UNC Forward Dontrez Styles Entering Transfer Portal
UNC forward Dontrez Styles has entered the transfer portal after two seasons with the Tar Heels.
UNC Forward Dontrez Styles Enters Transfer Portal
- Thread starter andrew jones
- Start date
Yeah, agreed, kid just didn't have a position, he was really short to play the 4, struggled to handle the ball well enough to play the 3. Needs to be at a smaller program where he could be a bigger part of their leadership and get the court time he needs. Wonder what his room mate is thinking (Dunn)?
If I was Dunn and the decision was only based on PT I’d leave if Love comes back.
I heard one person say if Love returns 4-5 people will transfer and that if he doesn't it might only be one of that bunch. Could be nonsense, but I thought it was interesting. They insinuated that Love caused locker room issues/chemistry issues. No idea if true.
Also the fact that Love appears to have "No Leash" from Hubert in spite of turnovers, bad shots and issues on defense. Hubert gives Love his minutes come hell or high water. So yeah I can see this sentiment.
I heard the exact opposite. So who knows what's true. Even Tyler Nickel said the Caleb was his biggest cheerleader and was wanting him to get more time because he trusted him to make shots. Caleb takes a lot of heat on these boards, but he was and still is the player with the highest ceiling on the team. Leaky was not a scorer, and Nance just lost his confidence for some reason. I played and coached basketball, and sure Caleb could be a bit more selective with his shots, but the offense Hubert ran was the biggest problem. Caleb and RJ both found the other players throwing the ball to them with the shot clock running down where they were forced to make miracle plays. That's not productive offense at all. When the ball swung, and there was player movement instead of standing around, the shots came in the flow of the offense and they made a higher percentage. Even Bacot struggled the second half of the year. Some of it was injuries and the other was teams double and triple teaming him because they didn't have to really guard Nance and Leaky. No team can be successful like that, and I think it's sad they way you guys trash Caleb, when he was not the only issue with this team. Without him the season would've been worse. He nor RJ should've been forced to play 35 minutes a game. That came from not developing a bench. That's why the guys are transferring.
He's a wing who struggles dribbling and shooting. Not a good way to get playing time in the ACC.
He's probably better off playing as an undersized PF at a midmajor.
He's probably better off playing as an undersized PF at a midmajor.
Yeah, like I said, idk.
I was told if Love returns to expect
Dunn
Trimble
Washington
Styles
And possibly one other to leave.
I was told if he leaves, maybe one in that bunch still.
But, I hold zero stock in the person saying it.
I was told that a bunch of guys at the end of the bench would likely leave to make room for players capable of contributing to the areas we struggled at this season. So far the first part has been true. Let's see if we replace them with shooters.
I guess Roy and Hubert haven't been good at recruiting these last few years. All these non UNC level players we have.
Every UNC coach has had misses on the recruiting trail. Sometimes the player didn't develop. Sometimes the player was just a bad fit. Here are examples of Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams misses at UNC:
Mike Copeland
Will Graves
Alex Stepheson
Larry Drew
David Wear
Travis Wear
Desmond Hubert
Seventh Woods
Andrew Platek
Sterling Manley
Brandon Huffman
Jalek Felton
Ant Harris
Dontrez Styles
That was going to me my question. What, exactly, is a "UNC-level recruit" right now? When has UNC had so many transfers before? The portal allows for a lot of teams to set records in that category. But, these players don't have any faith in the coach/staff/system to stay.
I don't think Styles was ever going to be a great ACC-level player. I have the same feeling about Dunn, Trimble, Puff Johnson and a few others. I was hoping that Nickel would be able to show something. I don't think you get to be the highest scoring HS player in VA history without being able to make some kind of mark in college.
The last recruit that really blew-up was Coby White. Cole Anthony was a dud. I think the guys that went to the NCAAT game last year were boosted by the production of Brady Manek. UNC needs a superior, natural PG. They need an ace wing and a dominant low-post guy. Then again, that's what EVERY team needs!
How does one come to an opinion of a players potential with so little sample size?
