UNC Basketball: Brandon Huffman 2018-19 season in review

Brandon Huffman saw fewer minutes in his sophomore season at North Carolina, but always answered the bell when his number was called. What’s in store for the reserve big man in his third season with the UNC basketball program?

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

Brandon Huffman was one of four scholarship sophomores on the North Carolina roster last season, along with shooting guard Andrew Platek, and big men Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley.

Brooks was the only member of the class that got substantial minutes during the quartet’s second season in Chapel Hill, as he started all 36 games he played in and averaged 23 minutes per contest. Sophomore reserves Huffman, Platek and Manley, though, were used sparingly as they battled with inexperience, inconsistency and injury, respectively, throughout the season.

The good

For Brandon Huffman, year two at the University of North Carolina was more about patience than production. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man spent the majority of the 2018-19 season on the bench waiting for his turn. And his turn didn’t come around very often.

The sophomore power forward appeared in 26 games — three fewer than he did as a freshman — where he averaged just 2.6 minutes per outing, despite shooting the ball nearly five percent better than he did a season ago. His points per game and total points scored were down from his freshman season, as were his rebounding numbers and blocks.

He did, however, come into the game and provide quality minutes any time he was asked to, scoring points in nine of the 26 games he appeared in this season. He also recorded at least one rebound in a game on 16 occasions, and turned the ball over just one time as a sophomore.

His shooting percentage from the floor improved to 59.1 percent as a sophomore, compared to just 54.3 percent during the 2017-18 season.

The bad

Unfortunately, Huffman didn’t get on the floor much this season, and that won’t help his lack of experience moving forward. He played more than two minutes in a game in just 11 of his 26 appearances this season, and managed more than five minutes twice.

Despite shooting the ball at a 59.1 percent clip, he only put up 22 shots on the season. He also made it to the free throw line just 12 times — four fewer than he did a season ago — and only converted on five of those attempts.

Almost all of his numbers from a season ago were down this year, thanks to a decline in playing time from his freshman campaign.

Best game

Huffman’s best game this season was a seven-point, three-rebound effort against UNC-Wilmington on December 5. He shot 3-for-3 from the floor, and connected on his lone free throw of the game. He also recorded three rebounds and a steal in just six minutes of game time.

Also noteworthy is the performance he had against Wake Forest on February 16 when he played eight minutes off the bench, scoring six points and pulling down three rebounds. He also recorded an assist, a block and a steal while hitting two of his four shot attempts from the floor.

What the future holds

Huffman will obviously be helpful for the Tar Heels over the next two seasons when it comes to depth, but how much playing time he’ll get and his level of production are difficult to estimate. If he can get in the game more and make a bigger impact on the final outcome while he’s on the court, it will definitely help him see more playing time in his junior and senior seasons.