The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

What will next year's men's basketball roster look like without Berry, Pinson?

Kenny Williams celebrates

Guard Kenny Williams (24) celebrates a 3-pointer against Duke on Thursday night in the Smith Center.

The era of Theo Pinson and Joel Berry II is over. 

After an NCAA Tournament loss to Texas A&M last weekend, the North Carolina men’s basketball team lost its two most experienced players. But the team will return bigger and more experienced next season, even as it welcomes three newcomers: Nassir Little, Coby White and Rechon Black.

Though UNC lost Berry, the team's leading scorer last season, and Pinson, who had the most assists, the potential still remains high for the team in 2018-19. The Tar Heels will return nearly 70 percent of their minutes, at least two starters and 66.7 percent of scoring next season. 

Without the crutch of older players to shoulder the load, a number of key players will have to take on a bigger role. 

Seventh Woods, who came in for Berry his first two years, could have the most dramatic change in playing time. Woods, now the oldest point guard on the roster, sat out for much of the season due to injury. He returned around the time Jalek Felton was suspended from the University, and he came off the bench to give Berry rest for the remaining games of the season. 

Luke Maye and Kenny Williams will likely run the team as seniors. If Cameron Johnson stays, he’ll join them.

Williams and Johnson will bring back experience shooting and handling the ball. Williams shot 40.2 percent from behind the arc and took the third-most attempts, while Johnson shot 34.1 percent after sitting out the start of the season due to injury.

Maye, who leapt onto the scene as North Carolina’s second leading scorer last season, will likely be the biggest piece on the team coming back. In a breakout junior campaign, Maye averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. 

The high expectations will remain high in his final year after putting up 16 double-doubles — the fourth-most in a season for UNC all-time. The team's leading rebounder will have some help with now more experienced big men around him to help on the boards.

Last season was an odd one for head coach Roy Williams in which he strayed away from his traditional two-big-men lineup for a small-ball one, yet the Tar Heels remained one of the best rebounding teams in the country. They will be even taller next season, and could be one of the top rebounding teams next year as well.

If the team rebounds well, it'll be because of Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley, who will both need to contribute more minutes. 

In most of their first season, the two first-year big men bolstered the Tar Heels’ height off the bench when there was a clear lack of reliable size for UNC. 

In addition to the contributions of returning players, White, Little and Black will bring a new dynamic to the team. 

White and Little, McDonald's All-Americans, are both five star recruits joining the Tar Heels. White, a 6-foot-5 point guard, will be the tallest at his position on the team. He is the highest ranked recruit in North Carolina in the class of 2018. 

His 6-foot-7 small forward classmates will add depth to the forward position. Little was the No. 10 recruit in the nation in 2018 according to the ESPN Top 100. Black was the No. 4 player coming out of North Carolina and the 47th recruit.

The Pinson and Berry era is over — but that just means a new one can begin.

@_JACKF54_

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.