who is not on scholarship. That’s 10 members of the current team with little to none real experience on the hardwood... And how did the Pierce and Keeling experiment work?

Bacot is a junior and Black is a senior and that is it for upperclassmen who have worn the CAROLINA jersey. Hopefully the thinking that most players improve the most in their sophomore year in college is still relevant today because it will be another tough season unless Love, Walton and Davis and Puff do not really step up their game to another level.

Anyone who does not think experience is as important as talent just need to look back at Carolina’s last couple of championship teams and see how many seniors and juniors started...

Actually, a lot there to discuss! I have a different take on several of these questions.

1) Our experience level - Yes, we are still very UNC young. And considering that Roy Williams will no longer be on our side lines, none of our regular rotation guys have experienced Hubert Davis rather than Roy as our head coach. Hubert is not Roy, he will be making some strong and I believe correct, changes in his UNC "system".

BUT ya know, there are actually 2 major road blocks a kid has to learn to over come in order to become a solid player. Now everyone knows, you have to adjust to that schools system, have to keep grades in line, adjust to the new coaches, adjust to new team mates, and SKILL DEVELOP.

But the other roadblock, I rarely see discussed is the unquestionable fact that an incoming freshman is just used to not needing to be the main man, everyone was the main man before they got to UNC. The other stuff to, more about the name on the front of your jersey means more than the one on the back, the huge crowds (especially vs what they have been used to), living up to your incoming hype, media, all these things are nasty hard on a 18yr old kid.

But then that 18yr old kid has to square off against a red shirt senior, that has been in his schools S/C for his entire time there, we talking straight up grown ass man and you went to your senior prom a few months ago??? Heck, you could be big and strong to but you darn sure are not used to playing against guys as strong or stronger than you. And let you mess up just once in front of 70,000 in person and millions over the networks, can you imagine that kind of pressure at 18? Other than going to war at 18, what more pressure can be put on a kid that age.

So what is the difference between a incoming freshman and returning or transfer in upper classmen? Those sophs have now had over a year and gone thru it at least once. Now they know what to expect, they know they can play, they know what they want, and they have a good idea of what it will take to get there.

That is a MAJOR reason you see that strong develop in their soph season.

 

[CarolinaBlue5]

Actually, a lot there to discuss! I have a different take on several of these questions.

1) Our experience level - Yes, we are still very UNC young. And considering that Roy Williams will no longer be on our side lines, none of our regular rotation guys have experienced Hubert Davis rather than Roy as our head coach. Hubert is not Roy, he will be making some strong and I believe correct, changes in his UNC "system".

BUT ya know, there are actually 2 major road blocks a kid has to learn to over come in order to become a solid player. Now everyone knows, you have to adjust to that schools system, have to keep grades in line, adjust to the new coaches, adjust to new team mates, and SKILL DEVELOP.

But the other roadblock, I rarely see discussed is the unquestionable fact that an incoming freshman is just used to not needing to be the main man, everyone was the main man before they got to UNC. The other stuff to, more about the name on the front of your jersey means more than the one on the back, the huge crowds (especially vs what they have been used to), living up to your incoming hype, media, all these things are nasty hard on a 18yr old kid.

But then that 18yr old kid has to square off against a red shirt senior, that has been in his schools S/C for his entire time there, we talking straight up grown ass man and you went to your senior prom a few months ago??? Heck, you could be big and strong to but you darn sure are not used to playing against guys as strong or stronger than you. And let you mess up just once in front of 70,000 in person and millions over the networks, can you imagine that kind of pressure at 18? Other than going to war at 18, what more pressure can be put on a kid that age.

So what is the difference between a incoming freshman and returning or transfer in upper classmen? Those sophs have now had over a year and gone thru it at least once. Now they know what to expect, they know they can play, they know what they want, and they have a good idea of what it will take to get there.

That is a MAJOR reason you see that strong develop in their soph season.

