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Quick stuff (CoC game)...

I wasn’t able to watch the game, but from your write up and the highlights I did see, this sounds like one of those teams that will lose to a team they shouldn’t early on, beat a team maybe they shouldn’t early on, and then hit their stride about midway through the conference slate. I like those type of young Carolina teams, because they are dangerous come postseason time.
Hey, that could describe a lot of our teams, but yeah... ;)
 
Thanks, and I love that nuance, 75! That was way before my coaching time but I've heard it mentioned and I've aways wondered about it. Was "fist" the old jump-switch with the forcer trying to rotate back to the jumper's man?

Yep, that was one of them!
 
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Yep, that's was one of them!
Love it! When I was a naive 1st-year coach I tried that with a HS team and, suffice to say, it was a train wreck and lasted like 2 practices.
Oh well.... but later when I figured out how to teach 42 (which ain't easy), well, that shoulda been illegal... 😎
 
Thanks for the explanation Gary. I hope Roy will continue to employ multiple defenses, I think it forces the opponent to adjust, perhaps taking them out of their comfort zone when they’re on a run.
 
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Unfortunately I could not watch entire game, fortunately I started watching about midway through the second half run that put it away. My (much less knowledgeable) observations:

Brooks was not good. I hope it was just putting too much pressure on himself. My concern is that he needs volume minutes to be really efficient, and with the frontcourt depth that might not be there.

Love can be an exceptional defender. He looked comfortable in the pressure D and used his athleticism to really harass the guy he was guarding. Didn't really notice him as much on the ball but off the ball his pressure was excellent.

Sharpe is a stud. If he learns to avoid fouls then watch out, and 5-6 at the stripe.

80% from the line. If that number stays steady then crunch time won't be nearly as nerve-wracking.

FG % (ughh) - 40% is bad with the size advantage UNC has.

3-point shooting - I give up. I was really hoping this was an area that Hubert would be able to make a difference but it was just bad.

Bottom line - this team can be really special or could struggle to finish top 4 in conference. Anthony Harris is needed. Front court will be nasty but the backcourt will determine how far they play into March.
 
Thank you Gary,,,,,SMILE

!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TAR HEELS !!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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More so than other years, I'm really going to try and sit back and enjoy watching these young guys grow, sure there are going to be bumps in the road, but these freshman have "it" and with more game experience and adjustments from the staff these team is going to be a fun one to root for and will win some big games. There just seems to be a different mentality from these guys and I see them as a group that will be able to fight back in games and weather those runs from opponents like we struggled with last year. I wouldn't worry about G, he's going to have a great senior campaign and his leadership key for us this week in Asheville/Maui (basically the same place haha) when the competition level ticks up. There were many times he got positioning inside with his man on his hip and they just didn't get the ball to him in time. That will improve as the comfortability grows and there's more film to show the guards.

I was definitely surprised by the rebounding numbers in the first half, but nice to see us get after it in the second half going +15 which was another factor in us going on that 17-0 run. This team is going to be just how Roy likes it beasts on the boards with a lot of fresh legs inside, that 4some in the post makes this Heels fan giddy. Good luck telling Day'Ron that the rebound isn't his, that nonstop motor will lead to a lot of 50-50 balls and key extra possessions in tight ACC games.
 
The rebounding numbers in the first half were a fluke cuz they got so many awkward offensive rebounds on the 1st possession

You noticed that too, ima? Several long and unusual rim bounces on some of their long shots seem to then bounce right to one of their players. Irritated the heck out of me at the time.
Nonetheless, and given the flukiness of those rebounds notwithstanding, don't you know Roy made an issue of the rebounding numbers during the halftime break, as the entire team were looking to cover up the board come the second half, and they did it very well.
I was a little irked as well seeing the halftime stats showing 25-25
on rebounds. It will most likely happen again at some point, and one just hopes it doesn't bite us in the arse.
 
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The development of our front court is a can't wait to see thing this year. Sharpe is gonna be the starter. He has the mindset of a winner(he doesn't wonder what it takes, he knows its effort). His presence is gonna keep Bacot around another two or three years, so good for all fans.

We know Kessler is highly skilled but his presence was big, dominant in his brief 5 minutes(6 pts, 4reb). Cant wait to see him develop.

Just down the road, the 3 spot is a huge problem. This teams aggressive attacking backcourt and huge post presence is gonna create tons of shots for the wing. We need to grow a knockdown shooter(with game minutes) between Puff and Walton. Roy said Walton has been the best shooter in practice but a taller 6'8" Johnson could be less effected by recovering defenses. This team reaches its peak only with a shooter at the 3 spot.
Miller, I think you nailed it about Bacot. The kid came in last year and said he was going to be OAD. Damm, I fell for it. Shame on me! Most likely, he will be a 4-year player if he wants any chance at the NBA. The NBA does not have any room for a traditional 5 who cannot block shots and or shoot a consistent 15-20 outside shot. If Bacot attempted to shoot an outside shot right now everyone on this board would have a heart attack.

Bacot will be a solid presence for UNC over the next few years and that will be a good thing for UNC. Beast 1 (Sharpe) will be a lottery pick.

I don't think the 3-spot will be problem once Puff starts taking Leaky's minutes. Folks talk about defense, defense, defense. I would rather win many 95-87 games then deal with several 62-60 nail biters that can go either way on a last second miss by Platek or/and Leaky.

Beast 1 will block a lot of shots on rival players slipping into the lane.
 
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Miller, I think you nailed it about Bacot. The kid came in last year and said he was going to be OAD. Damm, I fell for it. Shame on me! Most likely, he will be a 4-year player if he wants any chance at the NBA. The NBA does not have any room for a traditional 5 who cannot block shots and or shoot a consistent 15-20 outside shot. If Bacot attempted to shoot an outside shot right now everyone on this board would have a heart attack.

Bacot will be a solid presence for UNC over the next few years and that will be a good thing for UNC. Beast 1 (Sharpe) will be a lottery pick.

I don't think the 3-spot will be problem once Puff starts taking Leaky's minutes. Folks talk about defense, defense, defense. I would rather win many 95-87 games then deal with several 62-60 nail biters that can go either way on a last second miss by Platek or/and Leaky.

Beast 1 will block a lot of shots on rival players slipping into the lane.

Armando showed that he was not a 1 & done prospect around game 4 or 5 last year. Injuries that he suffered due to the physical nature of college BB as opposed to HS BB, mitigated his development and advancement for a large portion of last season. As I mentioned in my summation of game 1, the 5 position will be an interesting watch from here on throughout the remainder of this season.

The one issue that will affect Sharpe's PT will be foul trouble, as this was the reason he did not start the second half of the 1st game per Roy. Again, as I mentioned in my summation on the game, fouling will be a tell as to how much we see of him in each game. There is no doubt that he has the best motor and is the most aggressive rebounder, it's just that the nature of a big man with his motor has a tendency to commit more fouls at this stage of his college career and in general, it takes well into the season for bigs to adjust to their own physicality. It just takes some time to tone it down.

As for the 3 spot that Leaky occupies. I look for him maybe to start this entire year but...., if Puff or Walton, or even both make positive strides on their defense, and bring a healthy perimeter game with them, Leaky will lose minutes, and rightly, he should, if he cannot elevate his play substantially. Also, I think that Harris's return will force Roy to make some changes to substitution patterns in the near future, as we are going to need to play at times with a 3 guard line-up due to match up requirements. We may even see Leaky or Puff playing in short stints at the 4, if going really small is what Roy would need to do.
 
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