Next Year

[Tarheels39]

So does Hubert talk Bacot, Love and RJ into coming back, grab a shooter or two from the portal, and try to get back to the big dance?

Or, does he clean house by persuading them to leave, take even more lumps next year, and try to build for the future?

 

[Travis2262]

Loves gotta go. Hubert should tell him thanks for last March but bye

 

[xtarheelx]

I would love to see Caleb as a backup to a developing player. Caleb has been given valuable GENEROUS minutes and experience. He needs to sit back and let another player have the opportunity.
Hubert will NEVER do this, so oh well.

 

[trimbornunc86]

100 pure guess by me, I think RJ and Bacot come back and love transfers out or starts his journey to overseas bball….but and I’m sure this is looking at it with rose colored glasses. We will have a legit pg for the first time in years when Wilcher comes in. Move RJ to the two. And if you can get a impact wing that can actually shoot and then bacot in the middle and fill someone in at the 4.. that’s not a bad team at all

 

[kevindow]

1. Coaching: We need a redo on the staff. Fine, keep HD, but everybody else needs to justify their inclusion. And forget about restricting the hiring to members of the UNC family. Try meritocracy -- it works. I think that HD should hire an assistant coach -- an older version of Tony Bennett -- who can teach the fundamentals of offense and defense and can help HD with in-game tactical decisions. Somebody like Larry Brown, or even Rick Pitino, despite the baggage, but he seems to be doing well at Iona.

2. HD and the coaching staff need to have the business sense to recruit over existing players who are not performing. And lovingly show them the door to the portal as they will ride the bench if they stay. I don't know how many times I have heard HD say how much he loves Leaky and that Leaky will always be in his starting five. HD should love UNC basketball more than he loves any given player, and that would have dictated Leaky properly being used as a situational player, not a member of the starting 5. When Leaky plays on offense, the opposing team essentially has to guard 4 UNC players with their 5 players. The results are predictable, over and over again.

3. Players that need to find their future elsewhere, whether the portal, G-league or overseas: Love, Davis, McKoy, Trimble, and Shaver. Regarding the first two, their current play is likely as good as it is going to get, and that is unsatisfactory. The others are not good enough to contribute significantly off the bench. If Nickel is likely to be a defensive liability for the duration, then he would also be on the list. We can't have a reverse Leaky: offense but no defense. Dunn and Styles are athletic, and have not received enough PT, so they are keepers.

 

[al would]

So does Hubert talk Bacot, Love and RJ into coming back

Love Bacot and his love for UNC and he has a place for his 5th yr.but his pro outlook is not that good. Love and RJ as scholarship players should be welcomed back but with the understanding neither are guaranteed a minute of PT and tbh Love aint that good as a shooter/handler/defender and I'm still wondering why he was ever recruited .. will say the same the same for RJ .. he's an undersized college player with 0 defensive skills and no propensity to show the pass first pg mentality and has shown really piss poor decision most of the past season, Seems most of the older players just aint hungry and the coach has hid from the obvious.

 

[WoadBlue]

100 pure guess by me, I think RJ and Bacot come back and love transfers out or starts his journey to overseas bball….but and I’m sure this is looking at it with rose colored glasses. We will have a legit pg for the first time in years when Wilcher comes in. Move RJ to the two. And if you can get a impact wing that can actually shoot and then bacot in the middle and fill someone in at the 4.. that’s not a bad team at all

On paper it iOS not a bad Tham. On Paper this year''s team should have won at least another 5 or 6 games. On paper means nothing compared to real worlds results.

 

[sctarheel30]

With some of Hubert’s recruits starting to arrive I guess we should expect a must better brand of basketball and more wins?

 

[1heel4life]

I would love to see Caleb as a backup to a developing player. Caleb has been given valuable GENEROUS minutes and experience. He needs to sit back and let another player have the opportunity.
Hubert will NEVER do this, so oh well.

In your dreams.

