UNC Basketball: Best Tar Heel Role Players of the Decade

The best North Carolina basketball role players since 2010: Nate Britt

Right away, Nate Britt was entrusted into Roy Williams’ starting lineup. The freshman looked to have a lot of potential, as the Tar Heels were hoping that he would claim a starting role for good.

Britt went on to start in the Tar Heels first 10 games of the season. He was very inconsistent in those games, and ultimately was demoted to a backup role.

From that point on, Britt essentially became a backup point guard for the Tar Heels. His minutes decreased, as he was called upon to provide some quality minutes when the starters needed a rest.

Similar to Robinson, Britt could’ve easily left Chapel Hill to pursue other opportunities to play. However, Britt stuck it out, and it paid dividends.

Britt became a very valuable backup point guard, as he was able to provide a spark off the bench for the Tar Heels. His numbers won’t “wow” you (averaged 5.1 points and 2 assists per game over his career), but Britt did the little things to help the Tar Heels win games.

Showing the ability to run the Tar Heels offense, along with his defensive presence, made it easy for Williams to give his backup guard quality minutes in key situations. Although he worked hard to earn his minutes, it wasn’t always easy for the Upper Marlboro, MD native.

As a senior, Britt was called upon to start a handful of games due to an injury to Joel Berry. As a starter, Britt struggled, drawing much criticism from the Tar Heel faithful.

This didn’t deter Britt, but yet, motivated him. Once Berry returned, Britt went back to his original role, and ended up being a key contributor in the Tar Heels National Championship run.

When you look at that National Championship team, there are a handful of names you’ll think of ahead of Nate Britt. However, Britt is a guy who shouldn’t be forgotten, as he embraced his role and worked hard to help bring success to the North Carolina men’s basketball program.