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UNC Basketball 2018-19 player previews: Brandon Huffman

By Zack Pearson

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 06: Brandon Huffman #42 of the North Carolina Tar Heels pulls down a rebound against the Western Carolina Catamounts during their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 6, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 06: Brandon Huffman #42 of the North Carolina Tar Heels pulls down a rebound against the Western Carolina Catamounts during their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 6, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Our UNC Basketball player previews continue with sophomore Brandon Huffman who has the chance to earn some minutes in the paint this season for the Tar Heels

Coby White | Nassir Little | Rechon Black | Garrison Brooks | Sterling Manley | Andrew Platek

After the departures of Kenny Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and Tony Bradley Jr. following the 2017 national championship run, Roy Williams added three bigs in his 2017 recruiting class. Garrison Brooks, Sterling Manley and Brandon Huffman were all apart of that recruiting class as the head coach hoped to reload in the paint.

While it was a struggle at times for the three big men in their freshman seasons, the hope is that they can develop into the bigs Williams likes using to run the floor.

In 2018-19, each of the three bigs in that class are expected to take a big leap in their game and be key contributors both offensively and defensively for the Tar Heels.

UNC didn’t land a big man in their 2018 recruiting class, bringing in three talented wings instead.

So not only is the development important for this season, the future of the program in the paint is critical for a few years with that 2017 class. This season should be a big step in the right direction.

2017-18 Season in Review

Huffman was brought in as a four-star recruit out of Raleigh with the hope of being a solid post presence for UNC.

But in his first season in Chapel Hill, Huffman struggled to find playing time in the Tar Heels’ rotation. Huffman averaged just 3.4 minutes per game and fell behind both Brooks and Manley in the rotation.

With no dominant big man stepping up, Williams had to deploy his “death lineup” with Theo Pinson and Luke Maye in the paint. He doesn’t want to deploy that lineup again this season.

Huffman averaged just 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in limited time last season. The development wasn’t all there throughout the year, which is why this past offseason was so big.

Time will tell if Huffman has developed or not but the hope is that he can make the big jump from last year to this year.

What to expect in 2018-19?

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward should have his chance again to earn some valuable minutes off the bench. He won’t be a starter for Williams this season, barring any injuries but he a key piece to that second rotation team off the bench.

Huffman should be able to come in and give Manley and Brooks a rest, working with that second and third team rotation.

If Huffman did make that big jump from his freshman to sophomore season, it would be a huge benefit for the Tar Heels to have another big player in the post. By doing so, Huffman could see an uptick in playing time.

For now, expectations shouldn’t be through the roof but that doesn’t mean Huffman can’t have an impact.

Watch how he performs early in the season to get a feel of where he’s at in the rotation. If he can emerge, he could fund himself earning some run in tough non-conference games the Tar Heels have scheduled for this year.

Strengths and something he needs to improve on…

For a big man, Huffman is pretty athletic. You saw that with his dunking ability and the way he was able to move down in the paint.

His game does need to be polished but the athleticism is much better than I truly expected when he was on campus. If he can improve on that and get the fundamentals more well-rounded, he could turn into a surprise.

The biggest area I’d like to see Huffman improve in is rebounding.

Williams’ offense and defense revolves around the bigs rebounding and UNC has done that very well over the years. Huffman’s improvements will start with his hands and getting stronger as he goes up.

He needs to use his body and put himself in a position to win the rebounding battle for the Tar Heels. By doing so, he can give the offense second chances or even limit the opposing offenses to just one trip down the floor.

Bold prediction

I think we will see an uptick in minutes for Huffman in ACC play later on in 2019. He should take advantage of the non-conference games and show that he can play in this league.

As for stats, I can see Huffman averaging somewhere close to three rebounds a game for another bold prediction.

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For more on the UNC Basketball program and player previews, please check back with Keeping It Heel.

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