Even after the Tar Heels extended their winning streak to six with a 93-83 victory over Syracuse a week ago, their good luck charm took a “Marshawn Lynch” approach with reporters after the game—saying absolutely nothing, in order to protect the motivational secrets he shares with the team.

Gerry Bear is no ordinary oversized stuffed teddy. The self-described “little homie to the UNC basketball team” is orange, fluffy, and all he does is win. Surrounded by reporters that night, and using Brice Johnson as his mouthpiece, the superstitious Gerry was in no mood to reveal his tactics, saying that he just tells the boys to “play hard.”

The answer to the other question he fielded was also no surprise. Gerry wasted no time in having Brice declare that J.P. Tokoto is his favorite player, and main caretaker.

J.P. and Gerry taking in a JV game at the Dean Dome. (Photo courtesy Twitter @GerryTheUNCBear)

J.P. and Gerry taking in a JV game at the Dean Dome. (Photo courtesy Twitter @GerryTheUNCBear)

Tokoto and Bear’s relationship has inspired plenty of curiosity among those surrounding the team this year, but in all seriousness, it’s J.P.’s play on the court during his time in Chapel Hill that has brought more curiosity than anything else.

It all started around the year 2010. Tokoto had just finished his sophomore year in high school at Menomonee Falls in Wisconsin.  He had already reached his current height of 6’6” and his explosive athleticism had caught the interest of most of the nation’s elite programs. It was seen as a recruiting battle between Duke and UNC, along with Wisconsin, his hometown school, for one of the nation’s top young prospects.

Many recruiting experts felt that once Tokoto developed a jumper, improved his work ethic, and showed more play-making ability, he would surely be an All-American type of player.

Bob Gibbons, a distinguished recruiting analyst, said during Tokoto’s junior season that “He reminds me of a young Kobe Bryant, he plays with that kind of style. Now obviously, his shot is nowhere near where Kobe’s is, but Kobe really worked on his shot. The question is how hard will (Tokoto) work?”

Duke pulled out of the race for his services, preferring to stick with their class led by Rasheed Sulaimon (how did that work out?) and Amile Jefferson. The decision then came down to Carolina and Wisconsin.

It was Roy Williams who never lost faith in J.P. He committed to Chapel Hill in March 2011, as a junior.

Throughout 2012, his final year in high school, his development stayed somewhat stagnant. YouTube became filled with numerous highlight videos of his athletic dunks, but there was still an APB out for his jumper and ability to create opportunities for teammates.

A slip in the rankings followed, with respected recruiting website Scout.com dropping him from the top 10 in 2010’s sophomore list, all the way to number 73 by the time his class were seniors in 2012.

 

Tokoto's jump shot has been the subject of criticism for years. (Todd Melet)

Tokoto’s jump shot has been the subject of criticism for years. (Todd Melet)

Freshman year at UNC was an adjustment for Tokoto, as he averaged just eight minutes per game and reached double figures in scoring just twice all season.  He sat and watched as P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald carried the load on the wing for the team. Coach Williams still wanted to see improvements in Tokoto’s playmaking and shooting abilities.

Eligibility controversies surrounded Hairston and McDonald heading into J.P.’s sophomore year, thrusting him into a much bigger role. His minutes skyrocketed to almost 30 a game and there were flashes of brilliance at times, including an incredible stat-sheet stuffing performance against Davidson, where he put up a career-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds, five steals, four blocks, and two assists. Numbers like that aren’t possible without possessing incredible natural-born talent.

It’s also important to remember that his size and athleticism greatly helps him on the defensive end, where he almost always guards the opponents’ top wing player, both last year and this year.

But then there’s also the constant frustrations he brings to fans with some of those glaring holes in his game. Last season he shot just 22 percent from the three-point line, and sank only 50 percent of his free throws, while also turning the ball over twice per game. This year those numbers have improved a bit (36% 3PT, 61% FT), but his overall shooting has dropped from 49 percent as a sophomore to 42 percent and turnovers have increased in this, his junior season.

He’s been the poster child for the reason that so many oppenents have packed their defenses in tight, or played zone, against UNC.  They practically dare him to shoot.

These defensive strategies have led J.P. to place a much greater emphasis on creating shots for his teammates. Nobody would have guessed going into 2015 that J.P. Tokoto would hold the team lead in assists, but that’s exactly what happened, until Marcus Paige just recently climbed back to the top of that list. His scoring, however, has remained right at 9 points per game.

This sight never fails to get the Smith Center crowd on their feet. (Todd Melet)

This sight never fails to get the Smith Center crowd on their feet. (Todd Melet)

To make things clear, no player on this Tar Heel team gets the Smith Center rocking like J.P. Tokoto. When he gets the ball on the fast-break, you can feel the anticipation in the air as number 13 cocks the ball behind his head with one hand–and the dome erupting once he throws it down with vicious authority.

On the flip side of that, no player on this Tar Heel team gets the Smith Center groaning like J.P. Tokoto, either. Fans know the sight. He’s dribbling out there on the wing, crossing his defender over, and then slithering into the lane, where often times he’s awaited by two or three help defenders, resulting in an errant lay-up attempt that usually clanks off the side of the rim.

Against Syracuse last week, Tokoto scored seven points, dished out six assists, snared four rebounds, and exhausted great energy chasing Orange sharpshooter Trevor Cooney around on defense all night long. He also fouled out and turned the ball over six times. In Louisville Saturday, Tokoto had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but again had six turnovers and clanked a crucial jumper with the game tied and one minute to play. And in his most recent game, at home Monday in the loss to Virginia, Tokoto had his worst game of the year, scoring only one point to go along with just one rebound.

There’s no denying that the kid has huge talent. In fact that’s probably the biggest issue. It’s hard, sometimes, to focus on what he does provide, when you can’t help yourself from wanting to see more.

As Coach Williams likes to say, “Everything looks better when the ball goes in the basket.”