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Practice Report

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acarter0277

Freshman
Nov 24, 2008
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As a high school coach, I attended the Coaching Clinic this weekend and was able to attend the first 2 practices on Friday and Saturday. Here are my take aways:

Paige: Same 'ol Paige. Shot it well. Was very vocal. If you knew nothing about UNC Basketball, you would have been able to tell he was the leader of this team. If he's healthy, look out!

Brice: Unfortunately, same 'ol Brice. Plagued with inconsistency. At times, was DOMINANT!!! Then he would disappear. Roy was really hard on him. When Roy jumped down his throat, he played pissed off and looked like an All-American. A half-hour later, he would sort of just coast thru the motions. Very frustrating.

Britt: Looked more comfortable and confident. Shot the ball really well (and yes, it was all right handed!!!). Did not see him shoot any FTs, but I assume they are still left handed. Also looked to have taken on some leadership responsibilities. Was very vocal and helping the new guys along.

Berry: Joel needs to be the PG of this team and play 25-30 minutes a game. Everything just flows so much smoother when he is around. He was phenomenal. Made heady plays, finished around the rim, and shot the ball well. If he gets the minutes, he will be special.

Meeks: Looks great! I wouldn't call him explosive, but definitely has more lift around the basket. Never really looked like he got winded. The added lift really helped him defensively too. He blocked a lot of shots.

Pinson: Limited in practice Friday, and did not practice at all Saturday. All of it was just precautionary. He looked great, and was his usual, high-spirited self. Hard to tell how much he has progressed.

Hicks: Continues to get better and better. Has obviously worked on his jumper. He was knocking down 15-17 footers consistently. Would love to see him assert himself a little more and be more aggressive. Just seems to go with the flow, like he doesn't want to outshine Brice and Kennedy. If he will get mean and nasty, he could be a BEAST.

Justin: Didn't really show a lot thru the 1st 2 practices. Didn't play like he did at the end of the year last year. Wasn't searching for his shot. Looked really good defensively though. Could definitely tell he was bigger and stronger too.

James: Actually played really well. He scored over Brice and Kennedy in the paint pretty often. Sean May was working with him before practice. Hopefully, Big Sean keeps rubbing off on him. Joel is so big! I don't think it's out of the question for him to give us 10-12 minutes a game, and about 8ppg/5rpg.

Williams: To me, he was the biggest surprise. I think we got a steal in Kenny. We all know he's known as a shooter, and he shot it well, but he's a good defender. He also seemed to be picking everything up really fast. Where at times Luke looked lost, not so much for Kenny. He looked confident and looked like he fit right in. I'm really excited about him.

Luke: Didn't shoot well, but Played very hard, and made some nice plays. But for every good play he made, there were some plays where he looked overwhelmed. being 6'7 in the post against Brice, Kennedy, and Joel is hard. But his energy and effort rub off on the other guys. He's going to be good...in time.

Bottom Line: I've seen them practice probably 30 times over the last 10 years. This team looked much better this early than any other team I've seen, including 05 and 09. This group has a chance to be special if they can stay healthy and develop a chip on their shoulder. I'm extremely excited about this season.
 
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Thanks for the report, ACarter0277 . .

I'm especially excited to hear of how well Kenny Williams looked.
 
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Thanks "Coach Carter"
As an above poster said, detailed, first hand info.... Very appreciated.
 
Thanks a million Coach!

I too am excited by this team's possibilities. I am a little disappointed by the Brice stuff, but I love that he responds so well to Roy coaching him up. I'm not worried in the least about JJackson because I expect him to take over when the lights are shining. I think he defers too much during practice because he is built that way, but when it counts he can will a team to victory and do everything needed to ensure it happens. The news about Williams is great too.

Great report.
 
Love this, thanks for the inside intel, especially with it coming from a coach who knows the game.

The thing I took out of this was just how incredibly deep we are. Something tells me we will see a few 5 in, 5 out substitutions when Roy thinks the boys are slacking on the court.
 
Great report! As myself and several others predicted, Joel Berry is key to this teams offense. He needs big minutes and our offense flows when he's the pg. I'd be surprised if him and Paige aren't the starting guards. I know Paige is a 1 at the next level but he's a better 2 at the college level and I'd like to see him get most his minutes there with Berry and Britt handling the pg duties.
 
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Very nicely done Coach, Thanks for sharing. Brice will get with it or Roy will fire his butt up or set it on the pine. Hicks is more than adequate to take his minutes.

Wasn't expecting much from the freshmen, nice to hear Williams is catching on so fast.
 