 

[r_u_worthy]

So on the question of the Bacot, RJ and Love coming back. If they do choose to come back then is it because they have no where to go; they can make more money at Chapel Hill than they would going pro at some level; or are they really pissed and just don't want to go out with a whimper? There are business decisions and also pride based decisions. If they do comeback, I hope the pride factor really plays and drives these guys. Bacot seems like a proud guys who thinks about legacy and what it means to play at UNC. Hopefully, the other two guys will feel the same if we get them for another year. I would like to see a chip of the size that they work their tail off over the summer and add something to their games!!! Get the other players more playing time. Surprise the league and overachieve in the regular season for a change! This crew has not done that for 3 years!

 

[bleeduncblue]

they will all come back, IMO.

 

[ChiShankCity]

If RJ, Caleb, and Armando are back next year, we're going to have basically the same team unless you think those 3 are something that they haven't shown all year.

Do you really think Caleb is going to take fewer shots if he comes back? Is RJ going to grow 4 inches during the offseason? Forget about Bacot adding a mid range jumper. I don't care what social media video gets posted during the offseason, it's not happening in live game action.

I would love to see a new lineup. I'm not saying the new lineup will be any better. We may suck. But at least there's some intrigue. I can let my imagination run a little bit of what we might be. The current starters are what they are. They're not going to change in college.

We may suck, but I'd be more interested in Dunn, Trimble, Nickel, Wilcher, Washington plus whoever else.

Are people going to get trapped into the whole "experience" thing again? This core has proved that experience can be utterly useless when it matters.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

We will have a legit pg for the first time in years when Wilcher comes in.

Wilcher is a PG???

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

If all 3 come back we will be ok IF we can find a replacement for Manek this time. Nance was not the answer. And we also need a great 6th man who is consistent. Puff is a role player who is always hurt and is very inconsistent.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I agree that Love, McKoy, and unfortunately, Styles are probably gone but I expect Puff, Dunn, TNick, RJ and Bacot to come back. Either Wilcher or Trimble will become the point eventually and RJ can spend more time at 2. 3 guard lineup with RJ, Trimble, and Wilcher will be hard to stay in front of. Put Washington and Bacot together and you have:
RJ, Wilcher (or Trimble), Puff (or Nickel), Washington, Bacot. This is a good lineup and could be a winner. It depends on health and growth, but I expect a serious bump in our youngsters over the Summer! There is room to add a shooter and 2 Bigs too!

 

[RoseHeel]

I want Love to go purely so he can stop being people's, and especially the Hubert apologists' whipping boy for why this team sucks.

Excited to see what happens when the supposedly more talented "Hubert recruits" get here.

 

[DSouthr]

Love Bacot and his love for UNC and he has a place for his 5th yr.but his pro outlook is not that good. Love and RJ as scholarship players should be welcomed back but with the understanding neither are guaranteed a minute of PT and tbh Love aint that good as a shooter/handler/defender and I'm still wondering why he was ever recruited .. will say the same the same for RJ .. he's an undersized college player with 0 defensive skills and no propensity to show the pass first pg mentality and has shown really piss poor decision most of the past season, Seems most of the older players just aint hungry and the coach has hid from the obvious.

Every one of the returning starters were NOT recruited to play this half court offense, they were all recruited and signed by Roy for his more running game style of play.

 

[uncfanatic]

they will all come back, IMO.

Gut feeling?

All 3 have to do what is best for them and if that means they all come back then so be it.

Personally I think it’s time for new blood or a combo of new and old.

 

[sdingeldein]

The magic 8 ball says Love gone; Bacot and RJ back. I'd be happy with that.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Since children do not have to "apologize" for not being mature, coaches do not have to "apologize" for not being perfect in their first year! One has to believe there is something to apologize for before one can actually "apologize"! I think this simple fact must be hard to understand! It is obvious that every coach in history had a learning curve and ours has demonstrated a capacity to adjust! Love is a very frustrating Tar Heel because you can see flashes of greatness but they are often immediately offset by lapses in focus! The team does not "suck" at all since it has been in the lead in the second half of most games. It does have flaws and it does have collective lapses in effort or attention to detail though!

