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less than a week to go and let the Platek starting debate begin

IDUNK4HEELS

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Even before the news today that Harris will not be ready for the opener next week I will keep to my guns and say like I have all summer and fall that Platek will be the starting shooting guard when the new season starts.

I see Platek like Brob last year as a senior given a real chance to be a starter that he will step up and lead by example and shut up a ton of his critics.

I just do not see two freshmen starting in the backcourt early in the season especially with the pressure of playing at a blue blood college. Some may remember when highly talented Lawson and Ellington came to the hill that they did not immediately start but a senior Bobby Frazier did early In the year.

There really is not another point guard that the staff trusts. No not baby Jet Smith or Black.

Every year for some reason fans pick a player to jump on and UNFAIRLY complain about recently besides Platek there was Britt and McDonald and even Meeks.
 
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This isn’t 2006, pal. And comparing Platek to Lawson and Ellington is laughable. Or even Meeks and McDonald

No one is unfairly picking on the kid. It’s the people on here who make him out to be something he’s not that irritate the hell out of everyone else. He’s not an ACC starting caliber player and never will be.

In this case the talent of RJ Davis and Caleb Love so dwarfs Platek it’s not even funny. Give me the best actual players to start. This cult like obsession with starting seniors on this board regardless of the scenario is mind blowing.
 
What Arch said, he may, mind you may, start but Roy is liking the RJ and Caleb duo, enough that it would not surprise me to see them start and Platek in the second 4 minutes. Read that in a 3 pt shooting drill Andrew and Kerwin ended up in a shootout which Kerwin won. We got guards that can shoot everyone. Don't sweat it.
 
What Arch said, he may, mind you may, start but Roy is liking the RJ and Caleb duo, enough that it would not surprise me to see them start and Platek in the second 4 minutes. Read that in a 3 pt shooting drill Andrew and Kerwin ended up in a shootout which Kerwin won. We got guards that can shoot everyone. Don't sweat it.
Yeah, I’m lovin’ the makeup of this team. We’re young at guard but we’re also very talented at guard. I foresee very good things for this team.
 
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Even before the news today that Harris will not be ready for the opener next week I will keep to my guns and say like I have all summer and fall that Platek will be the starting shooting guard when the new season starts.

I see Platek like Brob last year as a senior given a real chance to be a starter that he will step up and lead by example and shut up a ton of his critics.

I just do not see two freshmen starting in the backcourt early in the season especially with the pressure of playing at a blue blood college. Some may remember when highly talented Lawson and Ellington came to the hill that they did not immediately start but a senior Bobby Frazier did early In the year.

There really is not another point guard that the staff trusts. No not baby Jet Smith or Black.

Every year for some reason fans pick a player to jump on and UNFAIRLY complain about recently besides Platek there was Britt and McDonald and even Meeks.
No matter how Roy shuffles the starters, Love, RJ and Plates will get bunches of minutes rotating in the possible combinations among them. Having AP as a senior coach-on-the-floor will be incredibly valuable steadying the two frosh.

As you said, Ant won't be ready (which really isn't news, that wasn't gonna happen). Walton is a good shooter but likely isn't really ready for major D-1 minutes (quickness, defense & handle all need time to develop).

If this team is to be its best, Roy needs to get over the idea of ever playing Leaky at Guard again. He should be exclusively a 3 and embrace the role. If so, (and if he can stay healthy) Leaky has a chance to finally come into his own, with Puff backing him up making for a strong position. But if he tries to square-peg-round-hole Leaky again, then well, all bets are off.
 
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^ I agree with your take on Walton, and Leaky. People want Leaky to play guard, because of his size and ability to distribute the ball. Leaky can distribute the ball from the SF position. Leaky needs to get good at one position...his natural position. Our guard rotation will be solid when Harris returns.
 
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I have been reading that Platek has been running with the first team in practice.
He probably gets the start in the first game.

The first three options at the point are Love, RJ and Leaky. Doubt Roy wants his top 3 point quard options in the starting line-up at the start of the game, primarily due to foul trouble and injuries.

The fourth option at the point is KJ Smith. If he is playing meaningful minutes we are in big trouble.

