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Retrospect: Luke & Kenny

THI looks back at Clint Jackson' analyses of Luke Maye and Kenny Williams after they committed to UNC.
THI looks back at Clint Jackson' analyses of Luke Maye and Kenny Williams after they committed to UNC. (Bruce Young, THI)

Whenever North Carolina gets a commitment in basketball, Clint Jackson, THI’s recruiting analyst, presents a comprehensive scouting report, based on the times that he has personally watched the prospects in action. The feature is known as 'Clint's Notebook.'

With UNC juniors Luke Maye and Kenny Williams off to outstanding starts 10 games into the Tar Heels’ season, we asked Jackson to offer his thoughts on how he thinks they have both progressed over time.

We might also add that Jackson was well ahead of his colleagues in projecting for both players, suggesting Maye’s ability to do so many things well, including scoring in a multitude of ways, and that Williams was as good defensively as he was a perimeter shooter.

So here is what Jackson has to say now:

The Narrative

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Kenny Williams while at L.C. Bird H.S. in Virginia.
Kenny Williams while at L.C. Bird H.S. in Virginia.

Maye was known as a fundamentally sound power forward with strength and skill coming out of high school. He wasn't highly ranked because he was an inch or two short for elite status and he had below average athleticism. What he was terrific at, however, was rebounding, smart, savvy basketball, consistency and he could really shoot the ball and stretch the defense. Every single time we watched Maye, he played really well.

His best moments were at the NBA Top 100 camp where I watched him outplay several prospects that were rated in the top 5-10 range. He completely destroyed 7-0 Thon Maker, in a heated head-to-head battle. He was a consistent double-double guy.

Williams had a national reputation and a local reputation. Being in Richmond, I was fortunate enough to watch Williams play more than most. His high school was literally 15-minutes from my front door in Midlothian, Virginia. Nationally, he had a few big AAU events where he shot the cover off the ball from three-point range. He was known as a big-time perimeter ace on the national level, due to his performance on the AAU circuit. But his local reputation was that of a more well-rounded guard. He played off the ball and on the ball and really shined on defense.

He wasn't a risk taker on defense but really stayed alert, in the passing lanes and collected more than his share of steals for the LC Bird Skyhawks. Williams was a solid shooter, but made just as many plays off the dribble in his prep career. He was regarded as a mid-to-high major prospect in the state.

Keys From Out Notebook

Luke Maye while at Hough H.S.
Luke Maye while at Hough H.S.

Note that the following excerpts are from the notebooks that followed their commitments:

*No matter how many times you see Maye in action, it's always apparent that he is a consistent scorer and potentially double-digit rebounder. He has had success against other high division one recruits, who have superior athleticism, length and speed.

*He's the guy who has you walking out of the gym, just not knowing what happened or why it happened. But you lost. More than once. That's Luke Maye.

*Saying things like a player is fundamentally sound, productive and savvy aren't ever going to cause an uproar of excitement from the Tar Heel fan base. But Maye is a very good prospect - and he's better than most of you think. Most of all, he's a four year player who can help the Heels in a number of areas.

*Four years from now, we'll estimate that Tar Heel fans will be sorry to see him graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill. And they'll be wishing for another guy like him in the future."

*Kenny is a good blend of slasher, shooter and defender. He slides his feet well and plays alert defense. At LC Bird, he really gathers a lot of steals with his defensive anticipation.

*We like his work ethic. He's a winner and he puts pressure on the defense because he can shoot it. At the high major level, he's a great option on the wing who really plays with energy.

Versus Projection

Kenny Williams has been an excellent defender at UNC, as Clint Jackson projected.
Kenny Williams has been an excellent defender at UNC, as Clint Jackson projected. (Bruce Young, THI)

Compared to our original 'Clint's Notebook' feature, I'd have to estimate that Maye has surpassed our expectations. We were higher on him than most, but it's fair to say that he has performed better than pretty much anyone expected. He's in better shape and has improved his leaping ability and quickness. He's still as fundamentally solid as he's always been, but Maye has really turned the corner as a basketball player.

Compared to our original 'Clint's Notebook' feature, I'd have to estimate that Williams is about where we expected. He's a respectable 3-point shooter, a good on-ball and off-ball defender and he really mixes in his drives to balance out his offense. He hasn't seen much time as a point guard, and tends to play on the wing where he is more comfortable. No doubt that his injury set him back some, but he's making up for lost time as a key member of the 2017-18 Tar Heels.

Jackson was spot on when he projected Maye would be an effective rebounder in college.
Jackson was spot on when he projected Maye would be an effective rebounder in college. (Bruce Young, THI)
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