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The roster is set, so how do we win the coming season?

EC is the key to everything, if he can't hit wide open jump shots we are in serious trouble.
Not sure that will be the case this year. It would help if he shows improvement with his 3pt shot but I don't think the house burns down if he doesn't because this team should have quite a few more scoring options both inside and out this season. We may struggle if EC doesn't get 30+ mpg though for whatever reason .. fouls .. coach .. coach.
 
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EC should not feel the pressure to be a better shooter or finisher (though I believe he will be)

The team needs to know that EC must be the first player to touch the ball on offense - meaning from an inbounds or defensive rebound.

Too many times last season I watch Mando take down a defensive rebound and overlook EC for RJ… too often we saw Ingram or (yikes) Withers bring the ball up.

That must not happen this year.

EC doesn’t have to put the ball in the basket, he just needs to be in the position to get the ball to the guy who’ll put it in the basket.
 
EC doesn’t have to put the ball in the basket, he just needs to be in the position to get the ball to the guy who’ll put it in the basket.
And we .. and likely many more are on the same page with that thought !!!
 
EC should not feel the pressure to be a better shooter or finisher (though I believe he will be)

The team needs to know that EC must be the first player to touch the ball on offense - meaning from an inbounds or defensive rebound.

Too many times last season I watch Mando take down a defensive rebound and overlook EC for RJ… too often we saw Ingram or (yikes) Withers bring the ball up.

That must not happen this year.

EC doesn’t have to put the ball in the basket, he just needs to be in the position to get the ball to the guy who’ll put it in the basket.
Oz I agree with every word after the first paragraph. He has to feel the pressure. He’d better been feeling the pressure. He has to be a better shooter.
I don’t think he needs much of anything else other than just playing time. He’s got the skills and the know how. IMO everything he did last year besides shooting was ahead of many freshman that we’ve seen as UNC pgs. The only thing I hope he did all off was shoot deep and midrange floaters.
Edit to say. If he’s anywhere near decent from deep then there is no way HD can keep him off the court. No way. And I mean close to low to mid 30s%
 
Oz I agree with every word after the first paragraph. He has to feel the pressure. He’d better been feeling the pressure. He has to be a better shooter.
I don’t think he needs much of anything else other than just playing time. He’s got the skills and the know how. IMO everything he did last year besides shooting was ahead of many freshman that we’ve seen as UNC pgs. The only thing I hope he did all off was shoot deep and midrange floaters.
Edit to say. If he’s anywhere near decent from deep then there is no way HD can keep him off the court. No way. And I mean close to low to mid 30s%
I get ya 'Bama... I do believe he's put the pressure on himself to improve those areas.... but you get my point about his importance to the offence.
I was lucky enough to watch the Heels live last year - a super treat, and when EC gets the ball early, good things usually happen.
 
Not sure that will be the case this year. It would help if he shows improvement with his 3pt shot but I don't think the house burns down if he doesn't because this team should have quite a few more scoring options both inside and out this season. We may struggle if EC doesn't get 30+ mpg though for whatever reason .. fouls .. coach .. coach.
I don't want to start a problem before there is one, but if EC can't become an outside threat he could be benched!

I say this because RJ could play the point, Seth is a proven defensive monster, and Jackson is an offensive player I believe in.

I agree this team runs smoothly with EC on the floor, when we are running, but he is not special defensively, and if he can't shoot. I would worry if he is worth playing with us have RJ, Jackson, and Seth.

I am not hoping this happens, I can see the thought if EC can't hit open shots however.

At least get to a Kendal Marshall level of shooting.
 
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Running at top speed sometimes will require a 3/4 or RJ to bring the ball up! It depends on who is ball side and who is going back on D. Ideally, most possessions will start with EC on ball, but as long as it gets up court efficiently, we can still run at warp speed! EC seems like the type to always put pressure on himself to succeed! This can be a very good trait as long as he doesn't get down on himself. I think this discussion will seem silly by mid-season when EC is carving peeps like roast beasts!
 
Dean's approach was that his team was simply going to execute what they did better than anyone else.
This is what I miss about Carolina basketball more than anything else. I remember when UNC owned crunch time, the Heels simply did not make a mistake. I do not know if that is due to lack of preparation or poor execution but it is definitely different. A careless TO, missed defensive rotation, whatever the mistake - it always used to happen to the other guy, now it's 50/50 at best it seems.
 
