Via Inside Carolina:
After the visit, North Carolina has emerged as the leader for Knox’s services over Georgia Tech, South Alabama, Georgia State and Southern Miss. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native has confirmed scholarship offers from all five schools.
“There’s no doubt that North Carolina is leading the pack,” Knox said. “From the information I get from him and from what we’ve discussed, how can they not lead the pack?”
Following the visit to UNC, Justin Knox had planned to visit Georgia Tech prior to the dead period which starts on Thursday. Apparently it was not possible to do so and Knox uncle was non-committal on whether another attempt would be made following the dead period. Whether that is the case or not, Knox is hoping to have a decision made prior to June 1st.
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Get em’ Roy!
What Roy wants, Roy gets.
Thats great news!!! If Tech is out of the picture, UNC should be the clear favorite to snag him!!!!
I don’t mean for this to sound arrogant, but:
If I were 21 again and had the chance to play college basketball for just one year, and my choices were South Alabama, UAB, Georgia State, Southern Miss, Georgia Tech, and NORTH FREAKIN’ CAROLINA two years removed from an NCAA title, wonder who I would pick?
To forever be a part of the Carolina family even though you only played one year? No brainer to me.
Doc,
The only factor that precludes that is the fact Knox has a fiance and son in Alabama hence the desire to stay close to home. Obviously he has to weigh the two out. Also, while UNC is not a title favorite, they will be good, he will get a ton of exposure and who knows what kinds of doors that opens plus UNC could(remote possibility) win the title if some things break right as they did for Duke this season. Why not jump on board with that? Who knows you might get to meet MJ at some point.
Devils advocate again. He would get pretty good exposure if he was at Georgia Tech. I mean the guy would have been the de facto starter for the Bumblin’ Wreck. However, if he wants the best experience he knows where to go.
I agree with Doc that his best move is UNC. He can move his family. He’ll get plenty of playing time, even without injury to Zeller or Henson, and even if Graves spends some time down low. I doubt he has any realistic shot at a pro career (look at his production at Alabama), but what shot he has will be enhanced by playing at a premier school. Georgia Tech is a reasonably prominent school, but not in our class.
I have to like THF’s enthusiasm, but can’t share it. We will not be winning the NC next year, period. We lost our best player (Davis), widely regarded as a lottery pick. We have no depth in the post. We are one critical injury away from struggling to go .500 in the ACC. Our power forward has no power (a world of talent, but no power). There remain major questions about our perimeter shooting and even more questions about our perimeter defense. We seem to be relying on the untested assumption that Barnes will be an All America, even though he has never set foot on a college basketball floor. And most of all, the notion that we have a (remote) chance of winning the NC presumes that next year’s team will be able to do what our 2008 team failed to do, even though the 2008 team was considerably more loaded than this one will be (Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington, Green — all now NBA players).
We MIGHT have a nucleus this year that, next year, gives us a shot at the NC, IF Henson, Barnes and Zeller stay and Drew continues to improve. But we are at least one year away from anything resembling a shot at winning it all.
rath,
I called it “remote” and said things would have to break right like they did for Duke. Barnes would have to be great beyond out wildest dreams, etc, etc, etc.
^ THF; you forgot; there is no talk of hope for next year’s team. Are years of domination are over, and we will never beat dook again.
Anytime someone has anything positive/ hope about next year someone has shoot it down.
In basketball one person can change a team, and next year we have that person. Harrison Barnes is the best player in the 2010 class, and will have an impact from day one. I for one, will not let all the negativity surrounding UNC basketball, and this board, to change my stance on that.
Carolina will ascend to the top again soon, but it will take a few years. The biggest key is getting a couple of these top recruits to hang around for a few years so they can make an impact.
The biggest problem this past year was the lack of leadership. I felt like Thompson and Ginyard sort of let us down in that department. It is going to be up to Graves this year to take on that role with help from Drew and Zeller. This is another reason it would be nice to have Knox!
I see this upcoming team as one that will likely win two NCAA tourney games, but the sweet 16 is where it ends this year.
makeitWayne,
Anytime anyone brings in a sense of realism, it gets shot down as well. Look if you were looking to play professionally somewhere after your final year of eligibility where would you play? Would you come off the bench of great name program or would you start at a decent program like Georgia Tech. Either way the guy will be in the ACC. It will not be like he is under the radar. Let us take off our Carolina blinders for a second, if it is possible. I will be rejoicing when it is a done deal.
