Sept. 16, 2009
Starting today, TarHeelBlue.com begins a series of Tar Heel basketball features that will run every Wednesday leading up to Late Night with Roy Williams on Oct. 16.
By Adam Lucas
Watching Marcus Ginyard shoot in the Smith Center practice gym one late summer afternoon, it's difficult to ignore the obvious.
Fortunately, what's obvious now is different from what was obvious the last time he was seen on the court in public, unfortunately. Even Roy Williams said Ginyard "wasn't the old Marcus" when Ginyard made his abbreviated three-game appearance during the 2008-09 season. That year was eventually cut short by a lingering foot injury, forcing a medical redshirt and bringing him back to Carolina for the 2009-10 season.
So as he moves around the three-point line firing jumper after jumper, you expect to see some slight evidence of favoritism for that injured foot, maybe a wince or a grimace after each landing. But he never does, which allows you to focus on something even more striking: Ginyard's shot looks as good as it's ever looked in Chapel Hill. Catch, shot, release, rotation, result--all are smooth.
Granted, it's easy to look like a shooter in an empty gym. No one is saying Ginyard morphed into Wayne Ellington over the summer. And shooting isn't Ginyard's most important contribution; it's like asking Ed Cota if he can dunk.
But Ginyard's offense will be beneficial for a young team. Remember, the healthy version of the Alexandria native was unfailingly good for one or two key putbacks per game. As he tries to stretch his game beyond the paint, his newfound confidence in his shot is obvious with every flick of his wrist. And for a career 30.5 percent shooter, even one who hit a respectable 40 percent of his three-pointers as a junior, that's a significant development. There have been times during his career you could see him wishing the ball into the basket. He's not wishing it this afternoon. He's shooting it.
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"My shot feels great right now," he says. "I spent a lot of time working on it. In previous summers I've spent time working on it, but there's no question that I've been after it harder this summer than in the past. I've been in the gym every day, and tried to put in enough work that I feel comfortable with it. I don't want to think about it, I just want to let it go. That's what the best shooters do. I want to get confident in it and let it fly."
Technically, he's focused on holding his follow-through and keeping the ball off the palm of his hand. Overall, though, the best news might be what he's not doing: feeling any pain every time he lands on that formerly troublesome left foot. It wasn't until April that he could do a basketball workout without lingering soreness. Now, he's able to run, jump and cut with no ill effects.
It's the cutting that holds the key to his 2009-10 contributions. Before the Tar Heels applied the clamps in the postseason, a well-documented procession of perimeter players had big scoring nights against Carolina last season. It will be Ginyard's job--one he relishes--to defend those high-scoring opponents. Finally healthy again, he's ready to chase the league's best around screens.
For that reason, he's not especially concerned about the exact position he'll play in his final season in Chapel Hill. Is he a shooting guard? Small forward? A hybrid of the two?
"I'm just a player," he says. "Wing guard, forward, whatever. I just have to play and perform. I know I'm going to guard a tough perimeter player and I'm going to play on the wing. That's my job."
Ginyard admitted that watching Carolina's championship season from the bench occasionally sparked conflicting emotions. His best friends were achieving their goals on the march to Detroit...but he was wearing a suit instead of the Tar Heel argyle.
Those mixed feelings remained as his 2009 senior classmates moved on to the next stage of their lives, while he prepared to return for a do-over 2010 senior year. Over the summer, however, a familiar feeling finally returned--excitement for a new season.
"When I got home at the end of the second summer session and started really working out hard, that's when I started getting excited about this year," Ginyard says. "Doing that work got me excited about looking forward to what I get to do this year."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of five books on Carolina basketball, including the upcoming book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.
