The question was asked about 35 times last night on my twitter feed, but it deserves to be repeated: has any team ever struggled this much with seven McDonald's all-americans on the roster?
Because that is what Roy Williams is working with this season.
Seriously, count them up:
- Harrison Barnes, 2010
- Kendall Marshall, 2010
- Reggie Bullock, 2010
- John Henson, 2009
- Dexter Strickland, 2009
- Tyler Zeller, 2008
- Larry Drew, 2008
*(One issue that many people have is with the voting for the McDonald's all-american teams. Simply put, it is a flawed system that does not seem to have the right people voting. It places undo expectations and pressure on kids that may not be good enough to handle it.)
But it appears they are after Illinois handed UNC a 79-67 defeat in Champaign on Tuesday night. That final is closer than the game actually was; the Illini held a lead well into the double digits for the majority of the second half.
Less than two weeks ago, I wrote about the issues with this Carolina team, and none of them have changed -- although I would recommend being a bit more concerned if I was a Tar Heel fan. I guess the next step is to ask how we can right this ship.
For starters, I think its time to hand the reins over to Kendall Marshall at the point. Its clear that right now, Larry Drew is not the answer. He may be a better fit ideally in the UNC system than Marshall, but he is simply not playing the way a starting point guard has too. In seven games this season, Drew has just 24 assists compared to 17 turnovers, and those numbers got a big boost from the 7 assists, 3 turnover game he had against Illinois. He's taken just 27 shots this season, scored just 25 points, and -- get this -- made just six field goals.
Six field goals! In seven games! From your starting point guard!
That's unacceptable.
Having Marshall run this team is not ideal. He's not the best fit and he is just a freshman. But right now he is the better option. Drew is a talented kid, but he is just not playing with any confidence. And while benching him may destroy what's left of that confidence, it is better than digging a hole that the Heels cannot work their way out of. Getting Marshall some experience being the No. 1 point guard against top quality competition before the ACC season kicks off may be the answer.
Its also time to take Dexter Strickland out of the starting lineup. He looks just as lost as Drew does. Reggie Bullock, another freshman, may not be ready to handle being a starter yet either, but he at least is coming out firing.
This is what is sticking out in my mind from last night's game for the Heels. On more than one possession, Strickland caught the ball wide open at the three point line and did nothing. He didn't shoot and he didn't attack the basket. He just stood there with the ball. That, to me, shows either a lack of ability or a lack of confidence in his ability, neither of which are a good thing. Bullock has been shooting well and is scoring more than Strickland. When he got a chance in the second half tonight, he missed his first three shots. A few possessions later, Bullock found himself open from three. He immediately pulled the trigger and knocked the shot down.
Maybe its me, but I would rather have the ill-prepared freshman out there playing confidently than the sophomore who is in line to start that is playing tentatively.
As for Harrison Barnes, Roy Williams is simply going to have to wait that one out. He's too talented, and his struggles seem, by all accounts, to be more of a result of the burden of expectations than anything.
There is no way that Roy Williams will get fired from North Carolina. Not when he has won two of the last six national titles.
But if he continues to swing and miss on these talented recruits and continues to lose with a roster full of high school all-americans, eventually his ability as a coach is going to begin to be called into question.
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