UNC men's basketball crushes Fayetteville State in exhibition game

The postgame locker room was full of familiar faces on the North Carolina men’s basketball team. Four of the team’s five starters — everyone except freshman Justin Jackson — huddled before the outstretched arms of reporters clamoring for interviews.

They had been here before. They knew the routine.

But after Friday night’s 111-58 thumping of Fayetteville State, there was someone else in the room — someone who, at least by last season’s standards, didn’t belong.

After all, sophomore Isaiah Hicks didn’t have the freshman season he, or anyone else, expected.

The lanky, 6-foot-8 frame slid into the room and sneaked away to a chair in the back. He settled into his seat ­— away from all the cameras, the microphones, the attention — and prepared for people to notice him and drift his way.

They didn’t.

The 2013 North Carolina AP Player of the Year, Hicks arrived at UNC as just the next-in-line, another of Coach Roy Williams’ five-star recruits over the years. But things didn’t go according to plan.

With James Michael McAdoo entrenched as the starter at power forward and Brice Johnson emerging as a capable scorer in his own right, Williams slid Hicks to small forward, a position he hardly knew.

He would struggle all year.

Noticeably uncomfortable on the wing, Hicks only averaged 7.3 minutes and 1.2 points per game in 2013-14.

“Coach was always getting on ?him ... and it was really frustrating for him,” Johnson said. “It was really frustrating for us to see him like that.”

But then the off-season happened. McAdoo left for the NBA, and Johnson’s 10.3 points per game off the bench earned him a spot in the starting lineup, leaving a void at the sixth-man spot.

On Friday, Hicks was that man. The first substitute into the game, Hicks finished the night 6-for-6 from the field for 13 points and five rebounds.

“I just see it as coming off the bench, hustling ... being the energy guy,” he said.

His coach, in praise, was subdued.

“Isaiah came in and had some good moments,” Williams said.

He was the only player who didn’t miss a shot. Not the preseason All-American Marcus Paige. Not Johnson. Not even the freshman Jackson, who led all scorers with 18.

It was Hicks, the forgotten man.

“That’s a confidence booster, you know, a big improvement from last year,” he said. “Just something to just keep on going off of.”

Here they come. As the starters head for the doors, a few reporters head Hicks’ way. But most of them ask about the team’s depth or how incredible the freshman played.

He answers their questions and walks away.

If Friday was any indication, he’ll be back. He’s proved that he finally belongs.

sports@dailytarheel.com