In preparation for the 2008-09 basketball season, I will be profiling key contributors for the Tar Heels. Today’s profile looks at fifth year senior G-F Marcus Ginyard
Vitals
Number: 1
Position: G-F
Height: 6-5
Weight: 220 lbs
Year: Fifth Year Senior
2008-09 Stats: 3 gams, 1.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 25% FG
2007-08 Stats: 39 gms, 6.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.1 spg, 44% FG
Career: 110 gms, 5.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.0 spg, 1.5 apg, 43% FG
What Happened Last Season
Marcus Ginyard suffered a foot injury just prior to the season which eventually required surgery. Upon his return from surgery in late December, Ginyard never quite reach his previous form. In fact, Roy was on record as saying that Ginyard was not doing the things he normally did. As a result Ginyard was shutdown and the decision made to redshirt him.
Outlook For This Season
According to Roy, Ginyard is in excellent physical condition. There do not appear to be any lingering effects from the foot injury that sidelined him a year ago and Ginyard was extremely impressive in the preseason conditioning drills. The question is whether his shooting has improved between two years ago when he was a marginal shooter and now when so much more is expected of him from a scoring perspective.
Main Concerns
The biggest concern is that Ginyard turns out to be another Pat Sullivan. Sullivan was a junior on the 1993 title team and the player who made one of two FTs at the end to extend the Heels' lead to two just before Michigan's Chris Webber called that ill fated timeout. Following that season, Sullivan redshirted then came back as a fifth year senior on the 1995 squad. Sullivan was pretty much a non-factor on a team that went to the Final Four. In many ways, I doubt that will be the case with Ginyard, assuming his recovery is indeed full in the basketball sense. At the very least, Ginyard is going to give you a solid defensive presence so he has that going for him. What remains to be seen is if Ginyard can do more on the offensive end.
Wish List
The best case is that Ginyard becomes David Noel and then some. His defensive prowess is known and his leadership abilities are unquestioned. If Ginyard can average in double figures and hit 35-40% from three point range on a consistent basis, UNC will be in very good shape. What most UNC fans are looking for is a Ginyard's whose offensive game that has significantly improved, especially when it comes to three point shooting. Ginyard has always been known for doing the little things such as getting a key putback or scoring on the fast break. Given the questions surrounding the perimeter shooting, UNC needs Ginyard to be more of a intentional scorer along with picking up those opportunistic scoring chances. If Ginyard along with Will Graves can hit their share of three pointers with Ginyard creating his own shot and getting some baskets that way, it will go a long towards shoring up the uncertainty in the perimeter offense.