Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: 10 most underappreciated Tar Heels of all-time

By Nick Delahanty

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 04: A overhead general view of the Dean E. Smith Center during a game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils on March 04, 2023 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Duke won 62-57. Pictured is R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbling the ball. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 04: A overhead general view of the Dean E. Smith Center during a game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils on March 04, 2023 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Duke won 62-57. Pictured is R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbling the ball. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /
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Feb 18, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Isaiah Hicks (4) dribbles up court during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels won 65-41. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports-
Feb 18, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Isaiah Hicks (4) dribbles up court during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels won 65-41. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports- /

UNC basketball underappreciated Tar Heel No. 3: Isaiah Hicks (2013-2017)

Isaiah Hicks wasn’t a starter until his senior season, but that didn’t stop him from being an important player for Roy Williams and the UNC basketball program during his four-year career.

Battling for minutes with the likes of James Michael McAdoo, Brice Johnson, and Kennedy Meeks, Hicks was a vital part of the team’s rotation over his first three seasons on campus. Primarily as a reserve, Hicks stepped up when the Tar Heels needed him the most, providing quality frontcourt minutes to spell some of the team’s biggest stars.

After a heartbreaking loss in the national title game following his junior season, Hicks was about to take on a bigger role for the UNC basketball program, as he’d have the opportunity to be a full-time starter. This wasn’t going to be an easy task, as filling Brice Johnson’s shoes wouldn’t be easy.

However, Hicks was more than ready for the challenge, as he ended up being one of the key contributors on the “Redemption Team,” a group that was able to avenge the heartbreaking loss from a season prior.

The likes of Justin Jackson (the ACC Player of the Year), Joel Berry, Kennedy Meeks, Theo Pinson, and Luke Maye often get much of the publicity, but Hicks deserves to be right in that mix. He earned a bigger role and fulfilled it, playing a critical role in helping the Tar Heels be the last team standing at the end of the 2016-2017 season.

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