However, I have to agree with THF. If this years Heels have the same path as Duke did last year in tourney, UNC could easily win it all. However, after getting bashed by everyone for parting the Red Sea for Duke, maybe the NCAA will make a better effort to give the lower number one seeds tougher roads.
THF –
Dook did have a lot of luck last year. But what made it possible for them to win the NC is that they were maybe the fifth best team in the country. No one thinks our team will be anywhere near that. All the projections I have seen are that we will be from 10-20, and those were made before we lost our depth up front. We need to be patient for a year.
makeitWayne22 –
It is a very different thing to say that we have no realistic chance of winning the NC next year, and to say that we are a team with “no hope.” Nor has anyone actually said there is no hope, for that matter. Nor that we will never beat Dook again, nor that our years of domination are over.
To say that Barnes will have an impact from day one is speculative (although speculation I agree with). But assuming it’s true, “having an impact” is different from “making us a national contender.”
We all need to learn something from last season, namely that what counts is not fan optimism but team performance. Six months ago, we were all ready to rock and roll. As January and February unfolded, we got rocked and rolled.
We are likely to have a better team starting this November. By November 2011, with no defections, it could be a contender. It won’t be this year.
P.S. Although I disagree with your stance in this instance, more often than not I think you’re on the money. And you have a great moniker.
Rath I feel like you’re making a bit of the same mistake that you’re saying others are making. While you may be right and we may be overly optimistic for the coming year, the opposite of optimism isn’t realism. Can you really say with such great assurance that we can’t be contenders this year before a game has been played? Sure there are lessons to be learned from last years team, but there are also lessons to be learned from Kentucky’s team as well. They were a team that added freshmen that made an immediate impact, and they were contenders. I will say that I think that this years team will likely be top ten, and based on how things turn out with other teams as far as losses to the draft and possible injuries etc. could see find itself in the role of a contender. I agree that this coming year probably isn’t the year, it’s more likely the next, but they could be around at the end of the tournament in the same way that Baylor and West Virginia were.
Rath-
Thanks!, and I do understand the guarded optimism for next years team because of the 09-10 nightmare. I just ask for people to understand the differences in the two recruiting classes:
09
Henson_long/athletic, potential star
Wears_transfer, not ACC quality players
LMAC/Dex-serviceable, protential for good ACC players in
jr/senior yr, cant get their own shots
’10
Barnes_ potential star , great leader, nba game/ body; can gets his own shot
Bullock_NBA body, great range, can get his own shot
Marshall_jury’s out, can be a good guard at UNC in junior/senior year.
Roy added players this year, and mixed in with the role players from last year, he is building his squard, which is looking quite promising.
I am not the big recruit guy but ever since Barnes accepted, I have tried to get as much info on this kid as possible, and everyone says the same thing. The kid is a star in the making, similar to Durant/Melo/Wall pre college hype.
I am more concerned about Drew’s growth than Barnes living up to his hype, and still think we go as far as Larry lets us.
after next season is over, i’d love to see barned compared to the likes of durant, melo and wall.
however:
durant had aj abrams, dj augustin, damion james and dexter pittman.
melo had gerry mcnamara and hakim warrick.
wall had demarcus cousins, patrick patterson, eric bledsoe and daniel orton.
will barnes have that type of supporting cast? will henson, dex, LD2, zeller, graves, bullock, lmac and marshall be viewed as worthy supporting cast if we look back at this class in 5 years? note that the durant/melo/wall teams each had a key PG. will LD2, marshall or even a much-improved dex be that guy?
in terms of knox, i REALLY hope roy lands both knox and jack. we can definitely use both next year.
Rath-
I just want to follow up on that “before we lost our depth up front” line. I have to assume that you are referring to the Wear twins transfer, correct? I hope that you weren’t lumping Ed Davis into that mix, because if you thought he was coming back, well, I’ve got a super-low, non-fixed interest rate for you. Davis was a goner from mid-season on. The Wears transer is turning out to be one of the best things that could have happened to a team lacking front court depth. I still do not see how the Wears were going to develop into low-post options on a consistent basis. A saw WAY too much of them out on the perimeter to believe that they were somehow going to provide us with the necessary depth to warrant a top five ranking.
If Knox does commit, and I believe he will, that is a huge step in the direction of establishing more depth down low. If it were Knox and Graves who were assigned to spell Henson and Zeller, then yes, we are top-20 at best (on paper). However, with Terrence Jones and Eloy Vargas commiting to Kentucky, it looks as though Roy may be closing in on Kadeem Jack as well. Yes he is raw, but he has height and a pretty good wing span from what I have seen. He should be as good off the bench as any other ACC team’s 4th or 5th post player (at least defensively).
