Basketball players to watch

UNC Freshmen

The North Carolina men’s basketball team has the benefit of adding the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class, according to Scout.com. Every recruit — two five-star recruits and one four-star — should find time on the court despite an extremely deep, well-rounded team.

Theo Pinson

Theo Pinson could be the flashiest player of this year’s class. He brings a playing style, athleticism and physical frame comparable to junior forward J.P. Tokoto — turns out, he can dunk like him as well. The five-star forward/guard won the Elite 24 dunk contest in 2013 and has already showcased that ability in UNC’s exhibitions. Against Fayetteville State, Pinson had 15 points and eight rebounds. “Theo was Theo,” said Coach Roy Williams after the game. “You know, four turnovers or whatever it was and yet he makes a lot of things happen: offensive rebounds, made a couple (3-point shots).” Pinson has shown the ability to do numerous things up and down the court, and followed up his first exhibition game with an equally impressive showing against Belmont Abbey: seven points, four assists, three steals and three rebounds. And don’t forget the dunks.

Joel Berry II

The biggest unknown in this year’s class might be Joel Berry II, simply because his playing time could be the most limited. With a surplus of point guards, playing time at the 1 and 2 positions will be at a premium. Still, at 6 feet and 195 pounds, the four-star guard brings a bulldog mentality to the guard position that compliments the games of Marcus Paige and Nate Britt. He showed his ability to drive the lane and get into the paint in his first exhibition against Fayetteville State, where he led the team with six free throws on seven trips to the line. In addition to getting to the line, Berry has shown he can be a playmaker, with nine assists in his first two exhibition games. “Joel can shoot it, too,” said Marcus Paige after the Fayetteville State game. That’s one area of Berry’s game that we haven’t seen yet in Chapel Hill. He is just 1-for-6 from deep so far this season.

Justin Jackson

The 6-foot-8 forward/guard from Tomball, Texas, has made the biggest impact of this freshman class so far. After getting the starting nod on the wing against Fayetteville State, Jackson proceeded to lead UNC with 18 points. In the next exhibition game, Jackson — rated the No. 10 recruit in the 2014 class by Scout.com — led the Tar Heels in scoring again, finishing with 18 points while converting three of four 3-pointers. “You know I’ve seen him play a lot guys, I mean he came to our camp as a seventh or eighth grader,” said Coach Roy Williams. “I’ve never seen him get frazzled, I’ve never seen him get frustrated. “He has a gift — the ball just sort of finds his hands, and he’s at the basket and there’s nobody guarding him and he lays it up.” The top-ranked player of this class has shown his talent already. And it looks like he’s here to score.