it's insane how much of a better constructed team we'll have next year, Kessler really did make the best decision for everyone involved
caleb rj kerwin dawson mando manek leaky ant mckoy puff that's a really talented and well balanced team. so many options to rotate guys and move positions
you factor in a more 3 point friendly system with the usual soph jumps in shooting percentage, as well as the Manek/Garcia pick ups (might as well throw Puff in this category too), and you've got a recipe for a big jump in perimeter shooting
i think mando is capable of hitting the occasional open 3 too. his shot is slow but i think he can handle the occasional trailing 3 this team is going to be fun
I really hope Caleb takes a step forward. He was so frustrating to watch last year, especially because you can see the talent is there.
the monday after wisconsin, there were very real concerns that we were going to have a mass exodus hubert kept everyone but walker and replaced him with a better system fit (and generally overall) player. 10/10 off-season
I think Caleb takes a giant jump this year. Caleb’s biggest asset in HS and AAU was his ability to drive and finish at the rim. Last year playing with two bigs anchored to the post for most of the game, the paint was clogged and he was almost relegated to being a jump shooter. With the style change, Caleb should benefit more than anyone with the floor being spaced and his ability to get into the lane.
And there it is, crazy how he's the kind of big we never seemed to land under Roy and then Hubert gets one right away without the benefit of any film on how his teams will play. Just another example of how hard he's pushing the spacing angle as his plan for the direction of the program.
no family or regional or personal ties to carolina. no long relationship with the staff. just went in and won the recruitment in a matter of a couple of months
looks like we're snatching a Hokie legacy tonight, one of the few quality players they expected to land until a day or so ago when word started coming out that he's UNC bound raw but extremely athletic seems to be the talk
seems like Clemson buzz is rising but it could just be an echo chamber filled with people who are still bearish on UNC beating them out for a guy
that bearded roy pick is great. he looks a decade younger. the last two years really beat him down and i am glad he was able to walk away before his health/stress got any worse
reading the "what was your worst take/belief" on the bball board and was surprised by rell and ben's admissions ben's was believing "after three years, you are what you are" re: brice and rell's was thinking roy was done after the 2016 duke loss in CH someone posted mine which was being mad LJ rose lost his spot to some kid from iowa i remember discussing with my buddy as we left greensboro after the 2011 texas loss that maybe roy had stalled and lost it if hubert does well, that'll likely be my #1
when Nate Britt committed I remember saying something along the lines of "he's our best pg prospect since Lawson" I'm sure I've said worse but that's the first one that comes to mind
i think you get a minor pass on that because i think his progression tanked after he got hurt of course i dont know if any injury would have been cause to have to switch shooting hands in college so idk
Looking at that thread now someone posted another one of mine, during the '05 draft I was still in denial that Chris Paul and especially Deron Williams were head and shoulders above Felton, and I thought once Ray got in the freedom of NBA offenses there was a good chance he'd surpass them. The second half of his rookie season when he won a few Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards in a row only fueled that fire even more... Ray if you're reading this you're still my favorite player though
adam lucas is the most unathletic looking human on planet earth and he’s somehow produced a great pitcher what on earth
https://roanoke.com/sports/college/...cle_e0613c42-e85f-11eb-9d90-1315c23f5a2a.html Thought this was a pretty fair overview of our team coming into the season.
