UNC Basketball: 5 reasons why the Tar Heels are preseason title contenders
Answers to: “How do they replace Joel Berry?”
The above question is certainly a reasonable one to ask. Joel Berry was one of the best players in college basketball over the past few seasons and was at the focal point of a lot of North Carolina’s successes. However, he graduated this offseason, leaving a major hole in the backcourt. Also, let’s not forget that the departure of Theo Pinson will also greatly hurt. Thankfully, the Tar Heels have a few tricks up their sleeve in regards to filling this void. Depending on how each player develops over the offseason, there seem to be two candidates to snag the starting point guard role: Seventh Woods and Coby White.
Woods, now entering his junior year with the program, has struggled to live up to the expectations set for him out of high school. A member of the 2015 recruiting class, Woods was ranked at No. 48 in the class. However, he is yet to start a game in his college career (60 total contests) and has averaged just 7.5 minutes per game over two seasons. His career to this point has been injury-riddled and he is a potential breakout candidate if he is able to stay healthy. The talent is there. (For more on Woods, Inside Carolina has a great piece on projecting his numbers for this upcoming season.)
However, the favorite to take the starting spot in 2018-19, in my opinion, is Coby White. A highly-touted incoming recruit, White is ranked at No. 25 in the 2018 class and is oozing with potential. He brings solid size to the position at 6-foot-4 (before the hair) and is a creative scorer who can fill it up from all three levels. He can create for himself but also understands when to dish the ball to teammates.
These two are the clear favorites to play the most point guard minutes but I will throw Rechon Black into the mix as a dark horse name as well. Another top-100 recruit in this class, the 6-foot-8 do-it-all basketball player (let’s not give him a position yet) is an excellent playmaker who could see some substantial time as a primary creator even if he is not likely to start. His versatility makes him an interesting player.
If these three work together to split time at the position, maybe the losses of Berry and Pinson will not hurt too much. He was an integral part of UNC Basketball for the past few seasons, though, and his impact will not be easy to replicate.