Dec. 12, 2009
By Adam Lucas
When you think about making the transition from high school basketball to Carolina Basketball, you tend to think in big concepts. Learning the secondary break. Learning Carolina's defensive principles. Figuring out the best choice on the menu at Sutton's.
But as Leslie McDonald makes the slow move from Briarcrest Christian School to the Tar Heels, he has discovered that the most challenging part of the transition is perhaps the most fundamental part of basketball: running.
"When you decide to come to Carolina, you know they run the floor well," McDonald says. "But I didn't know it was this fast. At Carolina, we are known for running the ball right up the backs of other teams. That's something that takes some adjustment."
McDonald showed progress in that area in Saturday night's 103-64 thrashing of Presbyterian, a game less notable for specific stats than for watching the progress of Carolina's freshmen.
Marcus Ginyard was shelved as a precaution because of a foot injury. "It's more of a slight pain, but obviously I want to be careful," Ginyard said. "I have no reservations about playing against Texas. I should be fine by then." Dexter Strickland was added to the injured reserve after a freak practice injury on Friday, as he felt something pop after making a steal and dunk. "He felt stiff and had a little swelling," Roy Williams said. "His ACL and MCL looked good. But we held him out because it was a little stiff."
The absence of Ginyard and Strickland trimmed an already-thin perimeter rotation, leaving more opportunities for Justin Watts, Marc Campbell and McDonald. All three had some of their best action of the season. Watts picked up three rebounds in the first three minutes. Campbell was not charged with a turnover.
And McDonald continued to show signs that he may have a niche for these Tar Heels--even when the entire perimeter group is healthy again--over the next few months. He came into the game shooting just 28.6% from the floor but made three of his six shot attempts plus his only free throw. More importantly, it was his aggressiveness that created some of those shot attempts. Like Strickland (when healthy) and
John Henson, in the last 7-10 days McDonald has looked less like a high schooler trying to fit in and more like a college basketball player.
The challenge for a freshman getting limited minutes is to validate the progress he thinks he's making. Sure, McDonald might think he's more advanced than he was a month ago. But he played only two minutes at Kentucky and five minutes against Michigan State. It's hard to reach many conclusions in seven minutes over two games.
Saturday night, he played a season-high 12 minutes, more than he'd played in the previous four games combined. There were some moments of indecision, including fumbling away the ball on what looked like a solid fast-break opportunity. But it marked the first time in his freshman season that McDonald didn't appear timid about making a mistake. And he ran the court aggressively, beating his man down the floor and helping push the offense.
"I'm learning in practice," McDonald says. "I can see the development there. And I know if I'm doing it better in practice, it'll be better in games, too."
As he's learned more about his role, the Memphis product has leaned on Marcus Ginyard--same position--and Will Graves--same situation--for advice. Ginyard has offered some valuable insights about spacing in the Tar Heel offense. Graves has consistently stressed the importance of focus.
Neither of those veterans, however, has had to mention the importance of running. McDonald has even tried to run some extra 33's (you might know them better as suicides) on his own to condition himself to the pace that's expected of him. As he looks ahead--not too far ahead, because he just took his first fall semester exam on Friday and has several more this week--he sees a continuing role for the 2010 Tar Heels.
"I really do see a niche for me," he says. "I see myself developing and understanding the game more, especially the Carolina style. I feel like I'm working harder, and that gives me a chance."
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 just-released book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.