Thus, I see RJ coming off the bench initially.

I'm concerned with Harris. Once he is back, he could be one bad landing to another injury. Hate to be a negative Nancy, but I just don't feel good about Harris long-term health.
 
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Platek starts and Leaky remains at 3, with some small ball 4 possible. What would a Love, RJ, Puff, Leaky, Brooks (Kessler, Sharpe) lineup(s) look like? Trying to figure out the mind of a mad genius is challenging at best! I have been on the Platek starts train since the end of last season! I really am pulling for Platek and Leaky to finally show their true capabilities!
 
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Yep, and at Point he slows us to a crawl.
This is 100% fact. The Leaky at PG experiment needs to be over. If he is needed in an emergency situation for spot minutes then okay, but other than that he should never see pg minutes. As you said, the entire look of the offense is slow and overall just looks stale when he’s at point.
 
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Even before the news today that Harris will not be ready for the opener next week I will keep to my guns and say like I have all summer and fall that Platek will be the starting shooting guard when the new season starts.

I see Platek like Brob last year as a senior given a real chance to be a starter that he will step up and lead by example and shut up a ton of his critics.

I just do not see two freshmen starting in the backcourt early in the season especially with the pressure of playing at a blue blood college. Some may remember when highly talented Lawson and Ellington came to the hill that they did not immediately start but a senior Bobby Frazier did early In the year.

There really is not another point guard that the staff trusts. No not baby Jet Smith or Black.

Every year for some reason fans pick a player to jump on and UNFAIRLY complain about recently besides Platek there was Britt and McDonald and even Meeks.
WoW, lot of stuff in this thread so *I will pick on ID just cause he is the OP, not because I totally agree or disagree with what is quoted. As for the whole who starts question, way I see it is RJ is a starter (thou I have no idea how many if any games RJ will be in at the opening tip, I do suspect RJ comes off the bench early on thou maybe I do not prefer that, I can understand it from Roy's perspective). For the record, I see Sharpe in the same way and Ant as well. From what I hear, Puff may be close to that same level as Kessler may as well be.



PLatek, I do NOT see as a starter but would not be shocked to see him in the line up at the tip for game 1 or to see him start every game until Ant is deemed ready for full go.

Ant, it is my understanding that the staff is going to be double extra cautious before clearing him for full go. There seems to be some feeling that maybe Ant came back a little to soon last season so they are not going to be as willing to trust the kid (meaning his level of pain) as may have been the case last season. You have 2 situations that allow for this first being we have guys that are seasoned and guys that are freshman big time talents that can cover that 2 guard spot to the extent there is just no glaring team need to get the kid back quicker. But second, keep this in mind, this season is like a freebie for Ant and Manley, they can be slow played yet even when they do get in for a couple minutes they still have not used NCAA eligibility season, Ant will still have 4 more years, Manley 2 more no matter if they play or not this season. So even if it is a close call no need to risk there kids at all, if we err, make it on the side of extra caution. I do think Ant is above where he was in his recovery this time last year.

Picking on PLatek, I don't really see it as picking on a player, I see it more as a kid having had the op to step up that didn't really. BRob stepped up huge last season but it was really his first op to, he played behind some special talent prior. Platek got huge ops last season due to all the injury but in my view didn't really step to the bar, he tried, feel like I saw most of what he has (other than I know the kid can shoot open looks much better than he did). What I see is a kid that is a step slow for a UNC 2 guard, less than ball handler, decent passer, struggles to shoot with a hand in his face, little slowish on his release. Yes he is a solid rotational type of player but he just is not a go to guy, strong believe RJ will get more minutes even in game 1.
 
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Picking on PLatek, I don't really see it as picking on a player, I see it more as a kid having had the op to step up that didn't really. BRob stepped up huge last season but it was really his first op to, he played behind some special talent prior. Platek got huge ops last season due to all the injury but in my view didn't really step to the bar, he tried, feel like I saw most of what he has (other than I know the kid can shoot open looks much better than he did). What I see is a kid that is a step slow for a UNC 2 guard, less than ball handler, decent passer, struggles to shoot with a hand in his face, little slowish on his release. Yes he is a solid rotational type of player but he just is not a go to guy, strong believe RJ will get more minutes even in game 1.