I say this because RJ could play the point, Seth is a proven defensive monster, and Jackson is an offensive player I believe in.

I agree this team runs smoothly with EC on the floor, when we are running, but he is not special defensively, and if he can't shoot. I would worry if he is worth playing with us have RJ, Jackson, and Seth.
I actually thought EC was a pretty good defensively as a frosh and got tagged with some really bad foul calls early in the season and it hurt both his confidence and more importantly his PT early in his first yr.

I watched what happened last yr. when EC went out and RJ tried pg and RJ as a pg is predictable. You are right about the "he could" play pg but I don't think you want to see him at pg for any extended periods of time. This years team and last years team are fairly different animals and I think this years team may depend on good pg play more than last years. We really do need better shot selection this year as there were times we struggled getting good shots last season.
 
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This is what I miss about Carolina basketball more than anything else. I remember when UNC owned crunch time, the Heels simply did not make a mistake. I do not know if that is due to lack of preparation or poor execution but it is definitely different. A careless TO, missed defensive rotation, whatever the mistake - it always used to happen to the other guy, now it's 50/50 at best it seems.
It also helped when Dean and Roy could roll out the lineups they could. I know everyone romanticizes about the past regarding UNC basketball. And while I'm sure it's true that there's a level of quality from the sideline that played a part, I also think having ultra-talented 5*, NBA first-round talent really helped make the coaches look good.

This is the first year there's some NBA quality talent Hubert has so let's see what he makes of it. And I mean getting your name called on draft night kind of talent. No offense to Leaky Black. But I'm not talking about being University of 2-Way-Contracts.

A lot of people think Cadeau, Jackson, and Powell are 1st round picks. That looks more like a UNC roster to me than the last couple of seasons. Talent in the starting 5, talent coming off the bench. Then add that a lot of people think Jalen Washington has an NBA skill too. And Cade Tyson certainly looks like he has NBA range.

No offense to Harrison Ingram. Great season for UNC last year. But getting some of those players where you're debating whether they're a lottery pick, or merely a 1st round pick is the talent level it has always taken to win National Championships at UNC right? Hubert's shown that he can get there with a roster whose best NBA prospect was Caleb Love... Let's see how he does with legitimate pro talent.
 
I have been saying this since EC arrived! I don't know why peeps don't understand the power of the mid-range game! Peeps talk about efficiency and other rigamarole, but real ballers know nothing breaks down a D better than a person roaming on the inside with the ball! Zone or Man gets stressed once the ball gets inside! EC has to take shots with confidence and yes hit a few, but his strength will be in stressing the D and providing much cleaner looks for our shooters and Bigs! I fully expect EC to score more than ever, but I also expect him to raise the level of our entire team! Seth figured this out too! Can you imaging EC and Seth coming at you full speed and trying to figure out how to stop them AND the ball???? Shooters get ready because you will get practice shots!

When in Europe give the keys to RJ; at home to EC! As long as EC and RJ are in the front seat; I know our Ferrari is on point!
If RJ and Tyson shoot at elite high volume levels from 3... The offense should be predicated around open 3's, shots at the basket, and free throws. There's probably no reason to rely on mid-range jumpers if there are numerous better options. Cadeau would have to shoot 60% on mid-range jumpers if RJ and Tyson are 40% 3PT shooters. Cadeau is also extremely unlikely to draw fouls shooting mid-range jumpers. There are many better options on paper.

If it turns out that a Cadeau mid-range jumper is one of UNC's best shots, either one of two things happened.
1. Cadeau turned into a Kevin Durant-type of mid-range shooter
2. UNC's offense became woefully disappointing

I want Cadeau grabbing a piece of the paint on every possession. I don't want that turning into a 17 foot jumper. There will be better options.
 
Where in my statement did I say anything about 17 foot jumpers? "Mid-range game" and inside the paint both imply a whole range of options! Nobody would argue that a 17-18 foot jumper is ideal when another foot or so gets you an extra point! BUT: If you are wide open at 17 feet and can hit it; you take it. It would be devastating if you pass it up and allow them to cover all other options because you are scared. If you are inside the paint you should finish at the rim; drive and dish to a cutter; drive and kick to a shooter; or hit a floater from 5-10 feet. If things are covered move the ball around and probe another side. In any case, the D is now in scramble mode so an opening is likely! That 60%/40% crap peeps have been spouting is nothing but imaginary nonsense because in a real-world game human factors change the math! EC was so confidence stricken that a 17 foot shot was much better for him than any 3 pointer last year! Seth has learned to take shots with confidence now but before I didn't want him taking any jumpers! Fatigue, pressure, confidence (or lack)in team mates, whether the person has a "hot" hand, is the person a starter or sub, etc all play into whether a shot is good for the team!
 
