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UNC Basketball: Jalen Washington to be a “full go” soon

By Spencer Schultz

Jan 5, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis signals to his players in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis signals to his players in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis announced on Friday that freshman Jalen Washington will be fully ready soon, as early as next week.

If you’ve been following along, well, UNC basketball has had a difficult start to the season. After starting the season at No. 1 in the country, they’ve had their struggles. It began against a few non-Power 5 schools.

In the last week, those issues have been amplified against legitimate top 25 opponents. As a result, head coach Hubert Davis is now facing a three-game losing streak heading into the weekend. The Tar Heels may not even be in next week’s AP Top 25, a shocking downfall over the past month.

Things aren’t working at the moment, and the guys need a jolt of energy. They may have that coming soon in the form of freshman center Jalen Washington. On Friday, Adam Smith of InsideCarolina reported that Davis said he expects Washington to be a “full go” soon, perhaps as early as next week.

He’s been seemingly nearing a return for a while now, but UNC and its staff have been extra cautious as Washington is coming off a torn ACL. Once again, UNC’s bench and depth have been a problem in 2022.

Davis hasn’t exactly been flexible in using more of his bench guys, but Washington may force his hand. A four-star recruit ranked 40th overall in the 2022 class, the freshman was regarded as one of the best shooting big men coming out of high school.

With Armando Bacot dealing with multiple injuries as well as the immense pressure of being preseason ACC Player of the Year, another frontcourt option won’t hurt. Will Shaver has yet to play a minute this season despite Bacot’s injuries and Pete Nance’s early struggles.

Justin McKoy, another frontcourt reserve option, has played a total of eight minutes in eight games. As of now, Davis expects Bacot to play this weekend against Virginia Tech, the team’s first ACC game of the season.

Washington’s return could allow Davis to sit Bacot for a few games and get him healthy. While this team is far from a lock to make the NCAA tournament at this point, they need their star center healthy for the long run.

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