CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina Tar Heels have not been the elite team this year as was projected by just about everyone, but Leaky Black’s defense has been as advertised.
Black has proven time and again he is one of the premier defenders in the nation, and even while the Tar Heels have performed well below expectations, Black’s defense has been one of the team’s few constants.
In just the last three games, Black was tasked with guarding the other team's top scorers: Clemson’s Hunter Tyson; Miami’s Isaiah Wong; and North Carolina State's Terquavion Smith. The three combined to average 16.5 points on 43 percent shooting with 1.8 turnovers per game. Their production with Black defending was cut in half.
The trio combined to shoot 9-for-26, averaging 8.3 points with 2.3 turnovers per game while shooting 34.6 percent from the floor.
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"To be honest with you, the only guy on the team that could consistently defend him was Leaky," UNC Coach Hubert Davis said after the Clemson game, referring to Black holding Tyson to three points and just two shot attempts. "That just shows you how elite Leaky is defensively."
Davis knows the fifth-year wing and graduate will bring it every time he steps on the court. More importantly, Black’s teammates know that when it comes to defense, the job is going to get done by their stopper.
"Leaky has been a great defender since he has been here," senior forward Armando Bacot said. "To go down and shut down a guy like (Tyson), who has been playing really well all year, speaks volumes on how good Leaky is."
Black was third in the ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting a year ago and made the league’s All-Defensive team after a series of lockdown performances. Former Duke Blue Devil AJ Griffin scorched the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, scoring 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting last year. So, what was the obvious move the second time around in Durham? Let Leaky Black guard him. Griffin in Durham in the second game was taken back to reality by shooting 2-5 and scoring only five points. Black shut him down again in UNC’s win over Duke in the Final Four, too. There, Griffin was just 1-for-7 with six points.
The typical tough defenders are known to have an edge to their games, some may call them a bit dirty, but Black doesn’t cross that line because he doesn’t need to. He is soft spoken, though.
Black credits his dad for coaching him and getting in his ear during his childhood games to let him know when he was not being tough enough. Black uses his father as motivation to maintain a high level of defensive intensity, and he now takes great joy in being that individual.
"I always took pride in it—being tough, being physical," said Black. "I feel like defense is like a way to always reinforce how tough I am and how physical I can be."
Last year, against Marquette in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Black was given the assignment of guarding forward Justin Lewis. Lewis went into the game averaging 17 points converting half of his field goal attempts. Black dominated Lewis, holding him to 2-for-15 and a season-low six points.
"I just tried to be physical with him before he tried to be physical with me, and I think it worked," Black said that afternoon. Two games later, he stymied UCLA star Jaimie Jaquez in UNC’s Sweet 16 victory. Former Syracuse star Buddy Boeheim struggled when Black was draped all over him.
The 6-foot-9 native of Concord, NC, knows his role well with this experienced team. There is no doubt who is the rebounder, who are the scorers, and who is the go-to defender.
"I love being a force out there and setting the tone," Black said. "Bruising people up, doing what I have to do."
The Heels have been inconsistent this year, but "The Leaky Black Experience" is always in full effect.