As for recruits, anybody with at least one eye can see we are getting higher ranked, very good candidates now! I think the future is very bright for the Family!

 

[UNC-75]

Interesting opinions from all. It sounds like we either let everyone go or keep everyone. Either way it sounds like a sure Natty for us next year.

 

[RoseHeel]

Since children do not have to "apologize" for not being mature, coaches do not have to "apologize" for not being perfect in their first year!

If the best analogy you could think of is to compare a 50 year old grown-ass-man with a child, you're already off on the wrong foot.
I agree though. You can't blame a child for poor preparation and consideration. The parents are the ones who should take the blame for putting the child in a bad position in the first place, i.e. Roy and Bubba.

 

[al would]

Either way it sounds like a sure Natty for us next year.

OMG ... don't even think it .. the re-run it back season.

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

Every one of the returning starters were NOT recruited to play this half court offense, they were all recruited and signed by Roy for his more running game style of play.

Unfortunately David very little people know that. The offensive philosophy was something the team never got use to in the last 2,years..

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Unfortunately David very little people know that. The offensive philosophy was something the team never got use to in the last 2,years..

Not just the team, either. As a fan, I'm definitely not used to it.

We used to bitch about being a mediocre half court team, but we thrived because we weren't a half court team very often.

Now we are a half court team a lot, and while we may be better than we used to be, we're still not that good at it.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Why do some think Wilcher is a PG? He isn't, is he?

 

[heels05champs]

Why do some think Wilcher is a PG? He isn't, is he?

Nope. He’s another combo and more of a SG. He’s not coming in to cure the pg woes.

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

Well let's be honest, it wouldn't take too much to make anyone a better point guard than Love. I would say Wilcher will be better regardless if he is a combo guard or SG.

But I don't see next year being any better than this year. Probably worse. If we get RJ and Bacot back we may be ok, but can't afford to lose them.. UNLESS Cadeau and Ian Jackson are reclassing. We still lack so much quality depth and will not have a good SF or PF unless we get someone good from the portal. Zayden High will not be ready yet and will get limited minutes just like the freshman this past year. We are still unsure who will transfer out. Nickel, Washington, and especially Trimble are very unproven and we have no clue if they will ever be good enough to play here or not. Puff is who he is. I am not very high on Dunn at all. Honestly, this whole roster looks weak if I am being honest, and that's partially Hubert's fault. If Cadeau and Ian Jackson arent reclassing, 2024 will be our best team in a long while.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

As an educator, I lament how poor reading comprehension is now and how few people really understand literary terms! This is partially why I seldom respond to peeps directly! But to be clear, the analogy compares the situation and not the referents. I could have used "that little league bball players do not have to apologize for not being MJ" to avoid the obvious misreading of my analogy. As an attempt to avoid painting ourselves in a negative light, we should refrain from implying that Roy or Bubba are Hubs' father! This is an especially heinous implication when referring to an African American! (Trying to help a colleague)

I firmly believe the Family is in good hands, but I know it will be at least 5 years before we really know. If things are not trending properly by year 4, the Family should begin looking for a replacement!

 

[DSouthr]

Why do some think Wilcher is a PG? He isn't, is he?

Wilcher, from al I see and have been told, is what I would call kind of a combo? What I mean is the vast majority of the time we (I) call a kid a combo is because he is more a 2 guard than a PG, more a guy that may be able to run the point for you but is not the best fit for the point. BUT That actually does not define Wilcher. I call him a kinda combo only because he could play at the 2 and be fantastic, especially in what Hubert seems to want, 2 could be PGs on the floor together. By 2 Pgs on the floor together, I mean 2 guys that can drive to the rim which seems to me to be more how Hubert defines a PG.