This is the best, most realistic paragraph on Platek that I've seen. You're spot on Dave.
 
No matter how Roy shuffles the starters, Love, RJ and Plates will get bunches of minutes rotating in the possible combinations among them. Having AP as a senior coach-on-the-floor will be incredibly valuable steadying the two frosh.

As you said, Ant won't be ready (which really isn't news, that wasn't gonna happen). Walton is a good shooter but likely isn't really ready for major D-1 minutes (quickness, defense & handle all need time to develop).

If this team is to be its best, Roy needs to get over the idea of ever playing Leaky at Guard again. He should be exclusively a 3 and embrace the role. If so, (and if he can stay healthy) Leaky has a chance to finally come into his own, with Puff backing him up making for a strong position. But if he tries to square-peg-round-hole Leaky again, then well, all bets are off.

Leaky and our back court... I admit, there were times last season when Leaky ran the point that it nearly caused my eyes to bleed and thou it did get better later season, darn near acceptable just before Cole came back, still having watched that whole season of play, can not say I love the thought of leaky ever playing the point for us again. BUT (yeah, there is always a but, yeah :)!

UNC fans as a whole, we tend to quickly forget things we know as absolute facts? Right now the story line is about how bad we played last season the very fact that we set a brand new games missed due to injury NCAA record is a point that has IMO been muted and it should not be? As it applies to leaky in his first 2 seasons with us he has had the 2 most under estimated injuries a player can have yet 2 injuries that are harder and take longer to over come than many of the more common nicks. As a freshman for a large part of that season the kid was hampered by a nasty high ankle sprain. Lot of folks read that as it was just a sprain no big deal but it eventually ended his season and if you ever had a high ankle sprain you understand just how painful it is and how long it takes to get over it, he was still dealing with it well in to the summer prior to last season.

Then last season it was turf toe, yet again, one of those things fans tend to see as no big deal that is unless you have ever had to go thru it yourself! Again, one of those under respected injuries that can seriously limit you ALL SEASON! So we have seen leaky play the point with both a nasty high ankle sprain and turf toe, injuries that make it painful to walk, much less run and this is not new news to any of you, we all knew about these things. It not only has so far stunted his development but it has to a degree soured fans on his ability? If you notice, my critique of Leaky is about things that were fact when he committed to us, he never has been a scorer for example. But I want to see how a healthy leaky Black plays and I do think a healthy Leaky Black can do a solid job as our 3rd PG, he is after all our most experienced PG on our roster, played more minutes than any other PG on our roster, and from Roy's own lips could one day be a NBA PG. My point is, don't write the kid off as a sub for the PG spot until you have been able to see the kid play when healthy. I think many will be surprised if leaky can stay healthy and show us what he can really do.

So far Leaky has had the 7th Woods experience as a Heel and I hope the kid gets the chance injury free to break out of what 7th went thru. Oh and for the record, I REALLY wish we had been able to turn to 7th Woods last season when Cole went down, I think we would have been MUCH BETTER record wise.
 
Leaky and our back court... I admit, there were times last season when Leaky ran the point that it nearly caused my eyes to bleed and thou it did get better later season, darn near acceptable just before Cole came back, still having watched that whole season of play, can not say I love the thought of leaky ever playing the point for us again. BUT (yeah, there is always a but, yeah :)!

UNC fans as a whole, we tend to quickly forget things we know as absolute facts? Right now the story line is about how bad we played last season the very fact that we set a brand new games missed due to injury NCAA record is a point that has IMO been muted and it should not be? As it applies to leaky in his first 2 seasons with us he has had the 2 most under estimated injuries a player can have yet 2 injuries that are harder and take longer to over come than many of the more common nicks. As a freshman for a large part of that season the kid was hampered by a nasty high ankle sprain. Lot of folks read that as it was just a sprain no big deal but it eventually ended his season and if you ever had a high ankle sprain you understand just how painful it is and how long it takes to get over it, he was still dealing with it well in to the summer prior to last season.

