Huffman Shines On An Otherwise Glum Afternoon

CHAPEL HILL – On an afternoon when there were virtually no positives for North Carolina’s basketball team, Brandon Huffman stood out as if a bright halo followed his every move.

It was one of those days for the Tar Heels in their 83-62 loss to Louisville at the Smith Center. But credit the 6-10 sophomore, who entered the game having played just 32 minutes this season with no more than a few very brief appearances in unsettled games.

But the Tar Heels needed Huffman. With Garrison Brooks in foul trouble and not performing as he had in the previous two games and Sterling Manley missing his fifth consecutive game with an unspecified knee injury, Huffman was called on.

UNC also needed a spark. And while Huffman is limited offensively he is an energy player, a tough guy who could serve as a muckraker from time to time, perhaps football’s version of a hockey goon from the 1980s and 90s.

That can be useful, and Huffman was just that Saturday, and then some.

“He got in and gave us a little spurt there,” UNC Coach Roy Williams said about Huffman.

So what was the spark?

Huffman entered the game with 4:06 left in the first half at Carolina trailing 38-25. At 2:59, Huffman drew a foul trying to score and hit both free throws. Then, at 1:33, Huffman rebounded a missed 3-point attempt by Seventh Woods, laid in the ball and drew another foul.

He missed the free throw and ended up scoring four points and grabbing that rebound in four total minutes on the day. But the Raleigh native also gave the Tar Heels life, and as it turned out it was the only time Carolina was infused by any sort of juice injection.

“I thought Brandon Huffman did a great job today, gave us great minutes,” senior Luke Maye said. “He probably played the best I’ve seen him play in a game setting and it was really exciting to see.”

Now, with Manley out perhaps for a while and Brooks’ propensity to get into early foul trouble, Williams may have to call on Huffman more often moving forward. The risk-reward element is that he’s been a distant reserve for a reason, playing only in so-called emergency situations, like on Saturday. The reward is when he does something positive it fuels the team.

The mission for Huffman now is to build off of this performance.

“I'm really hoping to catch momentum and do what I can to show coach that I'm ready and can get more and more,” said Huffman, who is 8-11 from the floor with 13 rebounds on the season. “It doesn't have to be a homerun every night, but it needs to be a step each time, that way I can accomplish big things.”

What are some of those steps?

“Me and coach talked about a lot of the things I could improve on,” he said. “Defense around the rim, just making sure to be in the right spots and knowing all the sets just really quick. So, I think I have come a long way with the plays and a lot of the things that messed me up last year aren't anymore.”

Carolina next plays Tuesday at home versus a Notre Dame team that has a big in John Mooney who could give the Heels fits. So perhaps Huffman will get another opportunity to double down on what he did Saturday.