
{"id":26802,"date":"2012-07-05T10:13:32","date_gmt":"2012-07-05T14:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/?p=26802"},"modified":"2012-07-05T10:13:32","modified_gmt":"2012-07-05T14:13:32","slug":"tar-heels-shine-on-draft-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2012\/07\/05\/tar-heels-shine-on-draft-night\/","title":{"rendered":"Tar Heels shine on draft night"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Eddy Landreth<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Staff Writer<\/em><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20318\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20318\" style=\"width: 100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/2011\/08\/18\/support-the-players-by-filling-kenan-stadium\/landreth-mug-30\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-20318\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/landreth-mug1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"landreth-mug\" width=\"100\" height=\"134\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/landreth-mug1.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/landreth-mug1-84x113.jpg 84w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/landreth-mug1-74x100.jpg 74w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20318\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eddy Landreth<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nNorth Carolina enjoyed one more basketball victory after the Tar Heels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 2011-12 season ended in an otherwise disappointing fashion in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Four former Tar Heels \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Tyler Zeller \u00e2\u20ac\u201c were taken within the first 17 picks during the annual NBA draft.<\/p>\n<p>Losing players quickly makes life more difficult for coaches, who must keep their programs at the elite level, but having so many players go in the first round will help with recruiting.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is exciting,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said coach Roy Williams, who attended the draft. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exciting for the families. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exciting for me and the guys in our program.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Once the players received their moment on stage, the action behind the scenes began. The Dallas Mavericks, who selected Zeller as the 17th pick, traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/p>\n<p>Barnes slipped a little lower from where he was predicted to go, but he seemed genuinely pleased when Golden State chose him at seven.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They have great front-office people,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Barnes said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I love the general manager, and I love the owner. They are definitely trying to get better.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just going to try to work as hard as I can and help my team the best I can. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just really blessed to be in this position. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m very grateful that Golden State drafted me. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m excited to be there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Former Duke player and ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said that he believes Barnes will thrive within the NBA style of play.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He has terrific size and versatility,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bilas said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very athletically gifted. He had a 38-inch standing vertical [leap], where you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take a step. That is literally off the charts.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Harrison Barnes is an elite jump-shooter,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bilas said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think he has a chance to be a better pro than he was a college player. He can shoot a step-back, a fade-away. He can shoot a turnaround jumper. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very productive.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>The Phoenix Suns selected Marshall as the 13th pick. When Marshall committed to the Tar Heels as a sophomore in high school, Williams likened him to Steve Nash, the Suns\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 point guard. Now the two could be playing together.<\/p>\n<p>Marshall has often likened himself to Nash. Both players are known for their gifted passing ability and skill at making their teammates better.<\/p>\n<p>But Nash is a free agent, so Marshall could become the Suns\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 starter from the beginning of his career.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I wish Kendall was here,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Williams said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably jumping around with mom and dad. Phoenix is one of those teams that loves to run.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never had a better passer than Kendall Marshall. He can push that pace, and if they want to continue playing like that, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the right guy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>The Milwaukee Bucks took the next Tar Heel, selecting Henson as the 14th pick.<\/p>\n<p>Henson was the two-time ACC defensive player of the year.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think that is something I can bring to the team,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Henson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m excited to get to Milwaukee and get to work.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>There were some questions about Henson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s strength because he did not impress the teams with his weight lifting during workouts.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve held my own for three years at Carolina, and I have to prove it at the next level,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Henson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m ready to get out there and show them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>One of Zeller\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new teammates will be former Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, and the match could be ideal, given Zeller\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s particular skills.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a legitimate 7-footer,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bilas said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The skill that sets him apart is his ability to run the floor. He changes ends as fast, if not faster, than any big guy in the country and with regularity.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Every time down the floor, he runs the floor. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on opposing big guys to run the floor. He can wear them out.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Speed is a trait of Irving\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s as well, and the two could recreate the fast-break combination that Marshall and Zeller performed so well at UNC.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153[Marshall] is an absolutely tremendous passer,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bilas said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He has great vision of the floor. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at his best in passing in transition situations. Where his speed really comes from is his ability to pass ahead. His big guys run because they know they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to get the ball.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That is a skill,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bilas said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153to be able to pass ahead. The ball moves faster in the air than you can dribble it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Carolina enjoyed one more basketball victory after the Tar Heels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 2011-12 season ended in an otherwise disappointing fashion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":20318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[431],"class_list":["post-26802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26802"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26806,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26802\/revisions\/26806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}