Let me say this clear, day 1 Wilcher steps on campus, I think he is the most capable PG we have (that assumes Cadeau does not reclass and that Trimble has not totally revamped his jump shooting). Just as clearly, I believe (which is very different from what I want to see) that if RJ and Caleb both come back that both not only start but get over 30mins a game and the season disappoints. I would start Trimble at the point so he can ball handle and pass to open shooters rather than shoot himself, start Wilcher because his basketball IQ is off the charts and is a very good defender, Nickel or Puff at the 3 (Nickel over Puff because Puff does not seem comfortable at the 3 as much as he seems to enjoy the 4), Washington at the 4, and Bacot who I think comes back. Then with my at least 2 portal ops (from guys that leave us, I think at least 2 and very likely 3) we address size and bulk at the 4 & 5 spots. I would LOVE a rim protecting big man to come in, I think Jalen can become that but right now can't be certain and I don't think High will be ready as a freshman for big minutes.

 

[GoNtheDistance]

Trimble is a really bad option to start at PG for us. He's better suited as a career sub who can come in and get some defensive stops when needed to give the main guy a breather. We already struggle to find shooters up and down our roster, the last thing we need is a point guard who can't shoot from anywhere.

 

[rexerdog]

Trimble is a really bad option to start at PG for us. He's better suited as a career sub who can come in and get some defensive stops when needed to give the main guy a breather. We already struggle to find shooters up and down our roster, the last thing we need is a point guard who can't shoot from anywhere.

might be off here and they are not the same player skill set wise but i see Trimble in the Nate Britt role which was very useful.

 

[DSouthr]

Well let's be honest, it wouldn't take too much to make anyone a better point guard than Love. I would say Wilcher will be better regardless if he is a combo guard or SG.

But I don't see next year being any better than this year. Probably worse. If we get RJ and Bacot back we may be ok, but can't afford to lose them.. UNLESS Cadeau and Ian Jackson are reclassing. We still lack so much quality depth and will not have a good SF or PF unless we get someone good from the portal. Zayden High will not be ready yet and will get limited minutes just like the freshman this past year. We are still unsure who will transfer out. Nickel, Washington, and especially Trimble are very unproven and we have no clue if they will ever be good enough to play here or not. Puff is who he is. I am not very high on Dunn at all. Honestly, this whole roster looks weak if I am being honest, and that's partially Hubert's fault. If Cadeau and Ian Jackson arent reclassing, 2024 will be our best team in a long while.

Love is not a PG, I do like that he is trying to be more PG like this season but still, he simply is not a point (he is more a 2-3 combo than 1-2 combo). Wilcher will be the best PG candidate on this team day 1 on campus unless either Trimble drastically re-tools his jump shot (which is a possibility but not a given) or Cadeau reclasses and I do not expect that.

When I look at Puff, Nickel, and Powell at the wing, I see no need to add a portal wing (3 spot). I agree, do not think High gets big PT next season. I see Jalen as a future big time player for us but I really like him more as a 4 than 5, just don't see him adding the kind of weight to battle deep in the paint with ACC big men, I do think he can become a deadly jump shooter even out past the trey arch.

Dunn, I saw the "it" with him this season but he is a kid that really needs big minutes to see his potential become consistent and I don't see that kind of PT for him next season or the season after, my guess is he enters the portal with Styles and Shaver. The perception more than what I think the reality will be is that there may be really good minutes for UNC for a guy that can be a starter at the 4 and maybe fill in some minutes backing Bacot up, I think we need a rim protector shot blocker (wish we had one right now but Nance is as close to that as we have and well, you know).

All I am hearing is that Love is gone after this season ends, I expect him and Bacot to test the combine and in the end Love leaves and Bacot comes back. While I like both as young men as well as players, the RJ/Caleb back court duo just has never worked like it should, lot of reasons for that but in the end it is like a corvette that needs a valve job, should run great but best it does is run good sometimes! LOL If that tandem is broken up I think it helps us as a team over all, NOTE I do not blame this season results on those 2 guys, don't blame the dance if the music is messed up!

 

[DSouthr]

Trimble is a really bad option to start at PG for us. He's better suited as a career sub who can come in and get some defensive stops when needed to give the main guy a breather. We already struggle to find shooters up and down our roster, the last thing we need is a point guard who can't shoot from anywhere.

