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CHAPEL HILL – When opposing teams dive into their scouting reports, it is highly unlikely Leaky Black’s name comes up first. Or second or even third.
But when it does come up, the player who learns the North Carolina senior will be guarding him might get a bit squeamish.
Black isn’t a prolific scorer, hardly a perimeter marksman, and isn’t going to drag defenders all over the place drawing fouls and going to the free throw line as part of taking over a game. That isn’t his role because it doesn’t entirely fit into his skill set, though his coach will quickly note Black can score, certainly enough to more than warrant his spot in the Tar Heels’ starting lineup.
More than that, however, the 6-foot-8 native of Concord, NC, is about locking down on opposing teams’ best players, especially if their mobile and spend time on the perimeter. That is where Black excels virtually every time he steps onto the court.
And ten games into the season, the new-look Heels with their new coach continue slowly morphing into whatever it is they will become, except Black has his deal down already.
"I am so proud of Leaky,” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said. “(He’s) probably more than anybody on the team, he has settled into his role the quickest and the best. He's really taken pride on being a really good defensive player.
“He can distribute the basketball. I think I mentioned before, he’s the only guy on our team that has a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio. He can distribute, he can rebound. Against Furman in the second half, I thought his two jumpers just gave us life on both ends of the floor.”
Those jumpers Davis referred to really were crucial in the Tar Heels getting out of the gate strong after being tied 39-39 at halftime. And the buckets came in a 46-second span: A long jumper that was initially ruled a three-pointer at 17:45 gave the Heels a 47-41 lead, and a three at 16:59 gave them a 50-43 lead. It also prompted Furman to call a timeout.
But moments like that aren’t why Black is on the floor, though that he can give the Heels a series of buckets is certainly an added bonus. It is the other things Davis noted. Black happens to agree, especially when Davis tells him he has the most important job going into a given game, which usually is to check the other team’s best player.
“It just builds my confidence,” Black said. “Obviously, I have a role on this team. There’s a lot of great guys on this team (and) I’ve got to find my niche to stay on the court.
“And I feel like my niche to stay on the court is to guard the best player and make it really uncomfortable for him to score and get going, and that takes them out of their offense. And that’s just pretty much my job.”
Black limited Georgia Tech’s Michael Devoe to eight points below his average in part because Devoe attempted five fewer shots that afternoon than had been the norm entering the contest. It was an important part of the Tar Heels’ 17-point victory in Atlanta.
What might be interesting, as well, is as shooting can sometimes become contagious, like hitting in baseball, Black’s devotion to defense appears to have as well.
His teammates openly acknowledge they get juice from Black’s work on that end of the floor, and they see it as part of his form of leadership. He happens to agree with that, too, and it’s rather clear Black loves it.
"Absolutely. Absolutely,” he said. “I feel like that's my biggest role on this team is defensively step up and guard the best player on the other team. In previous years I felt like they've given me that task but obviously I had my losses, but I am taking it more personally this year."
So, what does a lock-down defender focus on doing in order to limit opposing great players?
"I just try to make them uncomfortable.,” Black said. “Offense is pretty much about confidence. I feel like once you take someone's confidence on offense that's pretty much half the battle. They're not going to want to do anything else.
“They're going to start second-guessing themselves and then you can start making them uncomfortable, and it's like a little mind game with myself. I feel like I just know how to make people uncomfortable."
The other elements to Black’s game are also necessities. He is averaging 5.0 points per game, but also 5.0 rebounds, and two assists. His rebound highs are eight and 11 in games so far, he has handed out three or more assists in five games, and he’s shooting 55.2 percent from the floor.
No more forced shots because someone has to shoot, Black has economized his game and is investing every ounce of his hoops soul on the other end of the court. And who knows, there might be a spot for a guy like him somewhere at the next level.
"I played four years here and 12 years in the NBA, there is a lot of money for guys that’ll get after it on the defensive end," Davis said. "And so, Leaky is not only playing extremely well for us, he is putting himself in a position to play at the next level. With his size and athleticism at 6-8, and his versatility. There is a spot for him at the next level.”
Right now, his spot is as the starting wing for a Tar Heels team that is slowly improving and has considerable upside. And if the Tar Heels are going to contend for their goals, Black playing as Davis described will be a major reason they have that success.
