For the second consecutive season, North Carolina must deal with sizable roster changes. And the biggest difference literally will be the size on the roster.
Twin forwards Travis and David Wear have decided to leave the Tar Heels, and their father said the freshmen will look to play closer to home in southern California. The unexpected loss of the 6-10 Wear twins damages coach Roy Williams’ depth in the frontcourt, with only 6-10 John Henson and 7-foot Tyler Zeller returning to man the post.
Besides the Wears’ departures, North Carolina is losing 6-9 senior forward Deon Thompson and 6-10 sophomore forward Ed Davis. Despite missing the end of the season with a broken wrist, Davis decided that he is ready to take his game to the NBA. Thompson will graduate after laboring through this past season as the lone remaining starter from the Tar Heels’ 2009 championship squad.
With only two scholarship players taller than 6-7, Williams will need to use some creative lineup combinations. However, that challenge might present an opportunity that is conducive to returning the Tar Heels to the top of the ACC.
When North Carolina won its most recent championships in 2005 and 2009, the Tar Heels had elite guards to run the speedy Carolina offense, in addition to hustling big men who collected plenty of rebounds and outworked opponents in the post. No disrespect to Sean May or Tyler Hansbrough, but Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson were the engines of their respective championship squads.
The Tar Heels limped through the ACC this past season as their offensive sputtered. Sophomore point guard Larry Drew II shouldered much of the blame for the offensive struggles — fair or not. However, during the Tar Heels’ run to the NIT championship game, Drew played significantly better, showing a modest feel for running an up-tempo offense without losing control.
Regardless of how many big men Williams has in the lineup, Drew and his backcourt mates must dictate the pace of the game. If Drew cannot boost North Carolina’s offensive efficiency from No. 92, Williams will give the responsibility to Dexter Strickland or incoming freshman Kendall Marshall. According to Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency statistics, North Carolina has finished in the top 10 for offensive efficiency every year since 2004. A No. 92 ranking is utterly unacceptable.
Some of the Tar Heels’ struggles this past season might actually be attributable to North Carolina’s over-reliance on big men. The perimeter players were woefully inconsistent, shooting 32.8 percent from three-point range. That poor shooting allowed opponents to pack the post to deny dribble penetration or entry passes. With the arrival of Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock and the increased minutes for junior Will Graves, North Carolina should be better at stretching defenses next season.
The 2010-11 Tar Heels figure to look nothing like this past season’s squad. And for North Carolina fans accustomed to seeing their team in the NCAA Tournament, not the NIT, that might not be a bad thing.