Where in my statement did I say anything about 17 foot jumpers? "Mid-range game" and inside the paint both imply a whole range of options! Nobody would argue that a 17-18 foot jumper is ideal when another foot or so gets you an extra point! BUT: If you are wide open at 17 feet and can hit it; you take it. It would be devastating if you pass it up and allow them to cover all other options because you are scared. If you are inside the paint you should finish at the rim; drive and dish to a cutter; drive and kick to a shooter; or hit a floater from 5-10 feet. If things are covered move the ball around and probe another side. In any case, the D is now in scramble mode so an opening is likely! That 60%/40% crap peeps have been spouting is nothing but imaginary nonsense because in a real-world game human factors change the math! EC was so confidence stricken that a 17 foot shot was much better for him than any 3 pointer last year! Seth has learned to take shots with confidence now but before I didn't want him taking any jumpers! Fatigue, pressure, confidence (or lack)in team mates, whether the person has a "hot" hand, is the person a starter or sub, etc all play into whether a shot is good for the team!
I thought "mid-range" shots typically were 2PT shots not in the paint. Because paint shots and shots in the restricted area have been tracked. Synergy Sports has 2 2PT jump shot metrics. Short Jumpers are from less than 17 feet. Mid Range Jumpers are from 17 feet to the 3PT line. That's why I said 17 foot jumpers. At least per the people who track the data, it isn't as open ended. If you're considering most shots outside the restricted area as mid-range shots, that's probably where my confusion comes from.

And I don't think the question is which shot is better for Cadeau: 3s vs 17 footers (depending on confidence). The better question is a Cadeau 17 footer the best shot given the other 4 players on the floor. As of today, on paper, I'm not sure the 17 footer is a legitimate option under a normal offensive circumstance.

I don't think it's completely accurate that his 17 footer was more reliable than his 3PT shot last year. The numbers at least say he was atrocious from both spots. But eyes tell everyone a different story.

By all means, I want Cadeau grabbing a piece of the paint on every possession. And I think he should look to score more mainly because opponents will give him more opportunities to shoot. I'd rather those shots not really be from outside the paint area.
 
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As you probably already know, I couldn't give a snot over the minute parsing of the game these days. I said mid-range game and I mean a baller who knows how to operate inside the 3 pt arc. And I agree that EC's 17 foot shot might not be the best shot possible, BUT I also think he is savvy enough to know when he has to take it!
 
We win with solid PG play, and team basketball. RJ should still be lethal, it may be allot to ask, but he needs to shoot 40% from three and 50% overall. Jackson will need be able to score without playing one on one basketball. Seth and Withers cannot have bad games on the same night, and Washington needs to stay out of foul trouble and average close to a double double.
RJ shooting 50% from the field is probably unrealistic. Just using last year's numbers, for RJ to have a 50% FG percentage, he would've needed to shoot 59.1% from 2. RJ's career high from 2PT is 49.4%. He also doesn't shoot the quality of shots from 2 to get there. Lawson was a 50/40 player his junior year but Lawson shot layups from 2. RJ shoots mid-range 2's.

I also don't think he needs to be a 50/40 player for anything. Assuming Cadeau doesn't shoot atrociously and assuming Tyson shoots in the 40%'s from 3, as long as RJ doesn't have like a 40% FG shooting season, the offense will be fine.
 
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Who plays the 4? That seems to be the squishiest position at the moment.

Pretty much everybody expects

Cadeau
Davis

...to be our starting back court.

Recently, nearly everybody seems to think

Washington

...will start in the post.

Most are confident that

Tyson

... can start at SF, but will he? Some suggest he could start at PF, mainly for 2 reasons. First because we have so much talent on the wings that we need to make room for Jackson, Powell and Trimble. Moving Tyson to PF creates that room. Second, we seem unsure which of our bigger guys can be trusted with the PF roll.

They all seem promising to me. It's time for Withers to step up, and while I haven't seen much of Lubin or Claude, they might fill the need as well. Look at these numbers, for example (points and rebounds are per-40).