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acarter0277 said:
As a high school coach, I attended the Coaching Clinic this weekend and was able to attend the first 2 practices on Friday and Saturday. Here are my take aways:

Paige: Same 'ol Paige. Shot it well. Was very vocal. If you knew nothing about UNC Basketball, you would have been able to tell he was the leader of this team. If he's healthy, look out!

Brice: Unfortunately, same 'ol Brice. Plagued with inconsistency. At times, was DOMINANT!!! Then he would disappear. Roy was really hard on him. When Roy jumped down his throat, he played pissed off and looked like an All-American. A half-hour later, he would sort of just coast thru the motions. Very frustrating.

Britt: Looked more comfortable and confident. Shot the ball really well (and yes, it was all right handed!!!). Did not see him shoot any FTs, but I assume they are still left handed. Also looked to have taken on some leadership responsibilities. Was very vocal and helping the new guys along.

Berry: Joel needs to be the PG of this team and play 25-30 minutes a game. Everything just flows so much smoother when he is around. He was phenomenal. Made heady plays, finished around the rim, and shot the ball well. If he gets the minutes, he will be special.

Meeks: Looks great! I wouldn't call him explosive, but definitely has more lift around the basket. Never really looked like he got winded. The added lift really helped him defensively too. He blocked a lot of shots.

Pinson: Limited in practice Friday, and did not practice at all Saturday. All of it was just precautionary. He looked great, and was his usual, high-spirited self. Hard to tell how much he has progressed.

Hicks: Continues to get better and better. Has obviously worked on his jumper. He was knocking down 15-17 footers consistently. Would love to see him assert himself a little more and be more aggressive. Just seems to go with the flow, like he doesn't want to outshine Brice and Kennedy. If he will get mean and nasty, he could be a BEAST.

Justin: Didn't really show a lot thru the 1st 2 practices. Didn't play like he did at the end of the year last year. Wasn't searching for his shot. Looked really good defensively though. Could definitely tell he was bigger and stronger too.

James: Actually played really well. He scored over Brice and Kennedy in the paint pretty often. Sean May was working with him before practice. Hopefully, Big Sean keeps rubbing off on him. Joel is so big! I don't think it's out of the question for him to give us 10-12 minutes a game, and about 8ppg/5rpg.

Williams: To me, he was the biggest surprise. I think we got a steal in Kenny. We all know he's known as a shooter, and he shot it well, but he's a good defender. He also seemed to be picking everything up really fast. Where at times Luke looked lost, not so much for Kenny. He looked confident and looked like he fit right in. I'm really excited about him.

Luke: Didn't shoot well, but Played very hard, and made some nice plays. But for every good play he made, there were some plays where he looked overwhelmed. being 6'7 in the post against Brice, Kennedy, and Joel is hard. But his energy and effort rub off on the other guys. He's going to be good...in time.

Bottom Line: I've seen them practice probably 30 times over the last 10 years. This team looked much better this early than any other team I've seen, including 05 and 09. This group has a chance to be special if they can stay healthy and develop a chip on their shoulder. I'm extremely excited about this season.
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Thanks for the report, brother... and thanks for bringing back one of my fondest coaching memories of attending the clinic, practice and scrimmage. Seems like yesterday. Wish I could've been there with ya!
 
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mikeirbyusa said:
Very nicely done Coach, Thanks for sharing. Brice will get with it or Roy will fire his butt up or set it on the pine. Hicks is more than adequate to take his minutes.

Wasn't expecting much from the freshmen, nice to hear Williams is catching on so fast.
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That has kinda always been the thing with Brice, he is a bit like Ty Lawson was, dare I say hard headed. Just like with Ty, Roy gets on his butt hard and you see him play great for a few minutes and you then see Roy have to get back on his butt.

Got to say, I expect more from Kenny than many seem to, kid is not just a jump shooter, kid is an over all player that can jump shoot when needed. His AAU team needed him to be a constant shooter but the kid is a lot more than just that. He does love to defend and is a bit rangy that says he is a kid that may get a good number of steals and harder to shoot over. I will be surprised if kenny does not get 8-10mins a game backing up Paige at the 2.

I liked what was stated about Britt a lot, love to see him embrace some leadership for this team. Joel James is one of my real question mark guys, I would love to see that kid have a solid senior season, would love to see him carry over to this season the approach he seemed to develope late last season, maybe that light has finally come on for him, I sure hope so, I like the kid. I am not worried about Jackson one bit, that kid will play when the lights are on and fans butts are in the stands.
 
acarter0277 said:
Brice: . When Roy jumped down his throat, he played pissed off and looked like an All-American.

