All summer, people have been asking questions about how North Carolina men’s basketball would fare this season following the departure of big men Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and Tony Bradley.
In Friday night’s 91-80 exhibition win over Barton College, fans were finally teased with a possible answer.
In a game where North Carolina’s perimeter shooters never seemed to get anything going, a new-look frontcourt delivered, carrying the team at times in what was a gritty, sloppy affair. First-years Garrison Brooks, Sterling Manley and Brandon Huffman combined for 27 points on their debuts, while familiar face Luke Maye had a game-high 18.
Brooks, who was given the start at center by head coach Roy Williams, looked especially solid. The former four-star recruit went 5-8 from the field, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds. If there was one criticism of the Alabama native, it’s that he only went 3-7 from the free-throw line.
“His first two free throws he shot, they weren’t close,” Williams said. “I asked him ‘were you a little nervous?’ He said ‘Yeah, a little bit.’”
Huffman wasn’t quite as efficient as Brooks offensively, finishing 3-7 from the field for just six points. He did contribute well defensively and grab seven rebounds, but Williams still wants to see more out of the 6-foot-10 forward.
“Huff had five blocked shots," he said, "but you cannot have three turnovers as a big guy in 13 minutes."
In what many see as a two-man battle for game time at center, it appears round one went to Brooks tonight.
Meanwhile, Manley made the most out of his limited playing time, going 3-4 from the field to finish with eight points in just eight minutes on the floor. The Ohio native has been somewhat overlooked by many, coming in as a three-star recruit in the same class as Brooks and Huffman, both of whom were four-stars.
