The recruiting class that saved Carolina Basketball

[Ozheelfan]

Very nice read about the 2014 group, what they endured and how much they achieved (though the story is not yet finished!)

https://armchairallamericans.com/joel-berry-ii-justin-jackson-theo-pinson-saved-carolina-basketball/

 

[Archer2]

A good argument could be made that it was the class just before them, and I would have to agree.

 

[FranktheHeel]

Very nice read about the 2014 group, what they endured and how much they achieved (though the story is not yet finished!)

https://armchairallamericans.com/joel-berry-ii-justin-jackson-theo-pinson-saved-carolina-basketball/

Great find. The 2014 class really is a special group, being able to overcome all the personal obstacles they went through in addition to the outside chatter, they showed true determination and resilience to overcome all that and be so successful helping to bring our program back on top! As freshman, they vowed to bring a Championship to Carolina and they did just that in the right way on and off the court.

Some great quotes from the article were:
“I trusted coach with everything that I had.” Pinson said. “He told me nothing was going to happen. This is where I wanted to be.”

And then this one:
“Throughout their careers, Berry, Jackson, and Pinson were constantly told how they didn’t go to class, that they would be receiving postseason bans, and that banners would come down. None of that happened. What did happen? They cut down the nets as National Champions.”
No one could have said that better.

I also wanted to include this section from the Redemption book where Pinson just shows his perspective on Coach Williams and the reason on why he respects him so much.
“He’s going to try to get the best out of you,” said Theo Pinson. “At eighteen and up , you’re hard-headed . You know you know it all, but he knows what he’s talking about. When we do what he says, and we win, you’re just like, “Wow, he was right.” It comes down to how much he cares about his players. He cares about everybody equally. He treats Joel Berry just like he treats Kanler Coker. He takes care of everybody as much as he can, and tries to get everybody in the position where they can do something after they leave Chapel Hill. There’s a reason everybody comes back here. It’s because of that man [Williams].”

The trio of Joel, Theo and JJ truly show what it means to be a Tarheel. They showed trust in Roy, belief in the Carolina way, love for the University, embodied the principles of teamwork carried down from Coach Smith and had a determination to succeed ultimately leading them to be Champions. As Roy said “Carolina Basketball is you for the rest of your life.”

And what makes this class even better: We have JB and Theo back for their Senior Year, as they undertake the WHY NOT campaign!!

 

[Ozheelfan]

A good argument could be made that it was the class just before them, and I would have to agree.

Do you mean the '13 class of Isaiah, Kennedy and Nate, or the '12 class of Marcus, Brice, Big Joel and JP?
Both were solid, but the '14 group seemed to me to be the one to get the team over the hump.

Hey, lets be fair, they all withstood a ton of garbage and helped the program weather the storm.

 

[Archer2]

Do you mean the '13 class of Isaiah, Kennedy and Nate, or the '12 class of Marcus, Brice, Big Joel and JP?
Both were solid, but the '14 group seemed to be the one to get the team over the hump.

A good argument could be made for either but I was actually thinking of the '12 class. There's no doubt those three classes put UNC firmly back in the "best program in the country" discussion.

 

[Ozheelfan]

A good argument could be made for either but I was actually thinking of the '12 class. There's no doubt those three classes put UNC firmly back in the "best program in the country" discussion.

Yup.
'12 was a special group, especially the pair of 4* players who made All America during their careers.

 

[Archer2]

Yup.
'12 was a special group, especially the pair of 4* players who made All America during their careers.

The players in those three classes epitomize UNC basketball to me.

 

[MWHeels]

Great article. Thanks for sharing it. I am grateful to each of these fine players for choosing to become a part of the Tar Heel program. They earned the right to be called champions.

 

[gary-7]

A good argument could be made that it was the class just before them, and I would have to agree.

There wasn't really anything to save it from yet.

 

[gary-7]

Great article. Thanks for sharing it. I am grateful to each of these fine players for choosing to become a part of the Tar Heel program. They earned the right to be called champions.

For a variety of reasons I followed that class closely during the recruiting phase and I had no trepidations posting on here at the time that Roy had garnered a "core class" for an eventual Natty, and that it would be the most effective recruiting class in the country.

These were stellar kids who happened to be perfect fits for the essential roles needed for a future Roy Williams championship team.

 

[gunslingerdick]

Yup.
'12 was a special group, especially the pair of 4* players who made All America during their careers.

You cannot overstate the impact that Marcus Paige had on the program. He was the point guy during a potentially dark time for our program - the guy that Roy and the program leaned on and counted on. His intelligence, charm and attitude was exactly what the doctor ordered. Without him, I'm not sure where we'd be today. I can almost guarantee we don't win the title last season without Marcus' influence. Him not raising that trophy last year with the rest of the guys almost ruined me because he deserved it more than anyone. I loved that boy like he was my own and he, along with Tyler will always be my favorite Heels ever.

 

[dadika13]

Great find.

I'll echo everyone else on how important it was that we had SUPER high character guys like Justin Jackson, Theo, Joel, Marcus, Brice, etc. to be the face of the program during this dark period.