Then last season it was turf toe, yet again, one of those things fans tend to see as no big deal that is unless you have ever had to go thru it yourself! Again, one of those under respected injuries that can seriously limit you ALL SEASON! So we have seen leaky play the point with both a nasty high ankle sprain and turf toe, injuries that make it painful to walk, much less run and this is not new news to any of you, we all knew about these things. It not only has so far stunted his development but it has to a degree soured fans on his ability? If you notice, my critique of Leaky is about things that were fact when he committed to us, he never has been a scorer for example. But I want to see how a healthy leaky Black plays and I do think a healthy Leaky Black can do a solid job as our 3rd PG, he is after all our most experienced PG on our roster, played more minutes than any other PG on our roster, and from Roy's own lips could one day be a NBA PG. My point is, don't write the kid off as a sub for the PG spot until you have been able to see the kid play when healthy. I think many will be surprised if leaky can stay healthy and show us what he can really do.

So far Leaky has had the 7th Woods experience as a Heel and I hope the kid gets the chance injury free to break out of what 7th went thru. Oh and for the record, I REALLY wish we had been able to turn to 7th Woods last season when Cole went down, I think we would have been MUCH BETTER record wise.

Good comments Dave!

I agree with you about Platek. On the other hand, I'm hearing that due to the Harris injury, Platek will get an early opportunity to show he's going to have a big senior season - by big I mean playing 20-plus mins a game - or he will play himself into a 7-min a game role. So, what will we get?

The freshman are very talented but if they're really erratic in practice, imagine what will happen when the games get here, especially with only a few patsies to help them adjust.

Lets don't under estimate COVID injury. That's a 2-week injury for any player coming down with it. That's why the Harris recovery time is very concerning to me. To say that we need him ASAP may be a gross understatement.

We all gotta root for Platek getting better. With the COVID injury staring at the team, we are going to need Platek and Leaky to step up big time.

I'm hearing a lot of good things about the Puffster.
 
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Good comments Dave!

I agree with you about Platek. On the other hand, I'm hearing that due to the Harris injury, Platek will get an early opportunity to show he's going to have a big senior season - by big I mean playing 20-plus mins a game - or he will play himself into a 7-min a game role. So, what will we get?

The freshman are very talented but if they're really erratic in practice, imagine what will happen when the games get here, especially with only a few patsies to help them adjust.

Lets don't under estimate COVID injury. That's a 2-week injury for any player coming down with it. That's why the Harris recovery time is very concerning to me. To say that we need him ASAP may be a gross understatement.

We all gotta root for Platek getting better. With the COVID injury staring at the team, we are going to need Platek and Leaky to step up big time.

I'm hearing a lot of good things about the Puffster.
All true. And again, so much of excelling is mental/confidence and embracing the next step, and honestly Roy has done Leaky no favors by indulging his PG fantasies. Hopefully he can concentrate on being the best 3 he can be and reach his potential. As Dave said, he has also had legit injuries --- although there have been some questions about the wherewithal to play thru them --- and pain is definitely an obstacle.

Speaking of confidence, that will be the tell for Plates. He is, and has been, an assassin-level shooter in practice (which I hear has even gotten better this Fall), but the games are what matter. Ironically, what was his calling card coming in has been the achilles heel for him. Although some here are unable (or unwilling) to recognize it, he plays way-above-average defense (especially within our team-D concepts) and his offensive floor game has grown to be nearly flawless (and with two frosh in the rotation with him, that sporty 2.4/1 Assist/TO ratio will be quite valuable). Hopefully Roy handles Platek differently this season than last. AP needs the confidence conveyed to him from his coach that he is trusted and won't get pulled if he misses 2 or 3 in a row. As the saying goes, shooters (and football Cornerbacks) need to have short memories. :cool:
 
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As I had hoped this post has a wide variety of opinions on both sides of the fence. Bottom line until proven differently I see Platek starting at the two next week and staying there until Harris gets the green light to play.

BRob when given a real chance to play last year as a senior showed what he could do and I expect Platek to follow suit.

Finally now that Black for the first time is healthy will take off and have a opportunity to shine like Pinson did.

The fearsome foursome in the paint will be fun to watch and grow this season.
 
