UNC Basketball Player Profiles: Reggie Bullock

It’s time for our final piece to our player profile series and just in time for the start of the 2012-2013 season. Our final profile belongs to star junior guard/forward Reggie Bullock. Bullock is the only remaining piece to the #1 ranked recruiting class of 2011, which also included both Kendall Marshall and Harrison Barnes who are now in the NBA. Both of the aforementioned players played huge roles on a North Carolina team that was a title contender all season long and both players were spotlight guys that had defenses focused squarely on them night in and night out. Reggie was a solid benefactor, both off the bench and in a starting role, but is he ready to step up and be the guy that gets the Tar Heels over the hump?

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Reggie is a natural two guard even at 6-7 and was recruited by North Carolina as such. His height at that position poses a huge matchup porblem for any opposing defenders who try to contain him. Reggie has spent most of his tenure with the Tar Heels playing the two beside Harrison Barnes, but with the unusual amount of depth that the Tar Heels possess at the guard position, Reggie will most likely shift over to the small forward spot since he’s got more height than the other guards on the roster.

Reggie’s biggest strength to his game is undoubtedly his jump shot. He was one of the premier shooters in the country in high school and is considered one of, if not the most, potent shooters on the team. I think it’s fair to say still that we have yet to see the real Reggie Bullock. We all remember that he was limited his freshman season with a knee injury that eventually sidelined him for the season and last year I think he was still trying to get everything back together both as a starter and as the sixth man. This time, Reggie is the veteran and one of the only sure fire starters night in and night out this season. He will be looked at by Roy Williams to be a consistent scorer every single game and will often be called upon to hit shots from deep. Typically, with a strong front court, North Carolina can win games without making a ton of threes, but with the inexperience on the low block this season, the three point shot will play more of a crucial role. I think Reggie is up to the challenge and we will really see a more developed shot from him.

Another strength to Reggie’s game is his defense which in my opinion is very underappreciated. For Coach Williams, his offense benefits greatly from defense turning into offense and fortunately for him, Reggie can do both very well. Typically, Roy does start a defensive saavy player on the wing along all of the scoring dynamos on the floor (Dexter Strickland, Marcus Ginyard, Jackie Manuel, etc.) and once Dexter went down with an ACL tear last season, Reggie was looked at to play that role. Reggie possesses great lateral quickness for his size and can run with speedy guards on the perimeter. His size allows him to guard multiple positions and to bang down low when needed.

Reggie’s biggest challenge this season will be to post double figure scoring figures every night and more specifically doing it from beyond the arc. If he can find that touch that we’ve seen many glimpses of and utilize it on a game to game basis then North Carolina has potential to be very very good. Reggie will always get after it on the defensive end to pair with his shooting and will prove to be the player the Tar Heels need him to be. I think we are looking at a future All-American.