Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Brandon Huffman 2017-2018 season preview

By Alec Lasley

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: The North Carolina Tar Heels mascot celebrates in the confetti after defeatin ghte Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: The North Carolina Tar Heels mascot celebrates in the confetti after defeatin ghte Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Continuing our 2017-2018 player previews, meet freshman big man Brandon Huffman

Walker Miller | Sterling Manley

Though the Tar Heels lost almost all of their front court production from their national championship team of a year ago, they reload with three talented, yet under-the-radar, big men in the 2017 class.

Brandon Huffman comes to Chapel Hill after having offers from Clemson, UCONN, Baylor and Indiana, among others.

More from UNC Basketball

The 6-foot-9 big man from Raleigh, North Carolina, played for Word of God Academy and committed to the Tar Heels in September of his senior year.

Huffman finished with a four-star rating and was the sixth-ranked player in the state of North Carolina according to ESPN. He came in at No. 91 overall according to 247Sports, though, and was considered the best player in the state.

2016-2017 Review

During his senior season at Word of God Academy, he averaged 16.1 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.

One of his best performances came against Oak Hill when he posted 19 points and 11 rebounds, proving to people that he was able to compete against top competition.

Throughout his high school AAU career, he spent his time with Team Loaded NC.

A great honor for Huffman was when his play earned him a spot on the Adidas US Select Team that competed in Treviso, Italy in the summer of 2016.

2017-18 Role and Preview

Huffman brings the Tar Heels a big body who can rebound and block shots. Though he is still raw offensively, and not many plays can be run through him yet, Huffman scores a large majority of his points off of offensive rebounds and put backs.

Because the Tar Heels are so wing heavy, with perimeter players being the strength of their team, they don’t need the scoring of Huffman, just the defensive prowess and intensity.

He’ll bring energy and effort with him to the court each and every game.

Huffman will often make plays that won’t show up in the stat sheet, due to his energy and hard work, making him a fan favorite.

With the talent around him, Huffman will be a role player this year, and not much more than that. Don’t look for any of the three freshman bigs to have great statistical seasons, but don’t underestimate their role as a group.

Strengths

With his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame, Huffman has a great body for an incoming freshman big man, something that is well beyond his years.

Though he isn’t an extremely fluid athlete, he has great ability to run the floor and finish in the transition game. He also comes with great leaping ability.

The biggest asset he provides the Tar Heels with immediately is his rebounding. On both ends of the floor, Huffman impacts the game tremendously with his ability to use his physical play to rebound the ball.

Though he is very raw in terms of a post game, lacking a wide array of moves, Huffman has all of the physical tools to be one of the better big men in the conference in a couple of years.

Bold Prediction

With Sterling Manley lacking the necessary weight and endurance, still rebuilding his body from back-to-back years of broken legs in the middle of his high school career, Huffman enters the season with a better chance to see more minutes at the center position.

Since he and Manley are the only two traditional “centers” on the roster, and the fact that Coach Williams almost always uses two big men on the floor, Huffman will find himself playing a good amount of minutes in a variety of lineups.

Because of the playing time that will be available to him, and thanks to his great build, he will be one of the top rebounders on the team.

I don’t expect anyone on this team to be like Brice Johnson or Kennedy Meeks in terms of averaging double-digit rebounds, but Huffman has the potential.

Next: Duke offers scholarship to UNC target

I expect there to be about three guys to average anywhere between six and eight rebounds a game, and wouldn’t be surprised if Huffman is one of those guys.

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