Berry: Joel needs to be the PG of this team and play 25-30 minutes a game. Everything just flows so much smoother when he is around. He was phenomenal. Made heady plays, finished around the rim, and shot the ball well. If he gets the minutes, he will be special.

Bottom Line: This group has a chance to be special if they can stay healthy and develop a chip on their shoulder. I'm extremely excited about this season.
Click to expand...

Coach, I sense a kindred spirit here, because I can glean just from what you wrote that you're also a "Carolina Guy" and you understand and appreciate the nuances of the Carolina system.
I'm gonna follow up on 3 of your great observations --- 3 "B"s if you will: Brice, Berry and Bottom Line.

1. Brice - My buddy's son was his AAU teammate and still a close friend. I haven't been too worried about Brice since I heard he finally totally bought in to Carolina and Roy's coaching him hard late in his freshman season. Simply put, he's just one of those kids who has to have a fire lit under his butt from time to time --- an angry Brice is a good Brice.

2. Berry - You flat, slam nailed it. so much so I'm gonna re-quote what you wrote:
"Joel needs to be the PG of this team and play 25-30 minutes a game. Everything just flows so much smoother when he is around. He was phenomenal. Made heady plays, finished around the rim, and shot the ball well."
Some folks here get on me for being so high on JB, and I have been since I saw him in elite AAU. I suspect you'll agree, he is one of those players whom as a coach you just have to see go up and down the court 3 or 4 times and you say "oh yeah, this one's a cut above" --- then he goes off and makes the plays that prove it to you. Berry is the prototypical championship UNC PG. Your comment on "flow" tells the ultimate tale --- he makes the team better, and that's the bottom line.

3. Bottom Line - That was some high praise you put out with the comparisons to 05 and 09, and I suspect it could be justified. If we can get/keep everyone healthy and these guys play like that trophy is something everyone else is trying to steal from them, like we did in 05 and 09, then watch out! However, I don't feel I can overstate the absolute interdependence of that success with your comments on Berry. He indeed needs to be the PG, and play big minutes.
"If he gets the minutes, he will be special"... and so can this team be.

Thanks again for the report.
 
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I was there as well. I would agree with a lot of what you said, but James still looks lost defensively. It seemed like whenever there was a breakdown, he was involved. I know it's VERY early, just hope it's something that can get corrected.

As a side, this is the second year in a row that I've attended and I think I've seen Stillman White miss about 4 shots just shooting around in two years. He just doesn't miss.
 
shane023 said:
I was there as well. I would agree with a lot of what you said, but James still looks lost defensively. It seemed like whenever there was a breakdown, he was involved. I know it's VERY early, just hope it's something that can get corrected.

As a side, this is the second year in a row that I've attended and I think I've seen Stillman White miss about 4 shots just shooting around in two years. He just doesn't miss.
Click to expand...
Stilman can play. If healthy, he can help this team.
 
Thanks for the report Carter. These Heels could be special. As was stated if they "get after it" like it is their trophy by golly and we aim to keep it! style of play, we'll be just fine.
 
gary-7 said:
Buddy who coached against him (and turned me on to Jackson during recruiting) told me back then, "after the game I thought he had maybe 10-12 points, then I looked at the damned score book and he finished with 26".
Click to expand...

The other thing about Jackson is there are times you think he needs to play harder (he is so smooth and makes his movements look so easy) and you look up and the kid has 16 and 9 with about half the second half remaining. I call him the quiet assassin, cause he kills ya and ya don't even realize he has. He just never seems to be intense on the look test but in his case, I promise ya, his look is very deceiving. He just doesn't show his emotions like maybe Brice does, that really is un-settling to a defender, he will not let you bother him, you can't get in to his head and because you can';t, he gets in to yours!
 
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Sleepy Sam was the same way as JJ! He always looked like he was half asleep but he was a killer. This could be one of my favorite teams ever. It has the perfect combination of skill, toughness, depth, camaraderie, and, perhaps the most important, JOY!

JJames will see the court more than you peeps think and he will be effective! (10+ min per at least!) Trying to guard Meeks, Hicks (another possible break out!), and Brice will make a lot of bigs look lost this year!
 
TPFKAPFS said:
Sleepy Sam was the same way as JJ! He always looked like he was half asleep but he was a killer. This could be one of my favorite teams ever. It has the perfect combination of skill, toughness, depth, camaraderie, and, perhaps the most important, JOY!

