Heels hoops discussion '17-'18 - no unc athletics scandal discussions

[Wheat/"/"/"]

The season is about to get going so I thought I'd stop by and give you guys that like to talk hoops my pre season assessment of the '17-18 Heels team.

Roy returns with an interesting team this year. While UNC will get the ball into the post as usual offensively, this will be a team that will more often rely on kick outs and shooting for much of the 1/2 court production, and they will...as Roy's teams always do...look to run at every opportunity to create mismatches in the open floor.

I'm guessing two freshmen bigs will be counted on to play quality minutes inside this season. C/PF Garrison Brooks has shown some true post moves and the most complete game. C Brandon Huffman is a strong energy guy who tries to dunk everything, but hasn't developed much of a scoring touch yet. They look to be the most ready to contribute.

Other bigs- Fr. Sterling Manley is a legit long armed 7footer that reminds me of Brendan Haywood. He has some offensive touch but needs to get into better shape after a HS broken leg has held him back. He's a year away from seeing much court time. Same with 6'11 Fr. Walker Miller who also has to get stronger.
All seem to have good hands for bigs, and, with the exception of Miller, are physical defenders and rebounders...from what I see so far.

My guess on starters by ACC play...(Roy is likely to play any lineup until then, he will test the young players early).

C Brooks
PF Maye
SF Johnson
2g Williams
PG Berry

Bench
Pinson
Felton
Woods
Robinson
Huffman
Platek

Brief Player breakdown-

Sr. Berry- Leader, gritty. One of the top PG's in the country. Steps up in big games. Deadly shooter with time and can finish at the rim through contact. Gets after the ball and sets the tone defensively. Recent broken hand shouldn't be much of a set back. Experienced, He's been there, done that. ACC and NPOY candidate.

Sr. Pinson-Candidate for top 6th man in the ACC. Versatile utility man. Defends, penetrates, rebounds, facilitates. Not a primary shooting option, but adequate to keep defense honest. Experienced.

Jr. Maye- Crafty rebounder and deceptively strong. Good shooting stretch 4 with solid post scoring moves given space. Can struggle defensively against true bigs, will have to manage his fouls. Experienced.

Sr. Johnson- Pure shooter. One of the sweetest strokes in the ACC. Great size at the wing 6'8", long arms. Fundamentally sound. Will need to develop more aggressiveness with the ball and on the boards. NBA future. Experienced.

Jr. Williams- Good athlete, shooter, defender and rebounder at the 2g. Smart and steady glue guy that keeps the ball moving and makes plays. Injuries have set him back, but he's healthy to start the season. Experienced.

Fr. Brooks- Again, the freshman has some skill and size. Solid athlete. Need to see more...

So. Woods- Excellent athlete. Reminds me of Dexter Strickland from years past. Can blow by people and make the athletic play. Tightened his handle after a rocky freshman start last season and started to show some confidence in his game late season. Growing in his decision making. Needs to improve his outside shot to play a prime time role.

Fr. Felton- What little I've seen of him is impressive. Long PG that can get to the rim on anybody. Good vision, shot looks ok. Need to see more...

So. Robinson- I really like this kid and how he's developing. Long wing, but skinny. Active. Aggressive. Quick. Solid handle. Scorer mentality. Will earn some quality minutes somehow.

Fr. Huffman-Looks like a strong kid who knows how to use his body inside. Need to see more..

Platek- Seems to have the coaches son, gym rat game. Fundamentally sound everywhere but lacks explosive athleticism. Good size for a 2g...need to see more...

Roy has built another team that can contend for a championship. They are unselfish, balanced and confident. Freshman bigs will have to step up rebounding the ball for their best chance at going far, otherwise, Roy will play small and depend on what should be a good outside shooting team... always risky in tournaments.

[Ultrarunner]

The season is about to get going so I thought I'd stop by and give you guys that like to talk hoops my pre season assessment of the '17-18 Heels team.

I don't participate in rigged games unless I must. That is not the case here. My assessment is that this is the last season I watch hoops as a direct result of the tar heels.

[Kedsy]

Roy has built another team that can contend for a championship.

I think this is an upper-half ACC team. Probably 3rd or 4th if everything goes well (although the Berry injury is ominous). Maybe could contend for the ACC tournament championship. But if you're talking about the NCAA championship, that's a stretch. This is a #3 to #6 seed team. I suppose nothing's impossible, but this UNC team is quite a long shot for the Final Four. More likely ceiling is Sweet 16.

[DavidBenAkiva]

I think this is an upper-half ACC team. Probably 3rd or 4th if everything goes well (although the Berry injury is ominous). Maybe could contend for the ACC tournament championship. But if you're talking about the NCAA championship, that's a stretch. This is a #3 to #6 seed team. I suppose nothing's impossible, but this UNC team is quite a long shot for the Final Four. More likely ceiling is Sweet 16.

Totally agree with Kedsy here. The strength of the UNC team the past few years has been offensive rebounding. The team just lost a bevvy of big, experienced bodies and is looking to replace that with Luke Maye, a decent forward prospect in Garrison Brooks, and some serious questions. That's a big step down from Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks, and Justin Jackson. Expecting to contend for a national title with that much of a question mark is wearing rose-colored glasses to an extreme. Now, the Heels should be a tough out. I'm not saying they will be garbage despite my sincerest hopes and dreams. But talk of Final Fours and National Titles when you haven't seen the frontcourt against meaningful competition? Good luck with those expectations.

[accfanfrom1970]

I'll ask the obvious. Is there anyone here, any Duke fan, that honestly wants to discuss uncheats basketball? Seriously, how?

[plimnko]

I'll ask the obvious. Is there anyone here, any Duke fan, that honestly wants to discuss uncheats basketball? Seriously, how?

in a word...NO!