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Truth be told, if Platek could just demonstrate the shooting he apparently exhibits in practice in the games, he’d be a more than adequate option at the 2. He plays solid D, can actually get into the lane a bit and rebounds well for his size.

Of course, the problem is not only has he not shot like his legendary practice self in games, it’s that he has not come close. 23% from 3 is putrid.
 
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I’m not sure what some of y’all have been watching but Platek has overall been bad, especially when the competition is at a higher level..I like his hussle and he has good team defense instincts but he gets killed when he’s guarding the ball! On offense we all know how bad his shooting has been! His handle is bad and he has no chance at creating a shot! His lateral quickness is bad and looked awful in late game situations last year (duke game) in his defense..pretty much the whole team did! At the end of the year his playing time had dwindled to almost nothing and look how bad we were! I’m ok with him getting 5 to 10 minutes a game. If he’s getting 20 plus I will be worried! Love and Davis should start and play 25+...I think a lot of ppl are sleeping on Walton! I think he’s be a better option than Platek from day one!
 
Truth be told, if Platek could just demonstrate the shooting he apparently exhibits in practice in the games, he’d be a more than adequate option at the 2. He plays solid D, can actually get into the lane a bit and rebounds well for his size.

Of course, the problem is not only has he not shot like his legendary practice self in games, but he has not come close. 23% from 3 is putrid.
Yep. That's pretty much the story.
 
I’m not sure what some of y’all have been watching but Platek has overall been bad, especially when the competition is at a higher level..I like his hussle and he has good team defense instincts but he gets killed when he’s guarding the ball! On offense we all know how bad his shooting has been! His handle is bad and he has no chance at creating a shot! His lateral quickness is bad and looked awful in late game situations last year (duke game) in his defense..pretty much the whole team did! At the end of the year his playing time had dwindled to almost nothing and look how bad we were! I’m ok with him getting 5 to 10 minutes a game. If he’s getting 20 plus I will be worried! Love and Davis should start and play 25+...I think a lot of ppl are sleeping on Walton! I think he’s be a better option than Platek from day one!
SMH.
 
All true. And again, so much of excelling is mental/confidence and embracing the next step, and honestly Roy has done Leaky no favors by indulging his PG fantasies. Hopefully he can concentrate on being the best 3 he can be and reach his potential. As Dave said, he has also had legit injuries --- although there have been some questions about the wherewithal to play thru them --- and pain is definitely an obstacle.

Speaking of confidence, that will be the tell for Plates. He is, and has been, an assassin-level shooter in practice (which I hear has even gotten better this Fall), but the games are what matter. Ironically, what was his calling card coming in has been the achilles heel for him. Although some here are unable (or unwilling) to recognize it, he plays way-above-average defense (especially within our team-D concepts) and his offensive floor game has grown to be nearly flawless (and with two frosh in the rotation with him, that sporty 2.4/1 Assist/TO ratio will be quite valuable). Hopefully Roy handles Platek differently this season than last. AP needs the confidence conveyed to him from his coach that he is trusted and won't get pulled if he misses 2 or 3 in a row. As the saying goes, shooters (and football Cornerbacks) need to have short memories. :cool:

"AP needs the confidence conveyed to him from his coach that he is trusted and won't get pulled if he misses 2 or 3 in a row"? Miss 2 or 3 in a row for a player like Platek and it is time to consider pulling him because he just has not shown that he is a guy that can string 3 or 4 shots together (Marcus Paige as just 1 example of a kid you can let miss a few in a row) after missing 2 or 3. You tell me, if Leaky took and missed 3 treys in a row, ya going to leave him in to take more of the same, of course not. It really doesn't matter at all that Platek came in considered to be a knock down shooter and frankly, matters little more how many he hits in PRACTICE (yeah, I have Iverson echoing in my ear), it they are not dropping in games, if you finish your Jr season shooting what was it, 23-25% from trey, you are just not a shooter. I just can not tout a kid a shooter if he does not do it in games, just can't.

