UNC Basketball: It is time to give Joel Berry some respect

In a time where point guards are invaluable, the Tar Heels have quite possibly the most valuable. It is now time for other people to see that.

Fresh off of winning a National Championship, and being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, Joel Berry announced his intentions to enter the 2017 NBA Draft.

Briefly thereafter, he pulled his name out and decided to return to the University of North Carolina for his senior year.

This left many Tar Heel fans extremely happy. While happiness was one of the first feelings to come over me, there was also another feeling.

The Disrespect

When Berry declared for the draft, he was expected to be a fringe second round pick. Most people had him going undrafted due to his size, wondering how he’d fit in the league.

But Berry proved time and time again in college that he has more heart, and fight than anybody. He also showed his size was no problem, finishing among the trees several times each game.

But the disrespect did not end, or begin with his draft position.

The disrespect began last year, when The Big Lead posted their top 50 best players in college basketball. Jason McIntyre, known for his work with The Big Lead, and Fox Sports, left Berry off the list.

Berry also was absent from the “Just Missed” section, and was later added to that part due to recommendations from the comments.

Players on the list included Jordan Woodard, Frank Jackson, and Seth Allen, all of which are good players, but none as strong as Joel Berry.

Today, McIntyre posted his list for this season, and while he did not make the same mistake twice, he did do Berry a little injustice.

Berry came in at 25 this year, while a huge improvement, he should have been much higher.

Ranked ahead of Berry this time are players like Chimeze Metzu, Jevon Carter, and even Matt Ferrell of Notre Dame.

GLENDALE, AZ – APRIL 03: Joel Berry II /

Once again, all three players are great players, but none possess the ability to take over games like Joel Berry can.

When discussing UNC this past season, sometimes Berry could become an afterthought. People would mention Jackson, and the stellar front court, but would gloss over Berry at times.

It was quickly seen this season that the Heels would go as far as Berry would take them.

The Argument for Joel Berry

Berry has been criminally underrated and disrespected in his time as a Tar Heel.

People forget that when Paige struggled through his senior season two years ago, that it was Berry who helped carry that team to a national title appearance.

The Apopka, Florida native also carried a lot of the Heels offense this season, despite not being the focal point of the offense. Berry’s excellent season (15 PPG, 4 APG, 38% 3PT) was overshadowed by Justin Jackson. And while Jackson was the best player, it is hard to dispute who was more valuable to the team.

Berry missed some time early in the season, and his value was quickly seen in those games. While the Heels did not lose either game, they only beat Tennessee by two points at home in a thriller.

They also struggled mightily against Davidson at home, winning 83-74.

This is not a knock on Seventh Woods, because almost all freshman point guards struggle in Roy Williams’ offense. But in those games, we saw immediately Berry’s importance to this team.

There is quite possibly not another player in the country in this upcoming season who is more important to their team than Berry.

Berry silenced all the doubters when he put up his best performance as a Heel in the national title game.

Berry went for 22 points and six assists in the game, leading the Heels to a title, and claiming MOP honors on the way.

Yet somehow, Berry still has more to accomplish.

What’s next for Berry?

So what can we expect from the senior guard this season? Well, if the last two seasons are an indicator, we can expect nothing shy of greatness.

Berry has steadily improved in all three seasons so far, and recently he showed off his summer work. He is ready to show the doubters he is capable of being a top ten player in college hoops.

But above that, we can expect Joel Berry to compete for a national player of the year award.

He will have nobody to defer to on this team. There is no debating, this is Joel Berry’s team.

He can easily get to a point where he can average 20 points this season, and he can put this team on his back, and lead them to a place that no team has been since the 2006-2007 Florida Gators, and that is winning back to back titles.

In February, when people are talking about how Joel Berry has surprisingly led this Tar Heel team to a top spot in the ACC, do not be surprised. Berry has long shown his ability.

It is now officially time to wake up, and realize Joel Berry as one of the best point guards in the country.

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