UNC Basketball Summer School Assignments: Leslie McDonald
By Matt Hamm
Leslie McDonald will be apart of a very deep perimeter for Roy Williams at North Carolina. Returning from a torn ACL that cost him all of last season, McDonald is now 100% healthy and back on the court, getting ready for the 2012 season. It’s time for McDonald to prove why he was such a highly rated prospect coming to Chapel Hill and why Roy called him one of UNCs top six players before his injury last season. For him to do that he will need to complete his summer school assignments.
After a promising sophomore season that saw McDonald lead the team in three point shooting percentage as a role player off the bench, Leslie was supposed to compete for a starting role last year. Before the injury McDonald was described as a different player in the NC-Pro Am tournament. He was playing with confidence on both ends of the floor, driving the ball to the basket, finishing with authority while showing off his jump shot.
After fellow wing Dexter Strickland was injured mid way through the season, speculation began that McDonald, who was practicing with the team would return. After a brief evaluation of the situation, coach Williams put an end to that speculation re-declaring that McDonald would sit out the remainder of the season.
Early returns on that decision are favorable as McDonald looks great in summer play. He’s been clamoring for some real competition for a long time, and he’s finally getting it, right back at the NC Pro-Am where he was injured one year ago. Leslie looks even more confident in all aspects of his game, especially defensively. He will be going up against Strickland, PJ Hairston and Reggie Bullock in a battle for minutes and a spot in the starting five. If he’s going to earn one of those spots, he needs to do so on the defensive end.
In terrific shape, McDonald still isn’t a very strong player in the upper body, though he is vastly improved from his arrival in Chapel Hill. McDonald needs to keep hitting the weights this summer, every pound of muscle will help as the season wears on. His ball handling will be huge as well, with a new, freshman point guard arriving, UNCs perimeter players will need to help with the ball handling responsibilities.
McDonald can’t just be a good shooter for Carolina, he needs to be the best shooter on the team. With his size, strength and play in last years tournament, it’s Bullock, not McDonald who has the biggest advantage amongst the competitors on the perimeter. McDonald needs to show he can out shoot Bullock and play the type of defense the team needs in order to play him over Strickland.
At the end of the day McDonald may be the teams top talent on the perimeter. But he’s going up against two guys in Strickland and Bullock who have already proven themselves to Roy Williams. McDonald needs to show he’s versatile enough to give the Tar Heels what they need at both ends of the floor.
I view a lineup with McDonald at the SG position and Bullock at SF as UNCs best perimeter duo. McDonalds athleticism and shooting ability make him a better fit next to Bullock than anyone else on the roster. Watching him play this summer has convinced me that at some point hhe will in fact become a star in college basketball and potentially the next level. That is, if he completes his summer school assignments.