Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball 2019-20 Player Review: Andrew Platek

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 01: Andrew Platek #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels plays during a game against the Boston College Eagles on February 01, 2020 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Boston College won 70-71. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 01: Andrew Platek #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels plays during a game against the Boston College Eagles on February 01, 2020 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Boston College won 70-71. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /
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We continue our UNC basketball player season in review series with junior shooting guard Andrew Platek

Justin Pierce | Jeremiah Francis | Anthony Harris | Brandon Huffman

Andrew Platek returned to Chapel Hill as a junior in the fall of 2019 with hopes of being a difference-maker for the Tar Heels. After averaging less than four points and 2.1 rebounds per game for the season, it’s probably safe to say that things didn’t turn out quite the way he wanted them to.

Platek saw a 10 percent drop in his field goal shooting from sophomore to junior season, and a slightly larger decrease in his three-point shooting percentage. Of the 123 shots that Platek fired up on the season, he connected on just 45. 57 of those shot attempts were from beyond the arc, where he hit just 13, good for 22.8 percent.

He did, however, start nine games this season, something he hadn’t done even once in the two years prior. He also averaged better than 18 minutes per game, nearly 15 minutes per outing more than he played as a sophomore. He was pretty good on the offensive glass, where 23 of his 65 total rebounds were gathered. He also managed an impressive 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio in 31 games, turning the ball over just 19 times in 561 minutes. For comparison’s sake, freshman guard Jeremiah Francis turned the ball over 19 times in 218 minutes.

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Platek scored a season-high nine points on three occasions as a junior; once in a 77-61 win over Gardner-Webb, and again in losses to Duke and Louisville. In those games he combined to shoot 9-for-18 from the floor, and 3-for-8 from long-range to go along with 13 rebounds and seven assists.

One thing that I will never discount Platek on is his effort and energy. When he’s in the game, he’s giving everything he has to help the team win. He’s a cheerleader on the sidelines, too, and a leader in the locker room. He’ll return for his senior season in the fall with an emphasis on increased shooting efficiency. Here’s hoping that all of the hard work he’s put in over the past three years pays off.

Next. Tar Heels' projected 2020-21 starting lineup. dark

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