UNC Basketball: Superstar Potential on the Way
By Editorial Staff
Well Tar Heel nation, unless you have been living under a rock since March 3rd of last year, I’m pretty sure you guys have heard the name Jean Pierre “J.P.” Tokoto. But if you haven’t, I’m here to make sure you have. The significance of March 3rd was the day that this super athletic, high flying, highlight reel of an athlete chose to wear the baby blue colors of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Tokoto made his decision to play for UNC based off the schools basketball tradition and the way Coach Roy Williams treated him like family. That alone, speaks volumes about the morals of this kid. Roy Williams said himself ” J.P. is an incredibly athletic player and a wonderful young man. He really works hard and appreciates life.” Going into his sophomore season at Menomonee Falls, this 6-6 combo forward of Wisconsin became a highly recruited target for several top division 1 schools based solely on his athleticism alone. Going into his junior season, he weighed around 180 pounds and had a vertical leap of over 40 inches at age 17. That athleticism caught the eyes of the top college basketball programs including the likes of Wisconsin, Duke, Uconn, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, Marquette, Maryland and of course, North Carolina.
Every coach ranted about his love for attacking the offensive glass for thunderous put-back dunks and excelling in transition with the ability to finish hard in the paint. Coach Williams saw him as fearless when it came to crashing the boards on both ends and having the transition skills along with great court vision to dish to open teammates or attack the rim with vengeance. But mostly, what Roy saw in this kid is his defensive ability. In Roy’s eyes, J.P. has the ability to be a big-time defender on the ball and out on perimeter. His size, leaping ability, and long lengthy arms can create problems for anyone to score against him anywhere on the court. Since Tokotos commitment, J.P. strives hard to focus on what needed work in his overall game. He was told he had to work on his lack of bulk and increase his strength conditioning. J.P. did just that with vigorous workouts over the summer. Those increased workouts payed off with gaining close to 20 pounds muscle getting his weight up to close to 200 lbs. In that time frame, he managed to also work on his mid-range and perimeter game as well. Both have shown great improvements this past year but is still a work in progress, which is expected.
I think when all said and done, this kids work ethic and dedication paired with his god-gifted athleticism and leaping ability, he has potential to be a Superstar, not only as a Tar Heel but at the NBA level. Viewed by many as a Vince Carter type athlete, many also believe he has the defensive skill set similar to that of former Tar Heel Jackie Manuel. That right there in my opinion says that the talent is definitely there for sure. Include those comparisons to the accomplishments already in High School which include both a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 1 and Associated Press First Team All-State Honoree. And that’s not including the fact that Tokoto just won The American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk Championship in New Orleans. I’m thinking these accomplishments are just the beginning for this kid.
Another thing you have to know about this kid is how humble he is. Its amazing to see someone that appreciates everything and everyone that has helped him succeed to get to where hes at in the present. For example, in an interview before the Slam Dunk Championship he stated ” It’s a great opportunity for me to put my high school on the map and represent the State of Wisconsin the best I can.” These character traits to me shows he pays recognition to everyone along the way. That will hold great significance to us as “TAR HEEL” fans , which I think will upgrade J.P.Tokoto to an instant crowd favorite in the Dean Dome. For those of you following on twitter, check his account @AirPierreTokoto and see for yourself how much he shows Tar Heel Nation love. Take a look at his timeline, and you will see he interacts with fans mainly through retweets. One night he went overboard to the point where he retweeted almost everyone that tweeted him.
That to me points out his very likeable personality especially when it comes to fan base. If that’s not enough, on ESPNU, the night of the Shabazz Muhammad and Nerlens Noel decisions, the segment on the Tar Heels he walked up to a cardboard cut out of Roy Williams and hugged and kissed his forehead displaying his respect for the coach and UNC as a whole. Also weeks earlier, during the College Slam Dunk Championship, he made it a point to get caught on camera holding up ZEROS to a Miles Plumlee dunk basically already showing hes already a part of the best rivalry in college sports Duke vs. UNC. Simple yet entertaining acts like this give us Carolina fans more of a reason to look forward to 2012 season.
I know I’m not the only one imagining J.P. Tokoto on the receiving end of one of Marcus Paige’s alley-oops. Basically Jean Pierre Tokoto possesses all the skills you need to have great success at the college level and should build off those skills to take to the next level. J.P. knows he might be called upon earlier than expected and said he’s up for the challenge. He wants to prove to the world that he’s more than just a high flyer that can jump out the gym and dunk. He wants everyone to see that he has different dimensions to his game and he will get his chance. I am looking forward to watching J.P. Tokoto and what the future brings and am almost willing to bet its going to be a very BRIGHT future ahead of him.
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