Exactly! Our sophomores (besides Puff) are nowhere near inexperienced...Love, Walton, and Davis played tons of minutes last year! All of them started the whole season or at some point was in the starting lineup..they all have the natural talent to make a huge jump this year, I personally expect that out of all of them including Puff

 

[ChiShankCity]

It isn't apples to apples since they play different positions, but the best case scenario for Leaky is to be the kind of player Bobby Frasor was after his injury. Frasor wasn't going to do anything dynamic on the floor. In terms of putting the ball in the basket, he was a zero but aside from cringing when he shot the ball, he didn't really hurt you.

Like Leaky, he had size for his position. Understood what his role was and did a pretty good job.

I'll be cautious in my expectations for skill development for any player. Unless there's a baseline of evidence that a player can improve a certain skill, it probably takes more than an offseason to get better.

I really don't recall any player who was a terrible 3-point shooter become an average one over an offseason.

The instances I can recall:
- Danny Green went from a 30% to a 40%+ 3-point shooter. But he was like a career 85% free throw shooter, so there was a baseline level of skill there.
- Tyler Hansbrough consistently added range on his jumpshot but again, he never shot below 73% from the FT line.

So maybe Caleb Love is the most likely candidate to show major improvement since he's at least a good free throw shooter. RJ too. But I'll have to be shown it before I can believe it. Their 2-point percentage was historically bad. But, in fairness, Brady Manek should help that big time.

TL;DR - RECRUIT SKILL!

 

[CrazyHeel]

His best spot is on the end of the bench, out of shouting range, just in case Hubert has a brain fart and wants to put him in.

 

[al would]

I was a big fan of Leaky and his potential when he got to The Hill .. but his shot mechanics suck, he never developed his skill set or was not in a situation to do so .. if you can't get it done from the outside you need to use your quickness and athleticism on the inside and he has yet to do that. For whatever reason for the last couple years the puzzle pieces for a really good team just haven't been there. Is what it is.

 

[bobcrane14]

Black has regressed each year. He is not as quick as his freshman year and he has zero confidence. He was a good shooter as a freshman on limited attempts: 47%FG, 42% on threes, and 86% FT. Last year, he was down to 36% FG, 22% on threes, and 69% FT.

 

[DSouthr]

Leaky has NOT regressed, to even suggest a kid that played and started for us as a Jr has regressed from his freshman season makes no sense. Leaky was in a totally different role as a Jr than he was as a freshman, much more PT, more shots (funny how more shots can cause a kid's % to drop). The concern is not that Leaky regressed, it is that he has not progressed in certain areas that we really need to be solid from our wing 3 starter. Kid was not a big time scorer in high school, on the summer circuits prior to college, in fact has never been a go to scorer at any level, it is what it is. 90% of the critism of Leaky is about his lack of production on the offensive end. He is very likely our best one on one defender, that was not true about him as a freshman and would have been seen as a much better defender last season had it not been for so many freshmen on court with him that were so often lost on the defensive end.

The problem is when your role increases your offensive production from your position has to increase and that just does not seem to be something Leaky is able to do. Others were not able to cover for his lack of offensive production so we found our guys to often having to play 4 on 5 on the offensive end in the half court, not easy to win that way. Leaky can be that guy, was at times last season, the guy you stick on the other teams most deadly scoring threat to deny the ball and take him out of the game. You just can't run him out to the 3pt line on the other end and feel good about him taking wide open jump shots, move him in for more mid range and he can help you as a scorer.

As a 6'8" wing, how often do you recall Leaky inverting and posting up defending wings? I know I have wondered why, suspect most others may have as well. But we see him sitting up past the 3pt arch constantly and you can just read his body language to realize he is not comfortable out there? But around the free throw line or in I have seen him be pretty effective, he just has not been there as much as he needs to be.

 

[Archer2]

Yeah, to say he’s regressed as Hogan stated, is ludicrous. He simply hasn’t progressed as much as we’d hoped. Many of us had unrealistic expectations, something that happens with the majority of our recruits, regardless of their ranking.

As Dave said, Leaky has never been an alpha go-to scorer. I think most of us felt he could develop into a poor man’s Theo, but it hasn’t happened. I’ve still got hopes that he will concentrate on consistently being a lockdown defender, that is where he could contribute most in my opinion. He will likely start and play a lot. So I’m hoping he has a healthy, productive senior season. He deserves it.