Now I agree the kid is usually in the correct position defensively and his footwork is pretty sound as a defender, problem is athletically he is limited for the man/help defense we play. You tell me, when ya talk about his being near flawless as a ball handler and still holding on to his rep as a shooter earned prior to coming to UNC, why were his minutes cut so hard when we finally got a few guys back from injury late last season? I think it is clear that the only reason he got the minutes he did last season was due to the injuries we experienced otherwise his season minutes would look more like they did late season, just my opinion.

I am not trying to dump on the kid but we have 3 seasons of book on the kid and he is coming off a season where he got a LOT of PT to show what he could bring, when the lights came on the bed got wet. His experience is going to be very important, I see him as a solid rotation guy that can hit a shot or 2 in some games that give us a spark but as others have offered, if he plays 20min a game for the coming season I will be very concerned.
 
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This isn’t 2006, pal. And comparing Platek to Lawson and Ellington is laughable. Or even Meeks and McDonald

No one is unfairly picking on the kid. It’s the people on here who make him out to be something he’s not that irritate the hell out of everyone else. He’s not an ACC starting caliber player and never will be.

In this case the talent of RJ Davis and Caleb Love so dwarfs Platek it’s not even funny. Give me the best actual players to start. This cult like obsession with starting seniors on this board regardless of the scenario is mind blowing.
Hi carolinablue34, I respect your FREE WILL to say whatever you want, and saying this I wish to express to you to have the FAITH in how our coach goes about doing things, PLEASE.....SMILE

!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TAR HEELS !!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Platek gets one final chance for major minutes due to the Harris injury. He will have a quick hook. The Heels need a knockdown shooter on the floor to allow Love some spacing.
 
"AP needs the confidence conveyed to him from his coach that he is trusted and won't get pulled if he misses 2 or 3 in a row"? Miss 2 or 3 in a row for a player like Platek and it is time to consider pulling him
Well. you made my point. Treating him with a short leash has contributed to the shooting confidence issues, and I don't think there's any arguing otherwise. If, as a coach, you see day-by-day what a kid can do in practice/scrimmage settings (including vs pro alums), then ithe challenge is to do everything you can to help instill confidence in game situations.

I can guarantee you that everyone who has coached any length of time has encountered similar situations with players, and that sort of psychology is part of the deal, so ya do what you can to help. Unfortunately, sometimes all the efforts come up short and it is what it is... BUT, I'll say straight up that Roy (as much as I love him) hasn't handled Plates very well in that regard the last 2 seasons. The kid came in and played a bunch as a frosh and played well, then for no good reason got buried on the bench as a Soph (in a season when we desperately needed some steadiness in the backcourt). I have heard that was a catalyst for his confidence issues.

Bottom line is we definitely need him to play well his Senior season in order to have the sort of backcourt rotation to reach our potential. Hell, I can tell you from personal experience that feeling a lack of confidence or pressure from your coach is WAY worse than any game pressure. Game pressure is fun. The other kind ain't. That's one reason Dean Smith tried when possible to not take a player out immediately following a mistake.
 
Platek will get some playing time just off of game time experience alone, although we all assume our back court should be okay it is still questionable, and nobody on our team has been a proven three point shooter on the college level, and Platek is the closes we got.

Not saying Platek is a starter, but the way defenses will have to guard us we will have some open looks from outside.
 
Hi carolinablue34, I respect your FREE WILL to say whatever you want, and saying this I wish to express to you to have the FAITH in how our coach goes about doing things, PLEASE.....SMILE

!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TAR HEELS !!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m glad you recognize the concept of free will lol. And I will call it like I see it regardless. I heavily doubt Roy will be desperate enough to give Platek major minutes.
 
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Well. you made my point. Treating him with a short leash has contributed to the shooting confidence issues, and I don't think there's any arguing otherwise. If, as a coach, you see day-by-day what a kid can do in practice/scrimmage settings (including vs pro alums), then ithe challenge is to do everything you can to help instill confidence in game situations.

I can guarantee you that everyone who has coached any length of time has encountered similar situations with players, and that sort of psychology is part of the deal, so ya do what you can to help. Unfortunately, sometimes all the efforts come up short and it is what it is... BUT, I'll say straight up that Roy (as much as I love him) hasn't handled Plates very well in that regard the last 2 seasons. The kid came in and played a bunch as a frosh and played well, then for no good reason got buried on the bench as a Soph (in a season when we desperately needed some steadiness in the backcourt). I have heard that was a catalyst for his confidence issues.