JJames will see the court more than you peeps think and he will be effective! (10+ min per at least!) Trying to guard Meeks, Hicks (another possible break out!), and Brice will make a lot of bigs look lost this year!
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Big Joel is actually very solid defensively on the block, but struggles when he guards stretch bigs, and especially in recovering on pick-and-roll screens. That limits him because you see fewer true post players these days, and if I'm coaching against Carolina I'm going to use his man as the high screener/roller.
He can be an asset if he 1. learns to anticipate and move his feet better on high post defense, and 2. starts catching the ball cleanly and cut down on give-away turnovers on offense.
 
BillyL said:
Theo went full practice yesterday.
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Yeah, they were wanting to see how sore he was, i f he had any pain after a lite practice. They are rightfully being cautious because Theo has a past injury to this same foot, they do not want to rush things and it develope in to a cronic condition.
 
DSouthr said:
Yeah, they were wanting to see how sore he was, i f he had any pain after a lite practice. They are rightfully being cautious because Theo has a past injury to this same foot, they do not want to rush things and it develope in to a cronic condition.
Click to expand...
Bite your tongue, Dave. I choose not to use the "C" word, like many choose not to use the "S" word in golf...;)
 
Ahh, the "lateral"...
Good news on Theo. I'm pretty sure they will take their time. Staff all know Theo is a great kid, team first kind of kid and a superior talent, just waiting to bust out.
 
Thanks for the info Coach, and good luck to your team this year!

Glad to hear that Williams seems to be picking things up rather quickly....

Also encouraged by the news about Hicks who could be special if that 15-17' jumper becomes consistent...

Come on Brice....You're a Senior starter, so act like it!

Good news on Meeks, and hope he does take that next step this year...

Glad to hear that James has been working with Sean May....Hopefully, we'll see more improvement in his post play...

Very encouraged by the fact that a Coach thinks we are further along than the 05' & 09' team at this stage....Very encouraging news moving forward!

Go Tar Heels!
 
Tigertown@Rick said:
Thanks for the info Coach, and good luck to your team this year!

Glad to hear that Williams seems to be picking things up rather quickly....

Also encouraged by the news about Hicks who could be special if that 15-17' jumper becomes consistent...

Come on Brice....You're a Senior starter, so act like it!

Good news on Meeks, and hope he does take that next step this year...

Glad to hear that James has been working with Sean May....Hopefully, we'll see more improvement in his post play...

Very encouraged by the fact that a Coach thinks we are further along than the 05' & 09' team at this stage....Very encouraging news moving forward!

Go Tar Heels!
Click to expand...

I don't mean to rain on a parade but I do want to caution, we are a VERY experienced team and because they are should look more advanced at this point than many of our recent teams, I mean we have 2 freshmen that they are working in that are not starters this season, last season we could have started 3.

I don't want folks to set expectations so high that they expect this team to play better or maybe even as well as our last 2 national title teams did, I don't know that we have the level of talent those last 2 title teams had. I do think we have a solid shot at a natty this time around but we are going to lose a few games we shouldn't and I don't want folks coming apart at the hinges when we lose a game we are expected to win. We are going to be good, how good depends on how things come together, how well we stay away from injury, and a fortunate break here and there.
 
I'd take a 30 something and 4 record right now, with a few of those breaks going our way. We have a good team and if the guys stay healthy, I'd take our guys against most any team.
 
gary-7 said:
Big Joel is actually very solid defensively on the block, but struggles when he guards stretch bigs, and especially in recovering on pick-and-roll screens. That limits him because you see fewer true post players these days, and if I'm coaching against Carolina I'm going to use his man as the high screener/roller.
He can be an asset if he 1. learns to anticipate and move his feet better on high post defense, and 2. starts catching the ball cleanly and cut down on give-away turnovers on offense.
Click to expand...


I agree with everything you just said! BUT these are the points of emphasis the UNC staff gave him to work on in the off season. One thing I have learned is that the Tar Heel off-season plan is highly effective (witness players' almost legendary improvements between freshman and sophomore years historically) I also have seen JJ show an incredible learning curve since he has been here and I expect he will show it this year. I am most concerned with his hands since much of this is mental preparation, but I have seen vast improvement in his footwork and movement on D already. I am optimistic the improvement will continue.

This team is set up for a deep run. We need a few breaks and some luck to make this year really special. Hopefully everyone knows that undefeated is never a realistic expectation (except UK) so we can enjoy this ride!
 
I'm also hearing Meeks-Big Joel have added a jump hook to their arsenal! I like that .................. A LOT!
 
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