btw this was a false alarm, fell victim to the fine print saying it was a prediction in the ap poll thread, my apologies
time for everyone's favorite subject: impressive new guys/most improved returnees! Spoiler During breakout sessions at the ACC Football Kickoff, Howell, Gemmel, Fox and head coach Mack Brown discussed players and position groups that have stood out to them during the offseason. Freshmen Defensive Linemen Howell couldn’t single out one specific player. Instead, he singled out two: five-star prospect Keeshawn Silver and four-star prospect Jahvaree Ritzie. “I think there's been a lot of guys,” the junior quarterback said. “I think some that have been really impressive are the freshman D-linemen. I think those guys have really stepped up and I think they have a chance to play this year.” Silver measures out at 6-foot-5.5 with a target weight of 295 pounds. He was limited in the spring with a lower-body injury, but Brown said he has been full speed ahead throughout the summer as he continues to try to get down from his current weight of 305 pounds. In his limited appearance, the Rocky Mount, N.C. native showed off his immense power and impressive utilization of his size. Ritzie was one of the standouts from the spring so it’s not a surprise that he’s continued to shine during player-led practices and one-on-one competitions this summer. At 6-foot-4.5 and a target weight of 285 pounds, he has a tad quicker first step than Silver. Regardless, during fall camp, both players have the opportunity to prove they deserve playing time come Week One against Virginia Tech. Myles Murphy Another name from the spring, sophomore defensive lineman Myles Murphy has been on a quick upward trajectory since recording his first career sack last season against Wake Forest. He’s a player that has worked himself into the rotation this season after showing his innate ability to bully offensive linemen and get to the quarterback. “Myles Murphy from last year through the spring, I think he's taken giant steps in the right direction,” Gemmel said. “I think he's gonna be a huge defensive lineman for this year and it's gonna be hard to take him off the field because of how much I think he's gotten better from last season to this spring to now.” Fox added: “Murphy, he's a good kid. He's a versatile player. He's large, he's fast, he's gonna make a huge impact on the D line like he has in this past season. You see him going for the few snaps he had, he was able to make an impact with TFLs, big tackles, sacks. So he's gonna have a bigger role on the team this year. He's gonna be able to help us out in more ways than he probably even knows.” Kyler McMichael, Dae Dae Hollins When people talk about UNC’s corners, the two names that get mentioned every time are Storm Duck and Tony Grimes, and rightfully so. However, two other names that have been thrown around by players are Kyler McMichael and Dae Dae Hollins. “Kyler McMichael...He didn't get as much love last year, but after what I've seen in the POPs and in the weight room, he's one of the most explosive, most athletic dudes on teams,” Fox said. Howell picked the entire cornerback group as a standout group this offseason with a focus on Hollins. He said the junior defensive back out of Tampa, Fla. hasn’t shown any drop off in ability from the immense talent of starter Tony Grimes. That’s a great problem to have for defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and defensive backs coach Dré Bly. McMichael and Hollins are increasing their workload to keep up with Grimes and Duck, but it’s also an example of the depth-building process UNC’s coaching staff has tried to accomplish the last two seasons. Asim Richards, Ed Montilus The anchors of UNC’s offensive line are Joshua Ezeudu, Jordan Tucker and Marcus McKeithan. Ezeudu is an obvious NFL talent and both Tucker and McKeithan are approaching that caliber. Beginning to approach the level of Tucker and McKethan and emerge as stout offensive linemen are juniors Asim Richards and Ed Montilus. “We have guys like Asim Richards and Ed Montilus on the O-line,” Fox said. “Those dudes are really showing that they're ready to get this working and they're pushing everybody else that's around them.” The veteran outside linebacker said offensive line coach Stacey Searels routinely puts Fox up against Richards in one-on-ones, and although he’ll never back down from anyone, he puts up a great fight. “As soon as Asim stepped on campus, you could tell that he was a very skillful player,” Fox said. “He wasn't scared to go against the older guys and things like that. I think he's improved a lot from when he first got here. He's gonna be in the conversation with people like (Ezeudu) and Jordan Tucker because he has that kind of talent.” The Class of 2021 Brown didn’t give specific names for who he’s seen take a step forward this summer. Instead, he offered the idea that each position group is at a better place than they were in the spring. That includes all 19 freshmen from the 2021 recruiting cycle. “I've been out there watching them a lot,” the Hall of Fame head coach said. “All of the 19 that we took last year, I would take again. And that's the way we do it. We have to be careful, some of the young ones won't be as ready to play at Virginia Tech as they will be next year. But you don't want to discourage them by saying you're going to be good, but it may not be this year. And that's where the transfer portal has changed all that because they can leave so quickly.”
I'd be shocked if they don't take a big step forward this year, especially in the disruptive plays category
smart of Hubert to pull back the curtain a bit, don't think we've ever gotten summer pickup footage like this outside of a short quick-cut highlight package that always leaves a lot to be desired
Zach Rice, Travis Shaw, and Andre Greene are all expected to be at the cookout event this weekend hope we barbecue some wonderful hot dogs
obligatory "the amount of defensive talent we've landed these last few years particularly in the front 7 still blows my mind" post
Congratulations on Cheeks. If y'all get Shaw, it should be a ridiculous class. I hope y'all dont, but at the same time, I want the ACC to keep improving.
a lot of hype's being thrown out from our coaches/commits hinting that we'll be landing more in the near future, presumably this weekend