In the ramp up to the 2011-12 basketball season, Tar Heel Fan will be profiling key Tar Heels who will likely be major contributors this season. Today’s profile looks at wing forward Reggie Bullock.
Vitals
Number: 35
Position: Wing G/F
Height: 6-7
Weight: 205 lbs
Year: Sophomore
2010-11 and Career Stats: 27 gms, 6.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.6 apg, 36.7 FG%, 29.6 3FG%
What Happened Last Season
Reggie Bullock came in with Kendall Marshall and Harrison Barnes hailed as the saviors of the program following the 2010 season. Bullock came off the bench primarily backing up Barnes at the wing forward position but was hampered most of the season by a knee problem stemming from an injury in high school. That injury led to Bullock being shutdown in late February for surgery to repair the knee. Prior to that, Bullock had to standout games versus Clemson and Boston College where he scored 16 and 18 points. In general Bullock was a solid backup to Barnes but because of the knee did not play up to his potential.
Outlook For This Season
With the injury to Leslie McDonald, Bullock's importance to this team cannot be understated. UNC needs three point shooting which will be limited coming from Kendall Marshall and Dexter Strickland. Barnes will contribute some in this area but Roy Williams will look to Bullock and freshman P.J. Hairston to come off the bench a la Danny Green in 2008 and light opposing teams up. Bullock's knee is healthy and based on his performance in the exhibition against UNC Pembroke he looks physically ready showing some explosiveness and driving to the basket for layups. His defense also looks to be in solid shape, probably ahead of Hairston at this point.
Main Concern
Barring injury, this will be Bullock's first full season. While he did play three fourths of last season, some concern is raised as to his ability to handle the full grind. Also, his knee has been surgically repaired twice now so the potential for injury is always hovering in the background. Aside from that Bullock needs to be a consistent shooter from outside(35% or better) for UNC to really reach its full potential as a team. Since he has not done that yet, you sort of want to see it first before banking on it.
Wish List
9.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 45 FG%, 37 3P%.
Essentially, Bullock will come into games to give the offense a shot in the arm from the perimeter. In addition, given Bullock's size, he should be able to help with rebounding and his defense should be solid if not very good. If Bullock can come in off the bench and hit 37% of his threes along with similar shooting from Marshall, Barnes and Hairston, that is all UNC needs to keep opposing defenses away from those zone defense which gave the Heels so much trouble last season.