So, playing the hypothetical game, if Knox and Jack both become Tar Heels, then I’d say that it would be rediculous to simply dismiss the notion of next year’s team competing for a national championship.
When THF refers to Dook being lucky, he’s right. Their draw was soft, and a series of unfortunate events took place for them to play through that NCAAT schedule of theirs. That’s not the homer in me speaking, that’s just the way it all went down.
As it stands right now, without Knox and Jack, we are top-20. With both of those players, it is not crazy to think that we can compete with Dook, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Purdue…all of whom should be ranked somewhere in the top five at the beginning of next season.
I agree with Rath regarding next year’s prospects. Agree with Makeitwayne that we will progress as far as LDII progresses. We deperately need strong bodies underneath and I think that Knox’s bulk will help but his stats at Bama aren’t all that impressive so I question how much he will help other than being a wide body that can’t be pushed around. Jack? sounds like potential ala Henson. We really need some proven bangers to that can provide offense close to the basket. Really is a stretch of fantasy to start talking NC in the same sentence with adding Knox and Jack. Really would require Barnes to come in and play an MJ game and for his fellow early recruits to play above expectations. Also, Henson and Zeller will need to improve their offensive game. Hope it all comes together better than expected.
DeanForever –
“I have to assume that you are referring to the Wear twins transfer, correct?”
Correct.
“I still do not see how the Wears were going to develop into low-post options on a consistent basis. A saw WAY too much of them out on the perimeter to believe that they were somehow going to provide us with the necessary depth to warrant a top five ranking.”
We could use them underneath because they were 6’9″ and 220 lbs. If they would have had to adapt their game, so be it. Both Barnes and Graves, in different ways and to different extents, are going to have to adapt theirs.
With or without the Wears, we were not going to be ranked, and don’t deserve to be ranked, in the top five.
“As it stands right now, without Knox and Jack, we are top-20. With both of those players, it is not crazy to think that we can compete with Dook, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Purdue…all of whom should be ranked somewhere in the top five at the beginning of next season.”
Knox was a marginally productive player for a middling team. Jack is entirely unproven. There is no very solid evidence he would be as good as the Wears were last season, much less as good as we realistically could have expected them to be this coming season.
If we get both of them — and right now, “if” is all it is — we will be getting two frontcourt subs who will put us roughly in the same position we held before the Wears’ departure. And that position is, as you say earlier, projected to be 20-10. It isn’t top five. To repeat: They’re just going to be subs. We need the depth, but we shouldn’t mistake them for being likely to have a significant impact.
I might be alone in this, but I cannot help viewing this next season through the prism of the warm glow so many of us felt previewing last season. We spent two miserable months at the start of 2010 being beaten over the head with our ungrounded optimism.
Not this time, not for me, anyway. I like being happy as much as the next guy. But in order for me to be happy this time, I’m going to have to see it ON THE FLOOR, not in my projections (or anyone else’s).
Hype in regards to the player, not the teams they were on.
Melo/Durant/Wall all came in with this hype of being future NBA stars, and they proved that during their college year.
I dont expect a championship next year; and like I stated earlier we will go as far as LDII let’s us.
I predict that LDII will make great strides this year. He is a junior with a full year as a starter under his belt and he has K. Marshall coming in to apply some pressure by competing with him for playing time.
H. Barnes will be great and will be a leader on this team along with Graves (and Knox if we get him).
I also expect to see great improvement from Henson and Strickland and I like the idea of signing Jack if we can get him. We could use the defense and rebounding!
All of that said, if I am right I am still sticking with my prediction that this will be a sweet 16 team.
Heres to hoping that Harrison Barnes is not another 1 and done!
Rath-
Good points all around. I completely agree that the addition of Knox and Jack (on paper) doesn’t at all elevate us. Yet, the commentary has trended towards the glass half-empty, which is deserved after the sorrowful performance of this team for most of the past season. But if you look at Roy Williams’ career, the coach bounces back in a big way. I may be getting ahead of myself just a bit when I say that I can see our team competing with top-five competition…but this isn’t fantasy baseball. These kids aren’t pros yet, and other teams are just as succeptable to not live up to expectations. While I may be a bit more optimistic, I can’t see the strength of the top five teams as being so vastly superior that our Heels couldn’t compete.
