CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Since small lineups became all the rage at the major conference level of college basketball, Roy Williams has typically relied on the versatility of a player – or two – to man multiple positions to counter opponents’ schemes and force mismatches of his own liking.
In 2019-20, that responsibility will fall to sophomore wing Leaky Black and grad transfer Justin Pierce.
“Right now we have eight guys that I feel like I've got confidence in,” Williams told reporters following UNC’s 96-61 win over Winston-Salem State on Friday. “I'd like to get another one or two, but we have eight guys, which means Leaky's going to have to play one, two and three and Justin's going to have to play three and four. It's harder to cross the line. We have a point guard position, we have two wing positions and two post players. If you go across the line in one of those positions or the other, it's difficult, and Leaky and Justin are the two guys that are going to have to do it the most."
Black’s ability to play up and down the lineup card has been a tangible attribute of his skill set since he arrived on campus some 16 months ago. Williams seemingly let the Concord, N.C. native log garbage time at center in a blowout win at Elon last November just to claim he had a player to play all five positions in a single game.
In Friday’s 96-61 win over Winston-Salem State, Black initially entered the game at the three alongside of Cole Anthony and Andrew Platek. Once Anthony needed a breather, the 6-foot-8 sophomore slid over to point guard and proved that he can still handle the position he had played most of his childhood. Black scored nine points, knocking down a pair of three-pointers, and dished out seven assists against one turnover, while also grabbing five rebounds and adding a block and a steal. In fact, he scratched in 11 of 12 statistical categories, only failing to commit a foul.
“It’s no challenge,” Black said when asked about playing multiple spots. “This is my second year in, so I’m finally used to doing it. I know all of the spots, so I just feel comfortable doing it.”
Pierce, a 6-foot-7 forward who transferred from William and Mary, played his early minutes against the Rams at the four alongside of either Garrison Brooks or Armando Bacot, but after senior wing Brandon Robinson left the game with a right ankle injury, Pierce logged time at the three in what proved to be a big lineup against WSSU’s four-guard look. He finished with three points, four rebounds and three turnovers.
“With their versatility it creates matchup problems because Leaky can get by any person anyway, but if you put a big on him, it’s just that much easier for him to create,” Platek said. “And Justin’s so crafty, especially around the rim, and he’s a very smart player and he’s a lot faster than most of these bigs, so it creates a lot of matchup problems for them. And for us, in the way we defend, Leaky can guard four or five positions. He’s just so long. Justin’s working on it. He’s going to get there, but it’s going to be really important, especially with B-Rob hurting his foot, that these guys step up.”
Anthony is locked in at point guard, while grad transfer Christian Keeling, Platek and Robinson will play the wing positions. Brooks, given his ability to defend away from the post, will likely play the four to Bacot’s five this season. That leaves Black and Pierce to fill in the gaps, which may be even more apparent if Robinson is unable to play in next Wednesday’s season opener against Notre Dame.
"line" - Google News
November 01, 2019 at 07:58PM
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'Crossing the Line' - 247Sports
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