PlayerHgtWgtPtsRbsTS%
Tyson6'7200-20520.57.563.4
Withers6'8-6'9215-23013.611.661.4
Lubin6'8226-23017.59.056.7
Claude6'7-6'8226-24010.911.855.0
 
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Who plays the 4? That seems to be the squishiest position at the moment.

Pretty much everybody expects

Cadeau
Davis

...to be our starting back court.

Recently, nearly everybody seems to think

Washington

...will start in the post.

Most are confident that

Tyson

... can start at SF, but will he? Some suggest he could start at PF, mainly for 2 reasons. First because we have so much talent on the wings that we need to make room for Jackson, Powell and Trimble. Moving Tyson to PF creates that room. Second, we seem unsure which of our bigger guys can be trusted with the PF roll.

They all seem promising to me. It's time for Withers to step up, and while I haven't seen much of Lubin or Claude, they might fill the need as well. Look at these numbers, for example (points and rebounds are per-40).

PlayerHgtWgtPtsRbsTS%
Tyson6'7200-20520.57.563.4
Withers6'8-6'9215-23013.611.661.4
Lubin6'8226-23017.59.056.7
Claude6'7-6'8226-24010.911.855.0
I think I would start JWit at the 4 and Jalen at the 5, Tyson at the 3. My reason is that I am bringing in Lubin at either the 4 or 5 as my first front court guy off the bench, I would actually have Lubin playing more minutes than JWit, I just like the idea of having Lubin come in with fresh legs as opposed to his moving over to another position when the first sub comes in. Just as I would start Tyson before pulling either Drake or Ian in.

Losing High does change the calculus a bit for me, he was that guy that best case would have been a solid replacement for Jalen and worst case a decent 10mins or so a game power forward. I don't see Claude as much more than a maybe 5-7min a game guy and he is only a 4, does not help much in switches in my opinion, don't want him in with Jalen. I am just not real high on Claude nor do I want to see Tyson play a lot at the 4. But without High, both those guys will play more 4 now.
 
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I think I would start JWit at the 4 and Jalen at the 5, Tyson at the 3. My reason is that I am bringing in Lubin at either the 4 or 5 as my first front court guy off the bench, I would actually have Lubin playing more minutes than JWit, I just like the idea of having Lubin come in with fresh legs as opposed to his moving over to another position when the first sub comes in. Just as I would start Tyson before pulling either Drake or Ian in.
Sounds similar to the argument last year to have Cormac come off the bench to play SG or SF as needed, with the expectation that he would play starter minutes in that capacity.

Made sense, but never happened.

The main reason it didn't happen was that neither JWit nor JWash were as good as expected, so Ingram was needed to play a lot of PF.

If JWit or JWash still aren't ready this season, we now have Lubin and Claude as plausible options. But it's also easy to think that Hubert could turn to SF Tyson to play PF - just as he turned to SG Ryan to play SF last year.
 
I don't see Claude as much more than a maybe 5-7min a game guy and he is only a 4
He doesn't have the height to play in the post, but he does have the heft. I haven seen much in the way of clips, but those I saw show him operating very effectively close to the basket.

Which is to say I wouldn't expect him to be going up against Hunter Dickinson, but could easily imagine him playing some minutes inside against more normal centers, if needed.
 
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I didn't think Lubin showed us much in the scrimmages. But he mainly looked tentative, not bad.

I imagine he could be quite good - maybe starter good - once he's clear about the system and his role within it. But how long will that take?
 
Sounds similar to the argument last year to have Cormac come off the bench to play SG or SF as needed, with the expectation that he would play starter minutes in that capacity.

Made sense, but never happened.

The main reason it didn't happen was that neither JWit nor JWash were as good as expected, so Ingram was needed to play a lot of PF.

If JWit or JWash still aren't ready this season, we now have Lubin and Claude as plausible options. But it's also easy to think that Hubert could turn to SF Tyson to play PF - just as he turned to SG Ryan to play SF last year.
100% SPOT ON WW, it is VERY similar! My argument last season was that first there was no need to go artificially small at the 3 spot when we had Ingram that would have had a very strong length and strength advantage, I still believe that. Loved Ryan but Ryan didn't jump shoot as consistently as was believed he would, Ingram was the better jump shooter. IN addition, I didn't totally rely on JWit, if you recall I was really split as to if I wanted JWit or Jalen to start at the 4, I edged just slightly to Jalen for him jump shooting stretchability muted some what by a concern as to how far he had come back from that knee. Think about how long that would have us with Ingram at the 3, Jalen the 2, and Bacot, important with us starting a really small back court of EC and RJ. Ryan and Seth could have come in and given us good back court length from the bench.