Again, if you look at Roy’s coaching record, you will see that he has had a few double-digit loss seasons, but they are typically followed by an excellent three-year period (about the time it takes to build a team with good depth). I don’t see a clear reason why we should expect a repeat of 20-17, unless injuries frequent this team in rapid succession. 25-7 sounds about right, and that record alone should merit a team capable of beating Dook, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Kentucky, etc.
Also, I don’t have this sudden “fear factor” of Dook that also seems to be the trend. All of the sudden, every facet of the Dook program that seemed to be failing is now a “myth”, and we are to be afraid of Kyrie Irving and then Austin Rivers. Please. I am growing tired of this sudden infatuation with projecting that our program will need time to get back to the top. Again Rath, I agree with you. Perhaps the 2011/2012 season will be the one that merits a title, but I simply can’t rule out next year’s team as if to say we are in for another 20-17 year.
Regarding the Wears, and a potential upgrade with Knox and Jack, I’ll stand by the notion that we would be better off with the latter. As I have said before, I was never sold on the Wears being “bangers” down low and I don’t know that they were either. I saw a good number of outside jumpers taken by both Wear twins, and I don’t know that year two for them would automatically translate into depth down low. With daddy Wear in the picture, I’m sure that there would be some chemistry issues or at least a pain in Roy’s arse over their roles. Knox and Jack will know exactly what they are to do: contribute from the bench. The Wears? They might not be so accepting of another year of that, coupled with a game plan of them simply banging it out, Hansbrough-style.
Excellent commentary DeanF and Rath! I enjoyed reading your perspectives.
DeanForever,
I agree about the Wears. There were times where would go into the post and bang. Unfortunately, they are limited offensively in the post. The sad thing about last season was that Zeller was the closest thing the Heels had to a real banger.
If the Heels strike it rich(like everyone is saying) and snag both Jack and Knox, I think their frontcourt will be better than having both of the Wears. It looks like Kentucky is out of the Jack race. By hook and crook, Coach Cal was able to snag Terrence Jones.
1 role player with size that has an expiring scholarship after next year is > 2 Role Players with size eating up 2 scholarships for the next 3 years.
Adding Knox puts UNC on better footing in the post both this season and next vs. trying to make the Wears into ACC caliber post players at some point in the next 3 years.
If Henson and Zeller stay healthy, then post depth isn’t a major issue as long as you have suitable options in Knox, Graves, and/or Barnes to providing back up minutes in the post.
If Henson and Zeller stay healthy and progress as expected, the difference between Carolina being just a top 20 team and a championship contender rest solely on the improvement and development of Larry Drew II. Barnes and Bullock give Carolina the talent, athleticism, and outside shooting that was missing from this team last season and kept Carolina out of the NCAAT, but how much of a factor they are in the NCAAT next season rest mainly on the shoulders of LDII.
I know it is still raw, but give K credit. He is always looking for an angle. Duke played a bizarre style of offense this year, and basically, only Butler even attempted to make arrangements to defend it. When I was a kid, it was a big friggin’ deal to make a three pointer in the ABA. Now guys are averaging over 40% from three point range in the NBA.
I have never, ever seen a team, college or pro, that routinely takes an inside rebound, and instead of going for the high percentage inside shot, throws it all the way out to shoot a more difficult shot. I know those are the rules, but it sure makes it hard to teach kids basketball fundamentals.
Maybe there is nothing to be done but to move the line back even further. I would, at least like to see a rule prohibiting three pointers on step backs, which is another thing you don’t see very often in the NBA because of the cramped sideline and already lengthy distance of the shot.
i don’t think the UNC actually elevates itself enough w/ knox/jack to propel them that much higher in the standings and i agree w/ DF about wanting to wait and see before even remotely mentioning a top 5 ranking. we have to see how henson/zeller/larry/strick/mcdonald progress, and how reggie/harrison/kendall look as freshman. that’s almost as many if’s as last year.
what jack/knox does/do is they re-establish some depth in the post. losing the wears w/o any replacements hurts a team that needs all the help they can get, so getting one or two of these big bodies will be good.
i can’t say that i fully agree w/ DF on the dook thing. they proved they can hang around and get lucky in a right time and right place situation. i think dook has had a really bad run of recruiting mishaps over the last 3-4 years and honestly, that might not continue.
next year dook will have irving dawkins curry and smith singler at the 1/2/3 with the plumlees + singler at the 4/5 (plus josh hairston). that’s NOT a bad lineup at all…and if they bring in austin rivers and one other stud next year? and god forbid henson and barnes go to the draft? yikes!