2012 UNC Tar Heels: When Post Players Face Up
By Matt Hamm
The 2012 North Carolina Tar Heels will be completely different in the post than the 2011 version. Gone are the likes of NBA first round picks John Henson and Tyler Zeller, UNC goes from having the nations best depth inside to a flurry of question marks down low.
James Michael McAdoo is the assumed next star big man in Chapel Hill, heading into his sophomore season he will get every chance to shine on this team. But McAdoo isn’t a post player in the traditional sense, as in, he doesn’t post up that much. JMM is an attacking player who utilizes he speed, strength and athleticism combined with his guard like ball handling skills to get to the basket.
A dominating finisher, when McAdoo is able to penetrate the lane he’s extremely effective around the rim. With a nice, soft touch on his mid-range and inside jumper, teams also need to worry about him spotting and pulling up. After struggling early his freshman season, McAdoo started to show why he was such a highly regarded prospect coming into college.
Essential for all Tar Heel big men, McAdoo excels in the open floor. He’s as or more athletic than just about every player he steps on the floor with. Faster than almost all his opponents, he can get down the floor in a hurry and utilize his great hands and finishing ability that few can match.
But can James Michael McAdoo become a superstar without a big time post up game? I believe he does, McAdoo doesn’t need to change his game entirely and live in the post. What makes him special is his unique ability to handle the basketball like a perimeter player and create his own shot. But then again, sometimes the perimeter players need that space, and every great team needs at least one player who can do damage with his back to the basket.
McAdoo’s counterparts freshman Brice Johnson and Joel James, along with fellow sophomore Desmond Hubert cannot be counted on to be that guy, at least not yet, it needs to be McAdoo. Johnson is too skinny to develop much of a post game now and has to concentrate on packing on the pounds before he tries venturing into the paint too often. James is a power player who also likes to face up from time to time but has a good chance at being a reliable low block player one day. Hubert is a mystery until he gets onto the court more but one thing is for sure, he’s never going to be an intimidating offensive figure.
McAdoo needs to soak up the summer instruction now allowed to players enrolled in summer school and the famous alumni pick up games held at the Dean Dome each year. If he can figure out a way to incorporate a few moves to the basket from the post that take advantage of both his strength and quickness teams would have to pick their poison when defending him. Backing off him, expecting a face up dribble drive wouldn’t be such an easy choice anymore. It’s easy to envision McAdoo also putting together a pretty good turn around jumper also after he pounds the ball a couple times for a little space from the defender.
McAdoo is a blessed talent that can do many, many things on a basketball court that few his size can even consider trying. If he can add the one missing element enough to make it a legitimate threat, it would go a long way toward his transformation from potential to real star.