The Walker Kessler news is a shocker — or is it?
So much has changed during the COVID season that college basketball is feeling some kind of earthquake that could be the beginning of the end of the NCAA as we know it.
The local tremor hit here with the news that UNC’s freshman with perhaps the most upside is entering the transfer portal, which contributes to the storm by allowing players to switch schools without having to sit out a season, worsening the rupture of college sports.
That may be good for some players because it puts transferring on their mind earlier than ever before. While coaches aren’t allowed to recruit athletes from other teams during the season, do you think all of them abide by those rules?
Georgia, where Kessler’s brother, father and late uncle played and now has former Indiana coach Tom Crean, likely made it clear in some way that he would play 35 minutes from his first game. Crean has a 41-49 record in three seasons at Athens, so there is obviously room for Kessler to start.
The Georgia High School Player of the Year saw his UNC court time increase as he improved, but that wasn’t enough. Why else would it be announced 48 hours after the season ended? It had already been decided by the kid and his family of former college athletes and Georgia graduates.
Roy Williams recruited Kessler by showing him tape of Luke Maye, the classic “stretch 4” in the Carolina system. Kessler missed weeks of pre-season practice time due to quarantine, but when he finally found his game he had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks against Florida State in a preview of what (we thought) was to come.
Although Ol’ Roy is a double low-post coach, he has adjusted to his talent. Kessler-clone Tyler Zeller ran the court, shot from anywhere, earned ACC Player of the Year as a senior and was a first-round NBA draft choice. And Maye barely played as a freshman before emerging as a star his junior year.
Kessler didn’t want to wait to see who else was staying or going or what adjustments Roy would make to the two-post system.
He said he loved Chapel Hill, even from the bubble, and he loved playing for the Tar Heels, judging from the spirit he showed from the bench. He just wanted to play more, and the portal allows him to get his minutes right away somewhere else.
Can you blame him?
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
When are the people around Chapel Hill going to admit what folks around the state and nation know? That Roy is a hard-headed man whose main concern is running, running, running? Kessler wasn’t and wouldn’t be used to fit his skills and help the team! And NO, I DON’T BLAME HIM ONE BIT!
Don’t blame Kessler at all. How about he stays, and Roy enters the portal and coaches somewhere else?
By all accounts Brooks & Baycott each had subpar a season. They are both nice players. They lack explosive ness around basket as well as quickness. Sharpe’s motor is always running. He’s got the goods. So, Kessler could’ve been special next year. I’ve read people blaming co-vid. If that’s the case he may find that the grass isn’t always greener some place else, co-vid was everywhere. Maybe Kessler doesn’t want to play with his point guard teammates. They each had a couple excellent games but mostly they were boneheads .How many lobs did you see going to the 4 big men this year?. How many well executed entry passes were to to the high or low post? Way too few. Home many times did we see the two them try drive to the rim and wind up on the floor? Way too many. Keesler would probably be gone after next season; but not with our point guards he wouldn’t. It hurts to say this stuff I’ve been a fan for long time. I just never saw any consistently steady improvement in anyone on the team, other than Kessler