Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
What Elliot Cadeau means for the Tar Heels’ lineup.
The good news begins with a 5-star reclassified point guard and sensational distributor, according to Hubert Davis, who calls Cadeau “an elite passer and playmaker. . . and excels at making his teammates around him better.”
The conundrum Davis must solve is that with senior R.J. Davis returning after playing almost 35 minutes per game the last two years, Carolina is likely to start one of the smallest backcourts in the country at 6-foot-2 and 6-feet.
Even if Cadeau and Davis are decent rebounding guards and defenders for their size, the college game is filled with bigger, physical players who can shoot at all positions. Will there be some zone practiced and ready as the season starts?
Sure, 6-5 super senior Cormac Ryan, who adds UNC to a college resume that includes Stanford and Notre Dame, will find important minutes, perhaps as part of a three-guard lineup that could also use 6-5 grad transfer Paxson Wojcik. While 6-3 soph Seth Trimble and 6-5 freshman Simeon Wilcher look to be their back-ups, if they show at practice Davis may have to play subs more than he has so far to address match-up problems against decidedly bigger back courts.
Davis calls Ryan “A great shooter, defender, leader and fierce competitor,” and that Paxson, a Tar Heel lifer born in Chapel Hill and a Brown graduate, “brings consistent perimeter shooting, rebounding and passing from the wing.”
The four and five positions (strong forward and center) have a similar logjam. Behind fifth-year senior star Armando Bacot and sophomore Jalen Washington, a reputed pro talent yet to emerge, there should be great competition for time provided by 6-7 junior Harrison Ingram from Stanford and 6-9 senior Jae’Lyn Withers from Louisville. Freshman Zayden High is 6-10 and the 11th scholarship player, giving Davis room to add one or two more big guys.
Cadeau is the linchpin for a team that had only 40 more total assists than turnovers last season. R.J. Davis played more at the point than the Arizona-bound Caleb Love but is still considered a scorer rather than a lead guard. He is also a ferocious defender who tries not to make his size a negative.
Hubert Davis graduated from UNC with a degree in criminal justice. While his team is a law-abiding bunch, the third-year coach will have to be more of a chemist than a cop. The concoctions start this summer with the results beginning to show in the very tough months of November and December with defending national champion UConn for sure, and the likes of Arkansas, Michigan, Memphis, UCLA and Kentucky as possible opponents.
A better start this year is a must.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Maggie Hobson
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Looking forward to receiving your newsletter 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