Bottom line is we definitely need him to play well his Senior season in order to have the sort of backcourt rotation to reach our potential. Hell, I can tell you from personal experience that feeling a lack of confidence or pressure from your coach is WAY worse than any game pressure. Game pressure is fun. The other kind ain't. That's one reason Dean Smith tried when possible to not take a player out immediately following a mistake.

If the short leash is reason for his lack of game production then I would suggest it is time for the kid to nut up! Roy gives his guys the chance but it is on the kid to take that chance and fly with it. PLatek is not Marcus Paige, Paige proved himself worthy of trust that his shot would show up, Platek simply has not done that. IDK, maybe the stage is to big for the kid, how it looks if he hits everything in practice but can't get it done in games. Roy has not miss-used the kid, if anything circumstances occurred that forced Roy to go with him more than Roy preferred, which explains why his minutes went down late season when we started getting some of our injured guys back.

It isn't as if the kid had to fight thru injuries as was the case with Leaky, as was the case with 7th Woods. When you are at a program like UNC, when your chance comes you better seize it and not let go because most of the time there is always a guy waiting for his chance. If anything the leash on the kid has to be shorter this coming season because Roy has serious options he can go to. PLatek, RJ Davis, Ant Harris (when he is released), Walton are the main candidates for the 2 spot role and frankly, Puff can carve some time there as well. That is a LOT of talent wanting minutes at the 2, I have PLatek at best as the 3rd guy and Walton is not that far behind, especially from what I hear (Roy thinks he may have got a steal in Walton, way under the radar). Put this way, if Ant were not coming back from yet another serious injury and not yet released for full go, we would not be discussing who starts at the 2 for game 1.

It would be fantastic in my view for Andrew to have a solid senior season and I pray he does just that but he is not critical to the success of the coming season, not when you have so much depth and talent at his position. Critical is how our PG play becomes, critical is solid production from our wing forwards, those are the 2 positions with the greater question marks right now.
 
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People just need to prepare themselves - whether you're a Platek supporter or not - he's going to play a good amount of minutes at the beginning of the season because Harris is out.

Supporting Platek and wishing he plays a lot of minutes are 2 different things, same as critiquing his play and bashing him are. Most Platek supporters do not wish that he plays a lot, but wish he finds his stroke and earns playing time. Especially considering it looks like he will be playing a lot, at least during Harris's absence. Not because he is Andrew Platek, but because he works hard, gives everything he has on the court, and is a member of the UNC basketball team.

Lets look back at our last NCAA title team and compare to this year's team on projected starters:

NCAA Title Team
Meeks
Hicks
Justin Jackson
Pinson
Joel Berry

Can the combination of Bacot, Brooks, Sharpe and Kessler replace the production of Meeks, Hicks and Luke Maye? Perhaps?

Now, that's leaves Justin Jackson, Theo Pinson, Joel Berry and Nate Britt. Can the current players replace them? Pinson shot bricks, but his intangibles were numerous. Berry was a national title point guard and Justin Jackson was a first round pick. Britt was a solid back-up to Berry and Pinson off the bench. Can the current players come close to these players? The answer is "no".

Love is probably OAD at the 1. A successful argument can be made that Leaky is the most critical piece to a serious push to a national title. Will he step-up and improve his outside shooting? Can he be a Matt Doherty on the 1982 NCAA title team?

Most Platek supporters do not wish that he plays a lot, but wish he finds his stroke and earns playing time. Especially considering it looks like he will be playing a lot, at least during Harris's absence. Not because he is Andrew Platek, but because he works hard, gives everything he has on the court, and is a member of the UNC basketball team.

It's up to Platek to step-up. History is definitely not on his side. I'm rooting for him.
 
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Like your comparisons.

Berry vs Love- Berry was a really good leader, but Love is the better athlete. A Senior Berry is better IMHO.

Theo vs Leaky- Theo got bashed allot until his Junior year. If Leaky stays healthy I call this even. Theo a better passer, but I believe in Leaky (A healthy Leaky).