I have Tyson this season starting at the 3 for a really simple reason, 6'7" decent reach with a high release accurate jumper, Brady like. Lubin is an upgrade over JWit, I do think JWit has more raw talent but his decision making just wasn't good enough so I don't trust him. IN addition, Jalen did show more rust to his game than I expected, still felt he was done a dis-service by the limited playing time and that is on the staff.

The plan was for Tyson to get a "few" minutes as a small ball 4 and those minutes would now be increased by High being out. I don't like Tyson defending ACC power forwards for long stretches. For now I see Tyson as could be Manek or could be Paxon, I just don't know which it will be? LOL But as important as his being a complimentary jump shooter to RJ is a big enough point for me to start him and see if he can be just that (means I am betting he is more Manek than Paxon).
 
I didn't think Lubin showed us much in the scrimmages. But he mainly looked tentative, not bad.

I imagine he could be quite good - maybe starter good - once he's clear about the system and his role within it. But how long will that take?
It was a scrimmage and he is still working to mesh his game with everyone else on our roster. If you go back and watch some of his games at Vandy, he really started to come along really well later season, he had a injury issue early season that slowed him and he had to adjust to the 5. I don't think he is a 5, had to play out of position because Vandy didn't have a better option. I am FAR less worried about him than I am JWit. Didn't see it in the scrimmages but he plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, he will go to battle, I like that (oh, and there is a mid range game there no one seems to know about so don't tell anyone) LOL.
 
Sounds similar to the argument last year to have Cormac come off the bench to play SG or SF as needed, with the expectation that he would play starter minutes in that capacity.

Made sense, but never happened.

The main reason it didn't happen was that neither JWit nor JWash were as good as expected, so Ingram was needed to play a lot of PF.

If JWit or JWash still aren't ready this season, we now have Lubin and Claude as plausible options. But it's also easy to think that Hubert could turn to SF Tyson to play PF - just as he turned to SG Ryan to play SF last year.
Cormac Ryan was also UNC’s second best 2 way player behind Ingram last year. Withers was a no way player until like the final 8 games. And Washington was a one way player.

There was a big portion of the year where UNC’s 3PT defense was like top 10 in the country. Part of that was probably good luck. But I’m sure part of that was Ryan’s defense on the perimeter. I thought he competed and played hard on the defensive end.

And as much slack as Ryan gets. He ended up shooting 34% from 3, which is in line with his career. He shot 41% from 3 in road games. 36% from 3 in neutral games. 29.9% from 3 in home games. So he was a pretty good shooter in non-home games.

Hubert very clearly made the right decision once the lineup finalized to Cadeau, RJ, Ryan, Ingram, and Bacot.

I don’t see the comparison of Tyson and Ingram. They’re 2 very different players and entirely different physiques. Maybe Tyson plays some 4. Especially if there’s a Cadeau, Trimble, Powell lineup or something similar. You’re going to need a shooter then. But I don’t think we’re seeing major minutes with Tyson at the 4.

If we do, that probably means all of the big guys kind of sucked or there were injuries. And Tyson had to play the 4.
 
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I would actually have Lubin playing more minutes than JWit,
From what little I have seen of VAL .. and what I have seen from Wit last season I'm curious to know why you would start Wit?
 
If Tyson plays the 4 (I only expect this in short stints if at all), it could also be because Hubs wants a change of pace or to match up against the opponent! Why does everything have to have a negative connotation? Why do so many peeps expect a steep development from JWash BUT think JWit will not show much improvement? I trust in the ability of the staff to develop our talent so I expect JWash, JWit, Seth, EC to all demonstrate significant improvement in their weak areas! I expect Lubin, Tyson, Claude to mesh well with our returnees! I know Ian and Drake will force their way into PT also! RJ is RJ and that is plenty! This is going to be a fun ride! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Godfather show up periodically!
 
From what little I have seen of VAL .. and what I have seen from Wit last season I'm curious to know why you would start Wit?
Early on it could be because JWit knows the system. The first order of business is to see if JWash is up to the task of starting in the post and playing starter minutes there. It may be easier on JWash to get off to a quick start if he has JWit alongside him instead of new guys.