I disagree, I think Trimble is perfect for us at the starting point! I doubt many will agree with me on that. First, if we can agree that Trimble is a weak jump shooter right now, if we assume it does not drastically improve then that is the guy I want to see with the ball in his hands looking to set up his team mates for scoring ops, they have to commit a defender to him when he has the ball so they can not double off of him. Not only is he a lock down defender from the PG spot but I can almost guarantee you a starting back court of Trimble and Wilcher takes us back to our running game as well as generates a lot of offense off of good defense. Last several games the kid's confidence has wilted, he needs this off season really badly to regain his confidence and work on his shooting, especially from the foul line. But I know, RJ comes back he is our starting PG, all 5'10" of him... I would sure rather see him come off the bench in a microwave role but it isn't going to happen, but I can dream.

 

[DSouthr]

Unfortunately David very little people know that. The offensive philosophy was something the team never got use to in the last 2,years..

Our offensive philosophy looks to have changed 3 times just this season, hard for any team to get used to that? LOL

Tell me, right now, what is the identity of this team? I couldn't tell ya, we are at best an average defensive team that frankly has the talent on our roster to be much better than that and we don't have a rim protector/shot blocker. But on offense, more times than not, looks like the keystone cops trying to play basketball? Team really does not have an identity and I really don't see Hubert making moves that allow for them to have a identity.

That to me is his inexperience as a head coach, Hubert has to first figure out what identity he wants his teams to have and all of his decisions have to revolve around that. Dean's teams for example were defensive teams first and foremost, Roy, no matter what Roy tried to tell us, was first and foremost an offensive coach. Hubert, really, I just have no idea, I think he wants to be a offensive leaning guy but his offense stinks for the college game? LOL

 

[ChiShankCity]

I disagree, I think Trimble is perfect for us at the starting point! I doubt many will agree with me on that. First, if we can agree that Trimble is a weak jump shooter right now, if we assume it does not drastically improve then that is the guy I want to see with the ball in his hands looking to set up his team mates for scoring ops, they have to commit a defender to him when he has the ball so they can not double off of him. Not only is he a lock down defender from the PG spot but I can almost guarantee you a starting back court of Trimble and Wilcher takes us back to our running game as well as generates a lot of offense off of good defense. Last several games the kid's confidence has wilted, he needs this off season really badly to regain his confidence and work on his shooting, especially from the foul line. But I know, RJ comes back he is our starting PG, all 5'10" of him... I would sure rather see him come off the bench in a microwave role but it isn't going to happen, but I can dream.

Not saying Trimble can’t work. But you need a lot of skill around him to make it work. For my taste, it’s hard to have a 0 shooter have the ball in his hands as much as a UNC PG has it.

But it would be refreshing to see a UNC PG be a defensive stud.

 

[ChiShankCity]

Our offensive philosophy looks to have changed 3 times just this season, hard for any team to get used to that? LOL

Tell me, right now, what is the identity of this team? I couldn't tell ya, we are at best an average defensive team that frankly has the talent on our roster to be much better than that and we don't have a rim protector/shot blocker. But on offense, more times than not, looks like the keystone cops trying to play basketball? Team really does not have an identity and I really don't see Hubert making moves that allow for them to have a identity.

That to me is his inexperience as a head coach, Hubert has to first figure out what identity he wants his teams to have and all of his decisions have to revolve around that. Dean's teams for example were defensive teams first and foremost, Roy, no matter what Roy tried to tell us, was first and foremost an offensive coach. Hubert, really, I just have no idea, I think he wants to be a offensive leaning guy but his offense stinks for the college game? LOL

The metrics actually say we’ve been a pretty good defensive team. We rank in the top 25 in adj def efficiency since Feb 1.

That’s why I think we slowed down the tempo a lot more in February. Our offensive efficiency has been awful all year. You don’t want to play faster if you’re not a good team. So I think grinding games out has been the strategy. And we’ve had opportunities but have failed badly late game.

