UNC Basketball: Lineup options for Tar Heels in 2019-20
With a deep and talented roster, the UNC basketball program has several lineup options for the 2019-20 season
The North Carolina Tar Heels are ready to usher in a new era basketball in the fall of 2019, replacing four of last season’s five starters, and bidding farewell to five of the team’s top six players.
Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Cameron Johnson graduated, while sensational freshmen Coby White and Nassir Little left for the NBA after just one season of college ball. Now, a new pair of freshman faces will take center stage in Chapel Hill, as the 2019 class’s top point guard, Cole Anthony, joins 5-star center Armando Bacot as the headliners of a top-10 nationally ranked recruiting class.
Joining the mix this year are graduate transfers Justin Pierce (William & Mary) and Christian Keeling (Charleston Southern). The two seniors played a lot of minutes last season, and put up big numbers for their respective teams. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Pierce has averaged nearly 15 points and nine rebounds per game over the last two seasons. Keeling, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard, averaged just under 19 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 38 percent from long-range.
North Carolina’s lone returning starter from a season ago, Garrison Brooks, will reprise his role as the team’s starting power forward. Brooks averaged just 7.9 points per game last season, but was essentially the Tar Heels’ sixth option on offense. He was never asked to do much on that end of the floor, but was extremely efficient when he did. He shot nearly 58 percent from the floor, and improved his free throw percentage five points from the prior season. He averaged 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio while logging 23 minutes per game for the season. He started each of the Tar Heels’ 36 games.
Key reserves Brandon Robinson and Leaky Black return this season, hoping to take on bigger roles than last year. Both have value as two-way players, thanks to their length and ability to shoot the basketball. It’s unlikely that either crack the starting lineup this season — at least on a regular basis — but anything is possible. Robinson is rounding into a very nice player, and Black’s steep trajectory is undeniable. Look for Black to take his place in the UNC starting five next season.
North Carolina has a nice combination of skill, star-power, experience and role players. While some are down on the Tar Heels’ prospects in 2019-20, I think that they’re built for a bigger season than they were the past two years. Roy Williams finally gets back to his traditional two-big system this season, something we’ve seen the Tar Heels struggle without many times.
Take a look at some of the lineup options that Roy Williams and the UNC basketball program will have during the 2019-20 season.