Then again, these guys will have been practicing together for a while by the time we face Kansas, so maybe familiarity is overrated.

Who would you start at PF?
 
Who would you start at PF?
If it wasn't Wit it would be VAL. I just think VAL may have more game experience and a bit more bulk and length that may compliment, and help, Wash especially on the defensive end. But I could be completely wrong because I haven't had the luxury of watching either of them play in the off season and Wit may just be more comfortable coming in off the bench. Could be we see a lot of Wit and VAL on the floor together depending on how Wash does. I'm just looking forward to bball season starting so we can see them live !!
 
Easy answer is our 4 spot is covered by:
1. JWit -system knowledge, length, versatility, shooting, defensive potential
2. Lubin-rebounding, strength, defense, toughness
3. Claude-toughness, rebounding, defense, put backs, strength
4. Tyson-stretch, change of pace, scoring, handles

In this order of preference IMO!
 
From what little I have seen of VAL .. and what I have seen from Wit last season I'm curious to know why you would start Wit?
Early on it could be because JWit knows the system. The first order of business is to see if JWash is up to the task of starting in the post and playing starter minutes there. It may be easier on JWash to get off to a quick start if he has JWit alongside him instead of new guys.

Then again, these guys will have been practicing together for a while by the time we face Kansas, so maybe familiarity is overrated.

Who would you start at PF?
In reply to al's question, I agree with WW on this but would add, if I start Lubin at the 4 and need to sit Jalen to catch his breath, I have to move Lubin to the 5 on legs he has been playing for several minutes on and I would be feel better if he battled at the 5 with as fresh a set of legs as I can have him with. May seem like a small point but it just a consideration I value. I do want to be clear, JWit IMO is the better athlete but I think Lubin is the better player, I clearly want Lubin with more minutes. And to put this simply, JWit has a lot of work to do to prove to me that I can trust him for extended minutes, his decision making for me just was not good, I expected FAR BETTER that I see we got. Start JWit and maybe it strokes his ego enough that his decision making will slow down and becomes much better.
 
JWit has a lot of work to do to prove to me that I can trust him for extended minutes, his decision making for me just was not good, I expected FAR BETTER that I see we got. Start JWit and maybe it strokes his ego enough that his decision making will slow down and becomes much better.
Everybody remembers the bad shot JWit took, but we should also remember that he was playing much better at the end of the season. If he can pick up where he left off - and not all players do that, so we'll have to see - then I think he can be trusted.
 
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Easy answer is our 4 spot is covered by:
1. JWit -system knowledge, length, versatility, shooting, defensive potential
2. Lubin-rebounding, strength, defense, toughness
3. Claude-toughness, rebounding, defense, put backs, strength
4. Tyson-stretch, change of pace, scoring, handles

In this order of preference IMO!
I've been thinking Claude is strong. Is that wrong? I've seen very little of him. Maybe I should track down some good clips.
 
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I realize these are highlights but he looks darn good. Runs the floor well, makes himself available, finishes through contact, has a nice spin move, cuts to the basked well, and has a nose for the ball. Give this kid 3 more inches (or a 3-pt shot) and he'd be a star.

 
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I've been thinking Claude is strong. Is that wrong? I've seen very little of him. Maybe I should track down some good clips.
I guess when your a multi year D1 player and you land at UNC you obviously have something the staff likes and TC is one of those players. There are a LOT of UNC players that could see a lot of minutes this year but the one weakness is depth at the 5. Even though the playing roster is set the minutes aren't and we can throw a lot of players and player combo's at teams this year and I still think one of the biggest questions about this years team is how it will be coached. jmo
 
I agree 100%. I put strength on his list last only because I think his other traits are even more advanced. Playing 4 in Div 1 at his size means he is strong, savvy, and has a high motor! Before it is over, UNC fans will absolutely love Claude and Lubin IMO!
 
I realize these are highlights but he looks darn good. Runs the floor well, makes himself available, finishes through contact, has a nice spin move, cuts to the basked well, and has a nose for the ball. Give this kid 3 more inches (or a 3-pt shot) and he'd be a star.

Yes, give him the most valued skill in today’s game then he’d be a much better player.

