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The Daily Tar Heel

Prize Recruit Debuts at Smith Center

Coming out of the tunnels, the UNC junior varsity basketball team received a louder crowd ovation than McCants' New Hampton (N.H.) Prep squad.

But after McCants won the tap and immediately drained a pull-up 3-pointer from the left wing, the spotlight was all his.

The several hundred spectators in attendance included UNC coach Matt Doherty, almost all the members of the current North Carolina squad and a contingent from McCants' native Asheville.

"That is probably a record number of people to attend a junior varsity game," Doherty joked after New Hampton's 75-71 victory.

En route to his game-high 30 points, the 6-foot-3 shooting guard knocked down an array of 3s and jump shots. He utilized his strength and quickness to post up and then drive around overmatched UNC jayvees.

McCants also used his tremendous wingspan, one the size of a much taller player, to his advantage. It gave him an edge in grabbing rebounds and tipping shots and also in playing defense. On one play, McCants reached out and swiped an errant UNC pass, then took it down the other end on the breakaway for a ferocious two-handed dunk.

McCants left the floor to a standing ovation after his team's victory. He put his head down and pointed up to the crowd in appreciation. But he might as well have been pointing to the tradition-laden Smith Center rafters, a sight he admitted had him gazing up during periods of dead play.

"That's what I told the (New Hampton) players when they first got here. I said that the first thing you'll do is look up," said McCants, clad in a Vince Carter No. 15 UNC jersey after the game. "That feeling is unbelievable. I just want to be a part of those banners."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.

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