Bored during the dog days of summer? Fortunately, UNC sports never sleep. Recently, during a fan outing, the Tar Heels’ longest-tenured player Armando Bacot discussed his upcoming final season and the new players joining him. On the subject, Bacot detailed, “We’ve got a good group of guys that’s experienced,” Bacot said. “Jae’Lyn Withers, Cormac, Harrison, Paxson have all played in a lot of college basketball games. They’ve got that experience and maturity. All those guys can shoot the ball well, and that’s something we struggled with last year.”
Who is Joining Bacot?
Bacot will partner once more with R.J. Davis. With the graduation of Leaky Black and the transfer of Caleb Love, the two are the only two remaining starters from the team that made a surprise run to the National Championship game two seasons ago.
Outside of them, Head Coach Hubert Davis has been restless trying to bring in new talent. And, apparently, Bacot has been right there with him operating as a recruiter. The Tar Heels will bring in five new players this season–Harrison Ingram (Stanford), James Okonkwo (West Virginia), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville), and Paxson Wojcik (Brown).
It would be easy to look at Ryan and see just a sharpshooter. And make no mistake, his shooting is something North Carolina desperately needs (he shot 34%, 40%, 34% from 3 his final three seasons at Notre Dame). But Ryan is adept off-the-bounce as well and fully capable of attacking close-outs.
As we discussed recently, Okonkwo is a rim-runner who could develop a majestic two-man game with Davis. More importantly, he is a menace on the defensive end of the court.
Ingram was a five-star recruit who considered North Carolina before choosing Stanford. He is a methodical ball-handler who uses his big body to attack the basket. Last season he shot 54% at the rim where over a third of his shot attempts came.
Withers, born in Charlotte, NC, is a slashing wing who shot 40% from 3 on 3 attempts a game from beyond the arc. One worry many Tar Heel fans have is the potential impact of losing Leaky Black’s defense. But if Withers uses his size and athleticism to defend to his potential, North Carolina may have an improved version of Black on their hands.
Lastly, Wojcik brings more shooting but where he stands out is on the glass. Despite standing at just 6’4, Wojcik averaged over seven rebounds a game for Brown last season.
What this variety of players represents is a continuing upward trend for North Carolina toward the top of the sport. Davis will have his pick of the litter. The burden now falls on him to determine which combination of players will work best as Bacot and Davis head into what could be both of their final seasons in Chapel Hill.