On paper, Washington, Lubin, Withers, and Claude all can provide something different and there’s a good layering of skills between that. Washington provides plus shooting. Lubin provides more 13 feet and in. Withers looks great off the bus. Claude looks like a good finisher and passer.

The ultimate question will be will a couple of players within those 4 become consistent game in and game out. I know what they all can do. Will any of them be pretty consistent for lets say 28 out of 35+ games?

None of them have played at that level in a season of high leverage games before.

I think it’s an awful lot to ask for from Washington because we don’t even know if he can handle 25 MPG.

Lubin is a more logical one IMO since he was relatively consistent and productive last year but UNC is different than Vandy. But we’ve seen good players on bad teams go to better teams and have a lot of success in the portal era.

Withers hasn’t been consistent for 4 full college seasons. I have no reason to think that one more year of college will fix all that. I
 
More accurately, give Claude another skill to add to his current list of traits and he is special. Height is impossible to add, but he has already proven capable of competing despite this limitation. Lubin is a proven commodity and there is no vast gulf between playing at Vandy and UNC, even though it is a step up. JWit has shown steady improvement since he arrived and steep improvement during last season. There is no logical reason to suspect it won't continue. JWash was a high level recruit who actually has that "most valued skill" and we only question his stamina/strength and health. We saw him demonstrate an impossible to stop shot, rebounding/finishing with strength, and flashes of rim protection. There are far more reasons to expect this group to synergize, becoming greater than the sum of its parts, than there is evidence to be pessimistic!
 
More accurately, give Claude another skill to add to his current list of traits and he is special. Height is impossible to add, but he has already proven capable of competing despite this limitation. Lubin is a proven commodity and there is no vast gulf between playing at Vandy and UNC, even though it is a step up. JWit has shown steady improvement since he arrived and steep improvement during last season. There is no logical reason to suspect it won't continue. JWash was a high level recruit who actually has that "most valued skill" and we only question his stamina/strength and health. We saw him demonstrate an impossible to stop shot, rebounding/finishing with strength, and flashes of rim protection. There are far more reasons to expect this group to synergize, becoming greater than the sum of its parts, than there is evidence to be pessimistic!
Claude does have some physicality and I do think his motor runs hotter than not, he does finish some thru contact, he could be used and maybe how I would use him, as a bit of an enforcer who isn't all that concerned with picking up a foul if he can send a message. He is just really raw, I don't see a special skill that becomes a weapon. Skills like RJ & Tyson jump shooting, Jalen's turn around jumper, EC's ability to create for others, Ian and Drake's ability to create for both themselves as well as others, Seth's lock down back court defense, even the athletism of JWit, all special skills that I consider weapons. I don't see that with Claude, hope I am wrong but just saying.
 
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More accurately, give Claude another skill to add to his current list of traits and he is special. Height is impossible to add, but he has already proven capable of competing despite this limitation. Lubin is a proven commodity and there is no vast gulf between playing at Vandy and UNC, even though it is a step up. JWit has shown steady improvement since he arrived and steep improvement during last season. There is no logical reason to suspect it won't continue. JWash was a high level recruit who actually has that "most valued skill" and we only question his stamina/strength and health. We saw him demonstrate an impossible to stop shot, rebounding/finishing with strength, and flashes of rim protection. There are far more reasons to expect this group to synergize, becoming greater than the sum of its parts, than there is evidence to be pessimistic!
"Impossible to stop shot"? You are officially the Mack Brown of these boards. Continually putting lipstick on a pig and selling ice to eskimo's.

Optimism is fine but please, call a spade a spade and at least once see things as they are, not through Carolina blue tinted glasses.

I have been a Carolina fan for 45 years and will admit to weaknesses in recruiting, coaching, style of play, etc...Family this and family that is great, but "peeps" have to realize that unless recruiting improves and substantial change is made to improve NIL, recruits are not going to be enamored with the "Carolina Way" and sun drenched Saturday's on recruiting trips.

This roster has visible holes. Most see it. Those that do not see it choose not to see it. To say, as you did on another post, that Carolina is "king of the hill" in today's NCAA landscape is simply not true. Losing in the sweet 16 and to NC State in the ACC tournament final does not lend credence to that remark.

Again, I applaud your optimism, but please....get real and use logic.
 
I agree and I was responding to the post above mine which seemed to denigrate Lubin and him. I think both have that intrinsic motivation that leads a player to do anything, including run through a wall, to ensure team success! They will find a way to contribute!
 
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