Meeks, Hicks vs Bacot, Brooks, Sharpe and Kessler- I am going with the new guys with this one, to much talent to deny.

Justin Jackson- There is nobody we have that can compare right now, but if Love can be special with his scoring, and Leaky can defend at high level we can make up for that.

** The Title team had experience leading us and Berry grew, Love will not be here long enough to see this, but I am confident he will be a better freshmen player than Berry. Pinson got bashed for two years if anyone wants to look back, and then became appreciated, I see the same with Leaky. Meeks and Brooks compare as far as stats. Meeks was just a true college Center.

** This years team will have to find that shooter. I hope RJ can help, like the reports on Walton. It would be nice if Platek could make this happen, but he is who he is!
 
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Like your comparisons.

Berry vs Love- Berry was a really good leader, but Love is the better athlete. A Senior Berry is better IMHO.

Theo vs Leaky- Theo got bashed allot until his Junior year. If Leaky stays healthy I call this even. Theo a better passer, but I believe in Leaky (A healthy Leaky).

Meeks, Hicks vs Bacot, Brooks, Sharpe and Kessler- I am going with the new guys with this one, to much talent to deny.

Justin Jackson- There is nobody we have that can compare right now, but if Love can be special with his scoring, and Leaky can defend at high level we can make up for that.

** The Title team had experience leading us and Berry grew, Love will not be here long enough to see this, but I am confident he will be a better freshmen player than Berry. Pinson got bashed for two years if anyone wants to look back, and then became appreciated, I see the same with Leaky. Meeks and Brooks compare as far as stats. Meeks was just a true college Center.

** This years team will have to find that shooter. I hope RJ can help, like the reports on Walton. It would be nice if Platek could make this happen, but he is who he is!

I hear that RJ Davis is showing signs of a young Joel Berry.
 
“Most Platek supporters do not wish that he plays a lot, but wish he finds his stroke and earns playing time.” -@steat

This is a key point.

Simply saying, “if he gets 20 mpg that means we’re going to be bad,” is technically not true at this stage. I get the worry, but that’s still a projection based on last season. He did not deserve 18 mpg last season given his play. We were bad.

However, he will not get those minutes if his play (mainly shooting) does not improve. But if he plays 20 mpg shooting 40% from deep, no one will be complaining.

I certainly have my doubts that he will ever be able to shoot lights out in games. We have to hope it clicks, though, right? That would do wonders for this team.

He’ll get his final chance not because he is deserving of anything, but because we absolutely need more than just Caleb scoring from outside. There’s no need to squabble over it; we all want the same thing.
 
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One thing to add to the mix. AP plays very good team D and his instincts allow him to be in good position most of the time in individual D. Many of his supposed foot speed problems were actually the result of slow rotations by teammates or by them simply not doing what they were supposed to do. He often had to help inside and got too low to recover or had to help on the perimeter and left his man with a window when a teammate did not make the second rotation! He will never be a burner, but he will do well if the team is more sound! If he fixes his "mentals" his "chicken" will take care of itself!
 
Like your comparisons.

Berry vs Love- Berry was a really good leader, but Love is the better athlete. A Senior Berry is better IMHO.

Theo vs Leaky- Theo got bashed allot until his Junior year. If Leaky stays healthy I call this even. Theo a better passer, but I believe in Leaky (A healthy Leaky).

Meeks, Hicks vs Bacot, Brooks, Sharpe and Kessler- I am going with the new guys with this one, to much talent to deny.

Justin Jackson- There is nobody we have that can compare right now, but if Love can be special with his scoring, and Leaky can defend at high level we can make up for that.

** The Title team had experience leading us and Berry grew, Love will not be here long enough to see this, but I am confident he will be a better freshmen player than Berry. Pinson got bashed for two years if anyone wants to look back, and then became appreciated, I see the same with Leaky. Meeks and Brooks compare as far as stats. Meeks was just a true college Center.

** This years team will have to find that shooter. I hope RJ can help, like the reports on Walton. It would be nice if Platek could make this happen, but he is who he is!

Dummy me, I forgot to include Tony Bradley. Does that make a difference in your opinion?
 
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