Joel Berry continues to redefine what it means to be a Tar Heel.
It took Berry 48 hours to withdraw his name from NBA draft consideration and announce he will return for his senior season at Carolina. He may have decided he likes college too much, found out he would not be invited to the NBA combine or just wants to rest his aching ankles for another month or so. It really doesn’t matter. He is already a beloved player with his jersey headed to the rafters.
His decision underscores how the Tar Heels have reinvented themselves under Roy Williams and the ongoing NCAA scrutiny. Berry’s return will mark the third straight season that Carolina will field a top 20 or top 10 team with two senior starters in the lineup. First with Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige, last season with Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks and in 2017-18 with Berry and Theo Pinson, UNC has proven that developing good players is becoming a much steadier alternative to loading up with one-and-dones. The Heels will again play a mix of veterans and promising newcomers.
Should Tony Bradley return for his sophomore season, Carolina will have the ingredients for another deep run in the NCAA Tournament and possibly reach the Final Four for the third straight season – for only the second time that has happened in program history, the other coming 50 years ago in the late 1960s. A starting lineup of Berry, Kenny Williams, Pinson, Luke Maye and Bradley – backed up by another deep bench – will be as good as any in the ACC.
Berry hasn’t played enough in his first three seasons to approach any of the career shooting numbers of Marcus Paige or the assist numbers of Ed Cota. But, barring injuries that have interrupted his freshman and junior campaigns and with more work in the gym, he could challenge the three-point shooting mark set by Justin Jackson last season. He could also climb high in the record books for career three-point attempts, assists and free throw percentage.
But Berry seems more concerned with just making himself and his team as good as they can possibly be and stay in the national conversation for another season. His return almost insures that.
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Umm, Art, Pinson hasn’t said he’s returning yet. It would be a mistake to count your seniors before they are committed.
Theo declared for the draft as well. There’s no guarantee yet that he comes back to join Joel for his senior season.
Are you sure that Pinson is returning? He did declare for the draft but did not hire an agent.
Pinson will come back I believe. He wants to see what he needs to work on to reach the NBA. Remember Justin Jackson did the same and look what happened!!!
I don’t know what you folks are thinking. Pinson is no more ready for the NBA than I am. He is a spotty player and would not get picked in the first two or three rounds.