With the announcement that junior point guard Joel Berry will miss UNC’s game on Wednesday against Davidson, head coach Roy Williams will need big-time minutes from freshman Seventh Woods—a highly-touted recruit still seeking to break-out at the college level.
Throughout the Tar Heels 8-1 start to the season, no player has been more critical to the team’s success than Berry. Although he slipped behind Justin Jackson at the top of UNC’s scoring chart, Berry still leads the team in assists and steals, while also consistently setting the tone defensively with his intense style of play.
Williams said during his radio show on Monday that the estimated time frame for Berry’s absence ranges anywhere from seven to 10 days.
Berry is among UNC’s leaders in nearly every statistical category this season. His loss puts tremendous pressure on Woods to perform at a high level. (Todd Melet)
The coach declined to name who would start in the point guard spot between either Woods or senior Nate Britt—but he did acknowledge the difficulties that could arise having a freshman take over that important role.
“You’re taking a guy who does so many different things,” Williams said of Berry. “And then who you replace him with, if it’s Seventh [Woods] you’re replacing him with a freshman who’s still trying to learn the point guard position—and trying to learn the level of intensity he’s gotta play with all the time.
“That part of it is a big-time challenge.”
Filling in for Berry after the injury on Sunday, Woods scored a career-high nine points, but also turned the ball over five times. In 12 minutes per game so far this season, Woods has averaged nearly two turnovers a night –just as many as Berry has averaged in twice the playing time.
These types of mistakes have caused Williams to refer to Woods in practice as “Sixth” instead of his name, Seventh.
The toughest adjustment he’s faced so far in college, Woods told reporters on Sunday, was getting used to the fast-paced tempo—especially the one Williams wants the Tar Heels to play at.
“He’s getting better,” Williams said. “It’s slower than I wanted it, and it’s definitely slower than he wanted it.
“I think playing at that pace—because his speed is really something, it really is Ty Lawson-like speed—but we really haven’t seen that yet.”
Coming out of high school in South Carolina, Woods was recruited as an explosive shooting guard known for slashing his way to the rim. Many basketball enthusiasts discovered Woods as a freshman when a Youtube video showcasing his athletic dunks garnered millions of views and became a viral sensation.
However, at just 6-foot-1, his size makes him a much more natural fit for the point guard spot.
Coming out of high school, Woods was known for his insane highlight videos that featured a number of dunks from all angles. (Todd Melet)
This has been another major transition for a player Williams said he recruited harder than he did for anyone else throughout his Hall-of-Fame career.
“There’s still a Seventh out there that nobody has seen yet,” Williams said. “One I’ve seen, but nobody else has seen in a North Carolina uniform.”
The Davidson team UNC will be facing off against on Wednesday is one that head coach Bob McKillop has said is among the best he’s had in 28 years at the school. The Wildcats have started the year 5-2, with senior guard Jack Gibbs currently eighth in the nation with an average of 23.3 points per game.
Sophomore Kenny Williams will likely help Woods out with that defensive assignment, but it’s still a tough task for a newcomer to take on.
Luckily for Woods, he’ll have plenty of experienced players to lean on should there be a problem either offensively or defensively.
With Berry joining Theo Pinson on the bench, senior forward Kennedy Meeks said the remaining Tar Heels have no choice but to pick their own games up—something much tougher for the younger players to do.
“I think the biggest thing is our freshmen really gotta step up,” Meeks said. “Seventh has a big task ahead of him, but I think he’s prepared for it.”
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