UNC Basketball: Christian Keeling off to good start in Scotland

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 08: Christian Keeling #55 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Dean Smith Center on February 08, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 08: Christian Keeling #55 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Dean Smith Center on February 08, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Former UNC basketball player Christian Keeling got off to a hot start in Scotland on Sunday night, scoring a team-high 26 points for the Glasgow Rocks.

In his first game action since joining the British Basketball League on December 23, former North Carolina shooting guard Christian Keeling scored a team-high 26 points in his debut performance with the Glasgow Rocks.

Keeling knocked down 9-of-14 shots for the game, and 2-of-5 from three-point range. He also connected on all six of his free throw attempts, while tallying three rebounds and two assists in a 105-93 loss to the Newcastle Eagles.

https://twitter.com/rocksglasgow/status/1343233859907952640

Keeling’s 26 points for the Rocks on Sunday were more than he scored in any one game with the Tar Heels a season ago. In a season in which he averaged 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, Keeling’s high mark at North Carolina was just 18 points. His two made three-pointers are a welcomed sight for the Rocks, too, especially considering that he hit just 16 for the Tar Heels in 33 games last season. The same can be said for his 6-for-6 mark from the free throw line, as Keeling connected on just 24-of-32 attempts from the charity stripe during the 2019-20 campaign.

Here’s hoping that Keeling is able to flourish for the Rocks in a way that we didn’t often see during his time in Chapel Hill. Perhaps a good stretch of basketball overseas could get Keeling a shot with an organization in the NBA G-League in the near future.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Christian Keeling, and UNC basketball alumni throughout the NBA and around the globe.