Leaky Black’s 5 Best Games This Season

Leaky Black played four positions for North Carolina this past season, including starting at three different positions: Point guard; small forward and power forward.

He averaged 6.5 points, shooting 35.9 percent from the field, and 5.0 rebounds. He converted just 16-for-63 (25.4 percent) from 3-point range, 32-for-36 (69.6 percent) from the free throw line, turned over the ball 56 times, registered 40 steals and 25 blocked shots.

Black missed one game due to an injury, though he played most of the season with turf toe that never fully healed. So, he played in 32 games while starting 31 times. Only Garrison Brooks, with 1,117 minutes, played more than Black’s 950 minutes on the court.

At 6-foot-8, the slender sophomore scored in double figures just four times, the first of which came in a double-overtime loss at Virginia Tech on Jan. 22, so all four times occurred over UNC’s final 16 games.

As we continue putting a bow on the just completed 14-19 season for the Tar Heels, here is a look at Black’s five best games from this past season along with some perspective:

At FSU, 65-59 loss: 34 minutes, 10 points (4-10 FGs, 0-1 from 3, 2-2 FTs), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 steals.

At N.C. State, 75-65 win: 29 minutes, 5-9 FGs, 1-3 from 3, no FTs), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers.

Wake Forest, 93-83 win: 32 minutes, 9 points (3-10 FGs, 0-0 from 3, 3-4 FTs), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 2 blocks, 1 steal.

At Notre Dame, 77-76 loss: 34 minutes, 9 points (2-6 FGs, 1-2 from 3, 4-4 FTs), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 block and 2 steals.

Duke, 98-96 loss: 32 minutes, 8 points (3-7 FGs, 0-3 from 3, 2-4 FTs), 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 turnovers, 2 steals.

Black wasn’t great when playing at his best, but one constant in his best performances is that he was more aggressive offensively, hit the glass harder and simply did more positive things to help the Tar Heels. Black wasn’t a slasher or sharpshooter from the perimeter, nor was he a lockdown defender.

Perhaps he can one day be one or more of those things on the court, but what he can become is consistently reliable in a lot of areas. He’s shown he can have really solid games against some of the best teams the Heels played, the next step is to raise that level and become consistent.