Keeling's Game Is Where It Belongs

CHAPEL HILL – This time last year, Christian Keeling’s goal for he and his Charleston Southern teammates was simple: Make the big dance.

Keeling and the other Buccaneers worked every day to win the Big South Conference and experience their one shining moment.

Times have changed, however. Keeling’s home, standard, platform and goals are entirely different. He’s on a new level as a graduate transfer at North Carolina, and he’s just downright giddy over this change in his hoops life.

“It’s very different, because at a mid-major you’re just trying to get to the tournament, your goal is just to make the tournament,” he said. “Here, you’re just trying to win a championship, and they expect to be in the Final Four.”

UNC hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2017, when it won its third national championship under Roy Williams. In fact, the Tar Heels also played in the national title game in 2016 and made the Final Four in 2008, so that’s five trips under Williams plus three more Elite 8 appearances. But with the Tar Heels losing their top five scorers from last year’s co-ACC regular season champions, Williams went the grad transfer route to help continue the program’s standard, and Keeling was his prized catch.

Williams also brought in Justin Pierce from William & Mary, and he will play a major role for the Tar Heels this season, but it’s clear the players see Keeling as a real difference maker. He can score and that’s what the Heels need.

“Christian is a great scorer,” junior forward Garrison Brooks said. “He just flat out scores the ball.”

Senior Brandon Robinson flashed a huge smile when recently asked what Keeling adds to the Heels.

“Christian, he can score the ball like crazy,” Robinson replied, before doubling down. “He can score the ball like crazy, has a nice pull-up.”

That pull-up shot Keeling has nearly mastered stands out to sophomore Leaky Black.

“His mid-range game is just elite,” Black said.

Keeling doesn’t shy away from describing himself as a scorer. Confident, mature and aware of his surroundings, he says his game is much broader than just putting the ball through the cylinder.

“I can do a little bit of everything: rebound, block shots, steals, scoring and all that. And I think that’s the personality I want to bring on and off the court,” he said.

It’s the court inside the Smith Center that originally took some getting used to. Pierce’s wow moment came last month during player introductions at Late Night With Roy. He was surprised by the fan turnout and energy in the building.

For Keeling, his moment occurred well before LNWR, and like Pierce, getting past those I-can’t-believe-I’m-here days are crucial in speeding up the Heels’ chemistry building process. But Keeling did have a this-is-so-cool experience, actually two of them, and they hammered home the point he was a North Carolina basketball player.

“When I first got here, just looking around at the different stuff they have, like the personal weight room we don’t have to share, training room, the lockers are big, cold tub and all that,” Keeling said. “I think all that was cool, and I’m not used to having that at Charleston Southern. …

“One of the coolest things I experienced over the summer a lot was we played pickup with a lot of pros like Danny (Green) came back, Marvin (Williams), Justin (Jackson), Theo (Pinson). “Just to play with these guys that’s at that level that most of us are trying to get to I think is cool. They give us pointers (and) just playing with them consistently. Playing with Tyler (Hansbrough) and all them I thought was really cool.”

Keeling really didn’t have much proving to do. His numbers at Charleston Southern speak for themselves. And anyone immersed in college basketball understands terrific players are everywhere in Division One. Those upsets that get the nation going every March are fueled by the Christian Keelings leading the Cinderellas out there.

As a junior at Charleston Southern, Keeling averaged 18.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He shot 46.5 percent overall from the field, including 38 percent (81-for-213) from 3-point range.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound shooting guard scored 20 or more points 14 times, including a high game of 33 versus Middle Tennessee State. Against power conference opponents he scored 18 at Florida, 18 at Marquette and 25 at Clemson.

The Augusta, GA, native has played eight games against teams from power conferences in his career converting 10 of 23 shots from 3-point range, which is 43.5 percent. His best game came this past season when he drained 5 of 6 from beyond the arc in a loss at Clemson.

In total, Keeling has hit the 20-point mark or higher in 36 of the 93 games he’s played in college. He’s passed the 30-point mark three times.

“Christian gives you a little bit of scoring,” Williams said. “He’s a tremendous player, very gregarious person – he’s Theo Pinson Jr… He’s been coached very well, he understands how to play, he’s never met a shot he didn’t like so far. We’ll see how that goes and we go down.”

If you take Keeling at his word, the shots will go down as they always have. And in the end, while the uniform may have a fabled script on the front, the color may be iconic, the building he plays is a shrine, his coach a legend, and the standard perhaps the highest in the nation, the game is the game, and it’s something Keeling does well.

“At the end of the day,” Keeling said, “the goal is still 10 feet, the ball is still round, and once you’re playing, it’s still basketball no matter what level you’re at.”

Though the goals have clearly changed, and absolutely for the better.