One Improvement Each Tar Heel Needs To Make In The Offseason
Feb 20, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) and North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) react in the second half as Duke Blue Devils forward Rodney Hood (5) is in the background. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 74-66 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Tar Heels surprised a lot of people from their rocky beginning. They beat the number one, the number three, the number five, and the number eleven teams in the nation after a lot of the country wrote this year off as a “rebuilding” one. Eventually, the Tar Heels lost to a very strong Iowa State team in a bizarre game-ending no-call. A lot of Tar Heel fans are proud of this squad. It’s a team that gained a lot of confidence throughout the season and could come out seriously firing on all cylinders next year. Here are some off-season improvements each returner should make.
Marcus Paige: Become the catalyst immediately
Marcus Paige was the glue of this team down the stretch, hitting major shots in big moments. However, at the beginning of this season, Paige was a true point guard who considered himself nearly a complete facilitator. When P.J. Hairston wasn’t brought back to the team, the Tar Heels suddenly found themselves without an identity. The season turned around when Paige took on a leadership mentality.
This offseason he needs to understand from the tip, that it is his game to win. The Tar Heels will rely completely on him and he has to start off each game as the aggressor. There were many games MP didn’t score until the second half. Then, all of a sudden, UNC becomes known as a “second half team.” That’s not a coincidence. Paige must take the off-season to become a general on the court.
Kennedy Meeks: Get a little meaner in the post
Meeks has incredible upside. He’s a big body at 6’9’’, 290 pounds, with phenomenal post-passing skills and a soft jumper. There’s just one issue for me. He’s a bit of a gentle giant. Off the court, that’s not a bad thing. On the court, he has the size advantage to be a dominating force. Basketball is a mental game and I just don’t think he strikes fear into the opposition the way he could. Nobody fears him yet.
I want Meeks to get some fire and talk some trash. When he blocks a shot, nod to the camera with your tongue out. Let the opposition know that the paint is your area and they are unwelcome guests. An NBA great to emulate would be Karl Malone. Meeks isn’t a massive talker, much like Malone, but you always knew where he was on the court—as well as not to mess with him.
J.P. Tokoto: Focus on Slashing, Clean-up Points
You know how there are some people that thrive when things are falling down all around them? Yeah, J.P. Tokoto is one of those people. The man just rises to the occasion whenever the ball is lost in a scramble or a fast break has gone awry. J.P. shows up with the play.
First of all, he’s far and away the biggest improvement from the first year on the Tar Heels. He can leap out of the building and he’s got a nose for the ball. Those are two qualities you can’t teach. Tokoto needs to spend this offseason understanding his role: break-down points. When he slashes, the defense breaks down and good things happen. When the ball is up for a rebound, he can out-jump everyone near the basket, and good things happen. He shouldn’t focus on making his fairly weak jumper into a mediocre one. He should focus on turning his pure athletic talent into easy tip-ins, drives, and dunks. It’s the strongest weapon he has.
Brice Johnson: Improve your back-to-the-basket post play
Johnson is a skinny cat that can jump, so obviously he doesn’t want to go and bang down low with the buffet-demolishers. He wants to rely on quickness near the rim. Get a set of strong pump-fakes and a baby-hook shot. The pump fakes get the bigger defender hesitating for a second and Brice can either use his speed to go around him, his length to outreach him for a shot, or use his size against him—by throwing himself into the bigger guy’s chest, drawing a foul.
He’s already got a face-the-basket type of skillset. A back-to-the-basket pairing would do wonders for his game. We could be seeing a big time improvement from Brice next year.
Joel James: Pick up a jump rope and don’t put it down
James has the greatest upside on the team. He’s strong as a bull and looks like he has a bit of a don’t-mess-with-me edge to him, which is what UNC wants in a big. However, there’s a problem. James has terrible feet positioning on the block. He currently has no rhythm and often finds himself swinging his drop-step foot too wide, to end up under the basket, or too shallow, where he loses his power base and leverage. Make that man jump rope and do line drills for all of April and May before he picks up a basketball. It will make a world of difference.