We played faster last year. We were in the top 40 in tempo. It wasn’t Roy tempo but it wasn’t slow. But this year, we’re not as good and the players didn’t get better. So I think that goes into playing slower.

If we tried to run this year, it would’ve been a disaster IMO.

Roy may have recruited these dudes to run but I don’t trust Caleb in a 65 possession game let alone a 75 possession game. And RJ would break down by game 20 if we had 75 possession games. I also don’t think Bacot is a great transition big guy. And Leaky looks great coming off the bus but he’s been an offensive zero in high possession seasons and an offensive zero in lower possession seasons.

 

[Quest4Seven]

My only optimistic take is that if we replaced Leaky and Nance with 2 great shooting forwards the spacing would be much better and Love would look alot better

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

If we get RJ and Bacot back we may be ok, but can't afford to lose them.. UNLESS Cadeau and Ian Jackson are reclassing. We still lack so much quality depth and will not have a good SF or PF unless we get someone good from the portal.

I agree with nearly all of your assessment.

I don't think we need Jackson to reclassify. I mean it's always good in theory to have more talent, but unless we go really short and play Wilcher and Jackson at the same time on the wings, that seems like it would produce a logjam at SG.

Unless one of them turns out not to be ready, somebody won't be happy. And it might force Dunn to consider transferring.

I wouldn't expect Trimble to transfer if Cadeau reclassifies, but it's a possibility. I'm assuming RJ returns but Caleb doesn't. If Caleb returns and Cadeau reclassifies, Trimble might feel the need to look elsewhere.

As for SF, we might be OK there, because Puff/Styles/Nickel could improve enough over the summer. But I think Hubert needs to look for someone in the portal, because we can't be sure of them.

We definitely need somebody up front, wheter or not Armando returns. If he doesn't return, Hubert should look for 2. We simply don't know whether Washington will be good enough next year. I'm guessing he will, but it's the same as the SF situation: we just can't know and shouldn't let the portal pass us by.

 

[DSouthr]

The metrics actually say we’ve been a pretty good defensive team. We rank in the top 25 in adj def efficiency since Feb 1.

That’s why I think we slowed down the tempo a lot more in February. Our offensive efficiency has been awful all year. You don’t want to play faster if you’re not a good team. So I think grinding games out has been the strategy. And we’ve had opportunities but have failed badly late game.

We played faster last year. We were in the top 40 in tempo. It wasn’t Roy tempo but it wasn’t slow. But this year, we’re not as good and the players didn’t get better. So I think that goes into playing slower.

If we tried to run this year, it would’ve been a disaster IMO.

Roy may have recruited these dudes to run but I don’t trust Caleb in a 65 possession game let alone a 75 possession game. And RJ would break down by game 20 if we had 75 possession games. I also don’t think Bacot is a great transition big guy. And Leaky looks great coming off the bus but he’s been an offensive zero in high possession seasons and an offensive zero in lower possession seasons.

The eye test shows me we are an average defensive team, we do have some excellent individual defenders, Leaky and Seth lead that charge but as a team we are at best average but at times not even that. WE don't handle the high screens well at all, Nance can give some shot blocking like we saw last night but he can be found outside trying to guard in a miss match because we yet again switched even thou we didn't have to. This team does every now and then come out ready to lock down defensively and we play well when we do but that does not consistently happen.

Poor jump shooting team that struggles to often in half court to get clean looks that has really good athletes many of which are not the most skilled. That is exactly what the running game would solve, look at the games where we have tried to run some, we get easier scoring ops, we get high assist numbers, we make the extra passes, we win.

From what you said we may as well become a Tony Bennett offense, gosh knows that was better than UNC's running attack??? WoW, now that is a hard one to sell... If we did try to run we would not have been any good at it? Where in the world do you come up with this stuff? You don't trust Caleb in a high possession game? A game where Caleb is able to finish inside before the defense is set because he has more room to work and you don't trust that??? I do!