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CHAPEL HILL – Four players were missing from North Carolina’s lineup in the Tar Heels’ exhibition game Friday night versus Johnson C. Smith, but none of the players are expected to be out long.
Starting point guard RJ Davis, reserve forwards Puff Johnson and Justin McKoy, and freshman forward Jalen Washington did not play in the game, all out for different reasons.
They will all be back for the opener,” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said after the Tar Heels’ 101-40 victory. “All four of them.”
Davis was out with a sprained right hand, but UNC’s second-year coach said he will be ready to go for the opener November 7 at home versus UNC-Wilmington.
“RJ has had a sprained finger (and) we just felt like giving him another day of rest, which was really good,” Carolina’s coach said.
In addition, according to a UNC release, Johnson has “right knee soreness,” McKoy has a “non-Covid illness,” and Washington is still rehabbing after knee surgery more than a year ago.
“Puff has been out a week-and-a-half,” Davis said. “He had a sprained muscle around his knee, but he was shooting yesterday. So, I expect him to be ready to go for the opener.
“Justin McKoy just has an illness, so I expect him to be back. I expect everyone to be back for the opener.”
Of the four, Washington might not be ready for the opener and may not be ready for a while. He suffered a knee injury in the summer of 2021 and had surgery. Although he did plenty of work this past summer, he wasn’t cleared for full-contact five-on-five until late September.
But UNC is still easing him back into things.
“He is doing five-on-five but it’s limited,” UNC’s coach said. “And there’s a chance he could be available for the opener. He’s rapidly getting to a place to where he’s going to be able to do that for a sustained amount of time.”
