Prior to the Tar Heel Tour stop in Raleigh last night, Roy Williams spoke briefly with the media. Roy was asked about the Wear twins' transfers, what possibilities there are for filling the gap and what he expects from the team next season. You can watch the full video here at WRAL.
The highlights:
- Roy reiterated his surprise at the transfer and according to the IC message boards, during his interactions with fans during the Tar Heel Tour meeting, Roy said he had spoken to the Wears the day before Papa Wear called to asked for their release. He also emphasized that UNC basketball is bigger than the Wears and himself for that matter so they will move on.
- Roy said they were looking at options but "there are not many" right now. He also said they would not take someone "just to have a body."
- When asked about how next season will look and whether adjustments will need to be made, Roy said they were waiting to see what John Henson and Will Graves in particular look like in terms of their respective weight once they get into the fall. He joked about Henson being 300 lbs by then. He also said everyone has to improve.
- The point was made that if they can keep everyone healthy then only having Henson and Tyler Zeller with some Graves at the four will probably work out fine.
- He said he has played voicemail tag with George Karl and believe he will eventually pull through.
Because NCAA rules prohibit coaches from talking about specific recruits I am going to assume that is why Roy is opting for the "there are not many options available" response to those questions. He did indicate to the fans in attendance that his staff was looking at four different players. As of last night we knew of three: Kadeem Jack, Justin Knox and Eloy Vargas. The apparent fourth came to light this morning in the form of PF Marcus Thornton. Thornton was a Clemson commit until Oliver Purnell decided to leave for DePaul at which he point the senior was given his release. Thornton is 6-7, 200 lbs and not highly rated. Scout has him as the 34th ranked PF in the class which is to say he is the likely fallback should the other three options on the table not pan out. Given Roy's insistence he will not take someone just for the sake of having a body, I am not sure why this particular player would be on the radar.Of the four options we know about, I can see the first three but Thornton seems like another Justin Watts.