Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Best Tar Heel Role Players of the Decade

By Nick Delahanty

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: TV personality Jim Nantz speaks to head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels and his team after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: TV personality Jim Nantz speaks to head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels and his team after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 12
Next
CHAPEL HILL, NC – NOVEMBER 13: Kenny Williams #24, Seventh Woods #21 and Tony Bradley #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react during their game against the Chattanooga Mocs at the Dean Smith Center on November 13, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. UNC won 97-57. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – NOVEMBER 13: Kenny Williams #24, Seventh Woods #21 and Tony Bradley #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react during their game against the Chattanooga Mocs at the Dean Smith Center on November 13, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. UNC won 97-57. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

The best North Carolina basketball role players since 2010: Tony Bradley

Forward. 2016-2017. Tony Bradley. 6. player. 441. Scouting Report. 2016-2017

Tony Bradley was a very highly-touted prospect out of high school. The Bartow, Florida native was a five-star recruit who ultimately decided to play his college ball in Chapel Hill.

With a team set to compete for a National Championship, who knew what kind of role the incoming freshman would play. As time went on, it was easy to see how valuable he became to Roy Williams’ squad.

Senior forwards in Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks rightfully earned a lot of minutes in the frontcourt, but the Tar Heels lacked size otherwise. This is where the arrival of Tony Bradley on campus became so important.

Bradley averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while playing just about 15 minutes per contest. When the senior forwards needed a breather or found themselves in foul trouble, Bradley’s number would be called to provide quality minutes. He quickly became a strong defensive and rebounding presence for a team that was considered one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

The Tar Heels went on to win the National Championship, and that ended up being the last time we saw Bradley in a Tar Heels uniform. With much hype surrounding him, Bradley was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

If Bradley remained on campus, we probably don’t have him on this list. Bradley would have almost certainly took over one of the starting rotation spots that were open with Hicks and Meeks graduating.

As time went on, Bradley was expected to develop into one of the best big men in college basketball. However, the young forward/center saw an opportunity to play at the next level and jumped at the opportunity.

Regardless of his short stint in Chapel Hill, Bradley played a big role in helping the Tar Heels take home the National Championship that season.

Home/North Carolina Tar Heels