Chansky's Notebook: Swimmingly

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Carolina in Nassau amounted to a pre-class beach trip.

Compared to Duke, whose two exhibition victories in Canada before sell-out crowds were national news, the Tar Heels held four practices and then boarded a plane to Nassau for the fourth time since Roy Williams has been the head coach.

NCAA rules allow college basketball teams to play summer practice games outside of the United States every four years. The Tar Heels have now had four such trips – all to Nassau in the Bahamas. Can you tell Williams likes warm weather and the beach for his guys before school begins this week?

Regardless of what happened the first three times – 2006, 2010, 2014 – this time may prove the least worthy trip down there because the team wasn’t really ready to play a game and the competition was at least as awful, if not worse, as before.

They allow ten practices for such exhibitions but Williams held only four before heading for the islands. The result was 27 turnovers in Friday’s 112-91 victory over something called the StarSports Basketball Club, which seemed so irrelevant that one report sent home doesn’t even name UNC’s opponent.

It did mention Seventh Woods’ dunk to end the game, a driving slam that doesn’t look quite as spectacular on Twitter as eye-witnesses described it. Instead of running out the clock on the last possession, Woods took a pass from Andrew Platek, split the defense and elevated for a stuff that may be an indication that Seventh is ready to be more than the seventh man.

The second game Saturday was, as Dean Smith used to joke of an 85-point blowout, not as beneficial as a hard practice back home. These were a bunch of so-called Bahamian All-Stars, so small that Brandon Huffman had 20 points mostly on dunks. In the first game, Garrison Brooks had 18 points, but hold off using this trip as a sign of improvement from the young big men.

Reports said the players spent time frolicking in the ocean, evidence that this was a team-building exercise more than a pair of games that will tell Ol’ Roy a whole lot about his 2019 club. The freshmen — Nassir Little, Coby White and Leaky Black — all had their moments, and everyone got in except Cam Johnson, who’s recuperating for the second straight year from minor surgery.

From all accounts, the Tar Heels played swimmingly.

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Chansky’s Notebook: Swimmingly

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