[jv001]

This posts talks of a team that I refuse to acknowledge even exists. What they have done to college sports is unforgiveable. Plus they never received proper punishment. Just OJ Simpson.

NO COMMENT!!!!

GoDuke!

[elvis14]

OJU - bought their way into the last 2 tournaments. Benefitted by holding players back in a couple of years where the NCAA was down (in a large part because of injuries to our team). Cheated for 20+ years. Dean knew. Roy knew. Bought their way out of punishment. I hope they lose every game.

I apologize for posting in this thread and I hope if falls off the first page by end of day and that I never have to see it again.

Cheaters.

[TKG]

Given the public comments made about the three decades old cheating scandal at UNCLV by DBR, both on the front page of this site and in DBR podcasts I would request, respectfully, that this thread not only be locked but removed from the forum in its entirety.

[whereinthehellami]

I hope this thread stays open and that all the followup posts only talk about their rampant cheating and cover-up. Don't let them lift the cloud and sweep this under the rug. They think they spent $18 million for a win. They didn't. Cheaters, cheated, and cheating.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Totally agree with Kedsy here. The strength of the UNC team the past few years has been offensive rebounding. The team just lost a bevvy of big, experienced bodies and is looking to replace that with Luke Maye, a decent forward prospect in Garrison Brooks, and some serious questions. That's a big step down from Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks, and Justin Jackson. Expecting to contend for a national title with that much of a question mark is wearing rose-colored glasses to an extreme. Now, the Heels should be a tough out. I'm not saying they will be garbage despite my sincerest hopes and dreams. But talk of Final Fours and National Titles when you haven't seen the frontcourt against meaningful competition? Good luck with those expectations.

Rebounding and post defense is absolutely the biggest concern for this team. But, I've seen Brooks and Huffman, they are not the "project" type kids as feshmen you are used to seeing from Roy. They are physically ready. Roy has a good eye on kids with post strengths like boxing out and "nose for the ball"...we'll see if they can step up.

I think they can be a good enough rebounding team given the overall experience they have with the backcourt and wings. We'll see more crashing the boards from them to help the bigs out.

I think this team will be exciting. Lots of deep shooting, attacking the rim and ball pressure defense. Less power paint basketball than the past few years.

I see them a a top 3 ACC team, elite 8 potential.

[weezie]

Bonzie Colson 2 is still in college?

Wow, that guy. He looks pretty good for a 45 year old.

[chrishoke]

C H E A T E R S!

Please lock and detete.

[davekay1971]

In what league do the Heels play? They don't pay the players, so they're not a pro team. But it's clearly not a college since they made a decision 25 years ago not to educate their players. IIRC, the ACC and NCAA are organizations of colleges, so they clearly aren't a NCAA team and clearly don't compete for ACC honors.

I guess that makes them a exhibition barn-storming kind of squad.

Still, they seem like a pretty talented lot for exhibition games, so I'm sure Duke will get some good practice against them, which will help prep us for playing actual college teams!

[MChambers]

I'll ask the obvious. Is there anyone here, any Duke fan, that honestly wants to discuss uncheats basketball? Seriously, how?

I just came to here to say this is the last time I’ll look at this thread. Adios.

[dukelifer]

Bonzie Colson 2 is still in college?

Wow, that guy. He looks pretty good for a 45 year old.

While he seems old - he is surprisingly young. Only 21. Hansbrough was 24 when he graduated.

[DukePA]

Not our rivals.

[left_hook_lacey]

I think this is an upper-half ACC team. Probably 3rd or 4th if everything goes well (although the Berry injury is ominous). Maybe could contend for the ACC tournament championship. But if you're talking about the NCAA championship, that's a stretch. This is a #3 to #6 seed team. I suppose nothing's impossible, but this UNC team is quite a long shot for the Final Four. More likely ceiling is Sweet 16.

This is pretty spot on. UNC will have to have all the planets align in order to make a deep NCAA tournament run this year. They would need...

a.) Win a few games they would be heavy dogs in.
b.) Make a deep run, or even win the ACC to get a better NCAA seed.
c.) Get a favorable draw on selection Sunday
d.) Have a surprise breakout season from Garrison Brooks to even remotely fill the void left inside by the loss of Hicks and Meeks.
e.) Felton would need to adapt quickly to the college game, to give UNC a 1-2 punch at PG so there's not a lot of fall off when Berry goes out. Word on the street is, Felton has thus far been "hard to coach" which is code for being lazy and spoiled. He's probably never been coached hard his whole life given his talent level and pedigree. That could be an interesting development as this season goes on. If Ole Roy can break through to him and get him to buy-in, look out. If he cowers away from the conflict and pouts, it will be a season long distraction as to why he's not getting minutes etc. Stay tuned on that one.
f.) BERRY HAS TO STAY HEALTHY. If Berry were to go out for any significant amount of time, or have a nagging injury that keeps him from playing 100%, none of the above matters. They are doomed without Berry.


The things listed are a lot to ask of the basketball Gods for a season. I just don't see it happening, but wth do I know? I thought they would get hammered and might not even be eligible for post-season discussion. But I digress.

[OldPhiKap]

"I don't give a $#!+ about North Carolina"

[Troublemaker]

I feel like we've seen this script play out a few times now. Maybe we should just fast forward to when Wheat cracks, boils over in frustration that most people don't want to talk UNC hoops, makes uncivil or trolling comments, and eventually leaves the board for the rest of the season. Or do we have to go through the motions until that happens again?

Wheat, you can probably discuss UNC basketball here throughout the season because there will always be a few DBRers who will indulge you; heck, I'll probably chime it at some point if I happen to see them play. But you're going to have to show far more patience than you've shown in recent years. The NCAA turtled, but that doesn't mean fans will forget the cheating.