UNC Basketball: 5 freshman that would have started for other programs

James Michael McAdoo

James Michael McAdoo committed to the University of North Carolina as a consensus five-star prospect in 2011.

Thanks to his tremendous athleticism and play-making abilities, McAdoo was touted as a top-10 player by just about every recruiting outlet in the nation. Because of that, and his relationship with former Tar Heel and NBA Hall-of-Famer Bob McAdoo, he arrived on campus with a lot of expectations.

To say that he was a letdown at UNC would be unfair, particularly because he spent a large portion of his time there playing out of his natural position. There are those, though, who believe that he’d have been more effective, and more well-served, to have played for a different program with a roster more conducive to his game.

From the time that McAdoo replaced the injured John Henson in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, to the time that Roy Williams decided to run with a smaller lineup the following season, McAdoo was used primarily at the 5-spot.

The position that he’d play in high school, and the one he’d been recruited to play at North Carolina, was the 4-spot. And while that might seem like a small difference to the casual observer, the two positions can be very different.

Having said all of that, McAdoo did, in fact, have a successful run with North Carolina from 2011 to 2014, and he’d likely have started from day one for a number of other teams.

Although he didn’t get many minutes on a stacked 2011-12 squad, he did have a nice tournament run for the Tar Heels when filling in for Henson. He averaged 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game as a freshman.

He earned second team All-ACC honors as a sophomore and junior, scoring better than 14 points and seven rebounds per game over the two-year span.

After a 24-10 record and second-round exit from the 2014 NCAA Tournament, McAdoo left school to pursue a career in the NBA. Although he’s bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G-League, McAdoo did have a successful run as a reserve for the Golden State Warriors.