A Tar Heel in Afghanistan The 2012-2013 Heels: Better than Most
By benwilliams
With the departure of four players that hold records and whose jersey’s will hang in the rafters of the Smith Center the 2012-13 will look different but not that different. I will go ahead and say it right now this is my prediction for the 2012-13 season and it is not one of doom and gloom. The Heels return plenty of talent and experience. A majority of the time in college basketball those are the two biggest factors to winning big. Do I think the Heels will win the title? Well they may not be favored but after further evaluation I wouldn’t say it is as crazy as some may think.
I will first start with one of the biggest factors in the Heels being downright scary next year. The Heels have what only a few teams have every year. Not one but TWO college stars, studs, ballers, whatever you want to call them. Yes, I am talking about Reggie Bullock and James Michael McAdoo. Those two are going to be stars next year, All-American type stars. I contend right now Reggie Bullock will be a better college player next year than Harrison Barnes. He may not be better in the NBA but in college ball he is the perfect SF. Bullock has not only has shown himself to be an elite shooter and defender but I believe next year he will develop into one of the premier scorers in the country. In other words “Best SF in the NCAA.” YEAH I SAID IT! There it is.
Now let us talk a bit about the other Heel who will be a superstar next year. It may have taken all year for the light to come on but when it did the country saw what James Michael McAdoo is capable of. I think he is a dark horse for player of the year not only in the ACC but in the Country. He is better than any other power forward in the ACC (yes he is better than CJ Leslie). He has all the tools to be an elite rebounder and scorer. I don’t believe he will ever be a great defender in the post but he will be active and create a ton of turnovers. I imagine this pair will pace the Heels next year and as they go the Heels will go. I believe they will go very well.
Add to those elite talents everything else the Heels have and you have a top 5 team. The Heels I contend have one of the best collections of perimeter talent in the country. If Marcus Paige is who Dave Telep and others think he is the Heels will have THE most talented and experienced collection of perimeter talent in the country. Paige in my mind is far underrated and is clearly the top pure PG in the 2012 class. Many in the media are discounting Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald, after injuries I guess it is easy to do. Lets be clear before he was injured Dexter Strickland was having an amazing year. He found when and where he could score effectively and efficiently and still maintained his status as an elite perimeter defender.
Before we ever got to see McDonald on the court for the Heels he went down with a knee injury. Leslie McDonald’s improvement from his freshman to sophomore year was good but during the summer of 2011 he look poised to take his game to a new level (the Miami game in the ACC tournament is where it all started). I watched him multiple times during that summer and quite frankly he was a different player. He took his athleticism to another level, he developed an attitude of confidence, his ball handling was greatly improved (to the point where I think he could handle the point at times next year), and his stroke was still as good as ever.
Add to those two PJ Hairston who has all the ability in the world, he just needs some confidence and to learn more about the game. I see him as a JR Smith type with the ability to be a better defender. Yes his shooting numbers were bad last year but he was a freshman and I expect his shot selection to improve. JP Tokoto may not be counted on much but if he is I believe he will be ready. His development as a player seemed to hit a wall after his sophomore year in HS but he began to move back up the “experts” rankings at the very end of the 2012 recruiting season. If anyone will be able to take JP’s game to the next level it is Roy Williams, with his athleticism JP has the ability to be a star.
The post is where the Heels will be thin but as I have mentioned they will have a star in McAdoo. The two freshmen Brice Johnson and Joel James will have to play and play right away. They will have some level of pressure but not as much as many other freshmen around the nation. These two will need to rebound, defend and clean up some messes. The Heels should get 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks a game from the two of them. That will be more than enough. Also don’t discount Jackson Simmons just yet I have my reservations but the kid has fundamentals and great motor.
Heels fans I am excited and you should be as well. This team won’t have nearly the pressure or expectations. Some of the Heels have already let be known that upsets them and it should. I don’t know how people in the media crown NCSU a team (1-19 against Roy Williams in his time at UNC) that lost quite a bit and completely forget about the Heels. Media are already discounting what is an insanely talented roster. Five McDonald’s All-Americans, five Jordan Brand participants, nine players ranked in the top 70 coming out of HS and three ranked in the top 12 coming out of HS. After writing that it sinks in even more how few teams in the country can match that kind of talent.
With the expectation that the Heels will play a 30 game regular season slate here is my prediction without knowing OOC and conference slate (will update accordingly). I have loftier goals than most for this group of Heels.
BOTTOM LINE: 30-8 (13-5)
ACC Player of the Year – Reggie Bullock
ACC Tournament MVP – James Michael McAdoo
ACC Regular Season Co-Champs
ACC Tournament Champs
Final 4 appearance
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