CHAPEL HILL – Two years ago, it was “Redemption” and last year, at least according to Theo Pinson, it was “Why Not?”
Those were the slogans for the last two North Carolina basketball teams, and each made a lot of sense.
The 2016-17 Tar Heels were coming off a devastating buzzer-beating loss in the national championship game, so redemption was a big part of what fueled their national championship run, completing that mission.
So, last fall, with the Tar Heels coming off winning the national title, and with many new parts and a great deal of uncertainty, Pinson coined the slogan “Why Not?” He certainly believed in what the group could become.
Some of the other Tar Heels picked it up and they sort of ran with it, though the motto never quite materialized like the year before. Though, the Tar Heels finished 26-11, earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Duke twice.
But college teams like slogans, so it only makes sense to find out what this year’s is, if they already have one.
“I would say it’s too soon,” senior guard Kenny Williams said Tuesday at UNC’s media day. “Honestly, we haven’t thought about any kind of slogan. I think (last year) was more Theo’s thing, we might have to call him and ask him (laughter), but we haven’t thought about it yet.”
The Tar Heels opened practice two weeks ago and are very much in assimilation mode right now. Meshing the program’s most talented freshmen class in several years with a trio of seasoned seniors and the many parts in between is Roy Williams’ most challenging task this season.
Of course, getting the big men to play consistently well and finding someone to corral the point guard spot are the most important developing stories at this time. But, in the end, if the Heels don’t have the chemistry of a national champion they won’t be one, and it won’t really matter whatever the slogan is they decide on.
So far, at least off the court, things are off to a nice start.
“They fit right in,” sophomore forward Garrison Brooks said. “It feels like they’ve been here for a year. They fit in with us.”
The combination of experience and achievement from the senior trio of Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Williams, the role-playing sophomore and junior class, and the supremely gifted freshmen is certainly something that can reach the program’s annual goals.
Nassir Little, a 6-6 dynamo from Orange Park, FL, enters the scene as the highest rated prospect to sign with UNC since Harrison Barnes nearly a decade ago. Little won a bevy of all-star game awards last spring elevating his national ranking (No. 2 by Rivals) and aura, but he hasn’t disappointed since arriving, if you ask the current Heels.
They smile when Little’s name comes up before raving about his incredible gifts. But, he’s also gained the older Heels’ respect.
“To see how hard he’s worked and how well he’s played in practice, and even in the Bahamas I think it really shows how special of a player he can be this year for us,” Maye said.
Coby White, a 6-5 combo guard from Goldsboro, NC, didn’t come in with the hype that Little did, but he’s still a player that registers on that radar. Rechon “Leaky” Black, a 6-7 talent from Concord, NC, is what Kenny Williams described as a “Swiss Army knife.” More shades of Pinson, if you will.
Black has already worked at the point, shooting guard and small forward.
The bigs, notably Sterling Manley and Brooks, are bigger – about 15 pounds each – and more refined, their teammates say. Manley passed all of his runs over the past month, so he can start this season.
Junior point guard Seventh Woods says he dominated some workouts in the summer and is playing well. His teammates speak highly of him, but he’s perhaps the biggest unknown on the team and could be an x-factor if his game ever reaches what many projected three years ago.
Yet, for the Tar Heels to cut down the nets in April they will need the old guard to do their thing.
Johnson (12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds per game last season), has a healthy hip, so expect more mobility. Williams (11.4, 3.7) is more of a leader and is embracing the idea of being a senior in a program that respects hierarchy. And Maye (16.9, 10.1) is coming off a fantastic year and has garnered some preseason national player of the year honors.
Make no mistake, Maye is the Tar Heels’ engine.
“It’s hard to improve on that kind of season, it’s very hard, he had an incredible season,” Johnson said. “But, he’s been attacking practice with an energy that is very indicative of somebody who wants to better himself. He plays with a tremendous amount of energy, and I think will show itself on the court.”
And if Maye does and the other parts come together, they very well could reach a stated mission that doesn’t need a slogan.
“A national championship,” Williams said. “It doesn’t change. Whether we won it last year or two years ago it doesn’t change, we want to put another banner up. That’s the ultimate goal every year we step on this court for practice.”
