Last year’s Carolina basketball season feels like such a long time ago, you’d think they were still shooting into peach baskets. But if you can remember that strange, COVID-less time, the Tar Heels were… disappointing.
They lost to Boston College, Wake Forest and Notre Dame (combined ACC record 23-37) in what spiraled into a seven-game losing streak, as well as dropping games to perennial bottom-dwellers Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh (twice) in another five-game skid. They lost to Clemson at home for the first time ever and were embarrassed by Syracuse in a 28-point ACC tournament loss.
But UNC is still a national brand under Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams, and the Tar Heels were able to sign the third best recruiting class in the country per ESPN.com.
So as we approach the start of the season (the Heels are set to tip-off this year’s slate Nov. 25 against College of Charleston) I decided to scour the tapes and project about what this year’s incoming recruiting class could become.
Day’ron Sharpe (6-foot-11 forward/center, Greenville, N.C., No. 12 in ESPN recruiting rankings)
Sharpe will have to wear No. 11 at UNC, as his high school No. 23 is retired thanks to a certain Michael Jordan. Other than this small change, I think Sharpe will fit right in. He is extremely athletic for someone his size and can get the ball in the post, spin off of a defender and dunk much like former Duke star Vernon Carey Jr. This kind of production in the post was a missing element for last year’s Tar Heels, who were prone to difficult fadeaway jump shots from their bigs.
Walker Kessler (7-foot-1 forward/center, Newnan, Ga., No. 14)
The skinny seven-footer whose expression never seems to change from an intimidating open-mouthed glare, Kessler fits the mold of a modern NBA forward like Kristaps Porzingis or Anthony Davis. Less of a post-up big man than Sharpe, he’s able to shoot from anywhere, including beyond the three-point line. His 7-foot-4 wingspan helped him average 5.2 blocks per game in his senior season.
Caleb Love (6-foot-3 guard, St. Louis, Mo., No. 18)
Love doesn’t have as much flashiness as recent Tar Heel point guards Coby White and Cole Anthony, but he’s a trustworthy ball handler with a smooth game. His shot is reminiscent of White’s, and he’s able to drive to the rim in a way UNC really couldn’t last year. He should be able to control games for Carolina much like former Tar Heel great Joel Berry II.
RJ Davis (6-foot guard, White Plains, N.Y., No. 43)
Davis, meanwhile, does remind me of Cole Anthony, who led last year’s UNC team with 18.5 points per game. Hailing from New York, like Anthony, Davis has the dribbling skills to embarrass opposing players and the quickness to easily drive past them and dish to teammates. He did this a lot last winter, averaging 5.3 assists per game in his final season at Archbishop Stepinac High School. His flashy but unselfish game mirrors the style of play of current Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. As long as he doesn’t get lured into bad passes and ill-advised shots by college defenses, Davis is a highlight-reel player who could be an X-factor in Carolina blue.
Donovan “Puff” Johnson (6-foot-8 guard, Moon Township, Pa., No. 60)
Puff Johnson is left-handed, but otherwise he has the same smooth shooting stroke as his older brother, former UNC star Cameron Johnson. The younger Johnson, however, is more of a slasher who can get around defenders and drive to the rim. His length and athleticism should also make him an excellent perimeter defender who opponents will struggle to shoot over.
Kerwin Walton (6-foot-5 guard, Hopkins, Minn., unranked)
Walton doesn’t have a picture perfect shot, given that he doesn’t jump very high and launches the ball somewhat from the right side of his body. But after last year, when Carolina shot a pedestrian 30 percent from beyond the three-point arc, Tar Heel fans aren’t really in a position to be picky. Walton, meanwhile, shot 48 percent from three his junior year in high school. I think he has a chance to be the three-point shooting role player that the Heels have needed for years, and he has enough ball handling skills that defenses should also have to respect his ability to drive to the hoop.
Even if they experience some initial growing pains, it’s likely any combination of these freshmen could immediately form a better starting lineup than the most other college basketball teams in the nation. Maybe it won’t be this year, but as I sit watching YouTube highlights of these newly-minted Tar Heels dunking over high school opponents half their size, it’s not hard to imagine that this freshman class could be the one to restore glory to a UNC program that feels far removed from the national championship it won just four seasons ago.
Photo courtesy of Anders94/Wikimedia Commons