We barely have 4-5 guys left with eligibility. Davis, Trimble, Dunn, Puff, Washington, Bacot, Shaver. I guess there's 7. Not sure it would be bad if several of these guys transferred. The two that really matter are Bacot / Davis, and then to a lesser extent Washington.
Well the coaches got to see Styles every day in practice, so they have a big sample size. On the court in actual games he was downright dreadful. 4 assists for every turnover, 22% from three and 55% from the line for his career, lost on defense.... He will fit better at a mid-major school.
A lot of people seemingly think you need big minutes to draw conclusions. In basketball rate stats matter a lot more than absolute numbers. Styles' rate stats show him as a guy who was totally overmatched at this level.
I totally disagree on Styles. #respectfully He has given us enough glimpses IMO that show with being a part of a consistent rotation he has a lot of upside and can contribute more than he has shown. . So you are saying that any other player who didn’t get minutes didn’t show enough in practice. I’m of the mindset that Hubert was stuck in his ways and didn’t value the importance of developing players like Styles and Nickel and Dunn. One thing I liked about Roy was that he had a consistent bench rotation early in the season. 2-3 bench players would consistently get valuable minutes off the bench not solely to give someone a breather. They knew there role when they came in. He was developing and at the same time giving himself and the staff enough sample size over the course of 10-12 games to see what he has in said player. There is value in that philosophy. You can’t bring a player off the bench cold that hasn’t played in several games (and player had no indication of when he would play again) and expect positive production. If anything it breaks the player’s confidence and gives the impression that the coach doesn’t believe in them. Dean believed in consistent bench development while keeping players fresh so they are not worn down late in games. How many games did RJ and/or Love play the entire game or most of it without Hubert subbing them out. Sorry for the long soliloquy but that was built up anger over all this that I hadn’t gotten out until now. I respect everyone’s opinion on here. Okay Uncle Nearest and cigar time. Our girls play at 4 tomorrow. Let’s tune in and support.
Potential is what got Styles to UNC in the first place. He was an athlete who had the potential to be a good basketball player. But through 2 years his development has stalled. And a big part of that falls onto the shoulders of Styles for what he did or didn't do with his offseason training routine.
His classmate Dunn came back from his offseason training to climb the depth chart, triple his total minutes played, and increase his shooting percentages and improve his defense.
Styles came back from his offseason training struggling to dribble the ball, unable to attack the basket unless someone set him up, constantly settling for jumpers he didn't make, and unable to make an impact on defense.
Dunn played 94 minutes as a freshman. Dunn played 276 minutes as a sophomore (and would have played more if not for the broken hand midseason.) His FG% and 3pt % increased dramatically. His defense improved greatly.
You are projecting what you want to see, and not what is actually happening. Dunn was Blue Steel as a freshman. He worked hard in the offseason. He became our first guard off the bench as a sophomore. Even with Davis, Love, and Black returning, even with a broken hand making him miss games, Dmarco Dunn tripled his minutes played his sophomore season.
You are correct with Dunn and I shouldn’t have looped him in with Styles and Nickel.
I totally agree that Hubert should play the bench more. I'm even fine with playing Styles more. I'm just saying that, based on what we saw, Styles doesn't seem like an ACC quality player. I'm literally struggling to think of a positive play he made outside of some hustle rebounds/putbacks... A couple open threes I guess. But I'm not sure what you mean when you say you saw "glimpses"... His athleticism shows but I don't see any clear skill there for this level.
It's possible he's a good player because the sample size is really small, but I don't think it's likely.
There are questions about whether he can ever play at this level, particularly on defense.
He has good hands and a soft jumper. But he's also slow, unathletic, and overweight. Being out with a broken foot has kept him from working on his biggest flaws. Right now, any opposing team need only put him in screen action to completely break down UNC's defense. Compared to how Bacot plays drop coverage, Shaver looks years away from being able to play defense.
He used his redshirt on half a season after enrolling early. He should have finished high school normally, and used his redshirt this season instead. Hopefully he qualifies for a medical hardship for this season and receives an extra year of eligibility. There is almost no chance he contributes at UNC next year.
“Styles will be one of the best to play here” ~ Hubert Davis.
Roy took more timeouts than anyone in the history of sports. -Hubert Davis
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