CHAPEL HILL – Cormac Ryan is certainly struggling shooting the basketball of late, and other than a snippet here and there, he hasn’t been on the mark much all season.
But the North Carolina veteran guard isn’t having sit-down conversations with his head coach about it. Hubert Davis went through similar stretches as a player that Ryan is currently dealing with, and other than a few tweaks to his game, Davis believes Ryan’s shots will eventually start to fall.
Ryan was 0-for-6 from 3-point range, and 1-for-10 over, in the third-ranked Tar Heels’ home loss to Clemson on Tuesday night. The final margin was four points, so an average shooting night by Ryan could have been enough to deliver the Heels (18-5, 10-2 ACC) another victory.
Davis scoffs at the idea Ryan is struggling, though his recognizes the shooting isn’t what the team needs.
“I don’t look at a player and say someone is struggling based on one part many things that they do in their game that they may not be doing it as well,” Davis said Friday in a press conference in advance of UNC’s game at Miami on Saturday.
“There’s so much that Cormac brings to this team; defense, rebounding, his passing, his leadership, his energy and his effort, alongside his ability to shoot the basketball.”
In the last four games, in which Carolina has gone 2-2, Ryan has scored 31 points on 10-for-40 shooting, including 8-for-29 (27.6 percent) from the perimeter. In addition, he’s just 2-for-5 from the free throw line.
Only 11 attempts inside the arc coupled with just five attempts from the line on three trips makes sense. And that is one thing Davis acknowledges must change some.
“Getting to the free throw line, that’s a huge bonus to find ways to attack the basket and get to the free throw line,” Carolina’s coach said. “For whatever reason, you see that ball go in at the free throw line, it kind of gives you a little bit of rhythm.”
Ryan doesn’t have to get to the rim, though he must convert at a higher rate when he does. Ryan is only 1-for-5 on layups over the last four games. Most were challenged to a degree, but he has regularly made those throughout his college career, and finishing near the basket on drives would certainly enhance the numbers.
The perimeter struggles, however, have been most perplexing, and have been an off-and-on deal all season. His 0-for-6 versus Clemson on Tuesday night was the second time he’s missed all six attempts from outside. He did it in the loss to Connecticut in December, as well.
In fact, Ryan hasn’t hit a three in nine of UNC’s 23 games, but he’s made three or more in five contests. On the season, he’s shooting 36.1 percent overall from the floor, including 28.9 percent 35-for-121) from 3-point range, and averages 10.4 points per contest.
History suggests at some point Ryan will find more success shooting the ball, especially from the perimeter. He was at 34.4 percent last season at Notre Dame, converting 63 of 183 attempts. The year before, Ryan was 57-for-140, which is 40.7 percent for an Irish team that won two games in the NCAA Tournament.
The perimeter stroke is there, and perhaps the light will soon go on for the 6-foot-5 New Yorker.
“I do like the shots that he’s taking,” Davis said. “I think he’s getting good looks, shots, in the flow of our offense whether it’s in transition or halfcourt situation.”
So, the law of averages may soon kick in.
