The Off-Season Report: North Carolina Tar Heels

The Off-Season Report is a new series here on Busting Brackets, where we catch up with with a writer of a specific team and discuss what’s taken thus far in the off-season. First up, we talk with Matt of the popular UNC site KeepingItHeel.com, to discuss all the happenings in Chapel Hill since North Carolina’s Elite Eight loss to Kansas in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

BustingBrackets.com: Let’s start off with how last season ended. How would you describe the feeling of Tar Heel Nation following the Elite Eight loss to Kansas?

KeepingItHeel.com: Tar Heel Nation was bitter, the injuries piled up and Kendall Marshall breaking his wrist destroyed the teams national championship hopes. Just as the team was peaking to close the regular season and most of the way through the ACC Tournament, the injury bug just kept biting. First it was power forward John Henson with a sprained wrist. His injury was a huge factor in the Heels losing to Florida State in the Conference Tourney finals. Then again, just as Henson returned to the lineup and shook off the rust, Marshall goes down, you could help but feel a bit cheated.

BB: Obviously, losing Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Kendall Marshall, and Tyler Zeller leaves a bit of a sting. What is the lasting legacy of these guys at UNC and how will they be remembered?

KeepingItHeel.com: Tyler Zeller is forever a Tar Heel legend in my mind. A four year player who chose to return to the team after missing much of his freshman season due to injury to help the 2009 team win the national title. Zeller battled through various injuries his first two years at Chapel Hill. His game advanced so much in four years culminating in the ACC Player of the Year award.

John Henson is a fan favorite after watching him struggle to find his role his freshman season and watching him develop for three years. Henson blossomed this past season as an offensive force. His game was filled with highlight dunks and big time blocked shots. The two time ACC Defensive Player of the Year put in his time and earned Tar Heel Nations respect.

Kendall Marshall is loved by every single Tar Heel fan on the planet. His legacy in my mind is a player that that we were cheated out of seeing shine as much as he deserved to. Initially coming off the bench his freshman season and energizing the team when he was finally put in the starting lineup. Marshall really only had one season, a season that was ended prematurely with him at the helm for the entire year. Marshall caught fire toward the end of the season and his stock is about as high as it will ever would have been in my opinion. The thought of what might have been seems to come across the mind every time Marshall is mentioned.

Harrison Barnes is almost revered by a lot of Carolina fans. Although he had a very good two year career in Chapel Hill. Expectations were so high, he was almost destined to let people down. Barnes never became the type of player that takes over games and dominates the way a superstar should. At times during his freshman year it looked like he might become that player. Then in his sophomore year many of his weaknesses including ball handling and getting to the basket were exposed. His post season disappearances left a bad taste on his career in Carolina.

BB: Which one of those players do you think has the biggest upside at the next level?

KeepingItHeel.com: That’s very hard to say. I think both Zeller and Henson will have a hard time adjusting at first since both (mainly Henson) need to put on some muscle to bang around in the NBA. Marshall’s offensive game will not be as consistent as it was during the month of March. Marshall can pass as well as any player I’ve seen in a long, long time coming out of college. But he can’t play defense and his offense is inconsistent at best. The de facto answer is Barnes. Barnes has some holes in his game but he’s also better suited for the NBA style basketball that Carolina style. Barnes is a terrific athlete who can really finish at the rim, when he gets there. He has a nice mid range game and three point range. He’s capable defensively but offers next to nothing on the boards. Barnes has the best chance of becoming a true star at the next level. I do believe each will eventually become good players at the next level.

BB: In moving on to next season, the focus now turns to replacing the departing group of talent. Talk a little about the incoming recruiting class that Roy Williams has put together.

KeepingItHeel.com: The recruiting class Roy Williams put together is very under rated. Marcus Paige is the perfect candidate to replace Marshall. They have similar styles of play, both left handed, neither will kill you with their speed or athleticism, both play smart efficient basketball. Paige is a much more advanced scorer than Marshall was coming in. Brice Johnson and Joel James will battle each other for the right to start next to James Michael McAdoo. Johnson is a bit of a project, very similar to Henson when he arrived, long, extremely thin and lacking the strength to be very effective in the paint. He’s very skilled with great hands and will be a nice player some day.

Joel James may be the most underrated player in the class. When Joel committed to UNC, he weighed nearly 300 pounds. Since, he has lost over 50 pounds, added muscle and his offensive game is far better than it was last year. JP Tokoto is an elite athlete and a rising prospect. At one time he was considered a top 25 prospect but dropped in most rankings due to some weak performances against elite competition his junior year. That and a developing jump shot, dropped Tokoto as far down as the 60’s in some rankings. He responded with a strong senior season and erased most doubts that he can be special at the next level. UNC is very deep on the perimeter in 2012 so I don’t expect JP to play too much next season, his breakout will likely come his sophomore year in Chapel Hill.

BB: If you had to choose right now, who is a player that could be flying under the radar heading into next season that could be ready to break out?

KeepingItHeel.com: A few actually, Reggie Bullock who was inserted into the starting lineup when Dexter Strickland tore his ACL and did a nice job. PJ Hairston who struggled all season long with his shot but is one of the most talented players on the team. But if you really want to talk about under the radar. Leslie McDonald is a name you will know early next season. McDonald was lighting up the NC-Pro Am circuit last summer and Roy Williams stated several times before he was injured he was a top six player on the roster. Leslie also tore his ACL and missed the entire season. McDonald was the teams top three point shooter the year prior in a limited role off the bench. The former five star prospect will be one of a few players vying to be Carolinas most athletic specimen.

BB: There’s also been some change on the UNC sideline this off-season, with Hubert Davis stepping into the assistant coaching vacancy left by Jared Haase. What do you expect Davis to bring to the table?

KeepingItHeel.com: Hubert Davis is the perfect hire. I wrote on Keepingitheel.com that I believe Davis is the future head coach of UNC once Roy Williams decides to hang it up. I would hate for the excitement around Davis, a former player and someone we’re used to seeing on ESPN cloud things. Jared Haase is a great assistant coach, he’s been with Roy Williams a long, long time. Davis will be fantastic but no one should lose sight of how good a coach and recruiter Haase truly is.

BB: Any early ACC prognostications for next season? Is UNC your early favorite?

KeepingItHeel.com: UNC followed closely by NC State are my favorites in the ACC. The Heels lost some big time players, they also have many very good players returning, coming off the injured list to add to the incoming freshman class. This roster is still very, very good, extremely deep on the perimeter. And I think James Michael McAdoo has All-ACC written all over him. NC State on the other hand has a very good incoming class. CJ Leslie is returning and they aren’t losing much. They will make some noise in the conference there’s no doubt about that.

Again, a huge thanks to Matt for some fantastic insight into UNC basketball. Be sure to check out KeepingItHeel.com for more Tar Heel news and notes, and follow them on Twitter @keeping_it_heel!