It wasn’t supposed to be this hard for Marcus Paige and North Carolina. Last season was supposed to be easy, it was supposed to be fun. In the end, it was a rollercoaster ride of inconsistency, unexpected triumphs, injuries, and ultimately a result that fell short of preseason expectations.
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If North Carolina had not been expected to compete for the ACC regular season title and a national championship, the season would have been thought of as somewhat successful. The Tar Heels finished 26-12 (11-7) for the year, finishing fifth in the ACC regular season standings.
The year was a mixture of highs and lows. They lost twice to rival Duke, once to rival NC State, but also beat Louisville and Virginia on back-to-back days to reach the ACC tournament championship game. Legendary former coach Dean Smith also passed away during the season.
After that championship game loss to Notre Dame, Roy Williams spoke to how difficult the year had been for him and his team.
“It’s been a tough year. I’ve had some personal things that have been really tough,” Williams said at the post-game press conference I attended. “Coach Smith, my best friend in town, all those kind of things, all the injuries, not knowing when you went to practice every day who you were going to have. The stuff that we’ve got going on around campus. You get tired of dealing with all of that.”
Considering the tumultuous nature of the ride, the final destination doesn’t seem so bad. The Tar Heels ended their season in the Sweet 16, losing to the eventual national runner-up Wisconsin. On a personal level, it was also a difficult year for their star guard Marcus Paige.
Paige’s individual numbers dipped slightly from his sophomore season. His points per game fell from 17.5 per game to 14.1, his shooting percentage dropped to 41.3 percent, and his free-throw attempts per game slipped from 4.3 to 2.9.
From outside, he was still the Paige that Tar Heels fans know and love. He shot 39.5 percent from three-point range on 6.3 attempts per game. Much of his failures had to do with season-long injuries that kept him from driving to the basket like he did last season. He became just a jump-shooter for much of the season.
I got to see Paige at full strength, up close and personal at the ACC tournament.
He put on a show against Notre Dame in the ACC championship game, scoring 24 points on 5-for-11 from three-point range. The Heels lost to the Fighting Irish, but Paige proved that when he is completely healthy he could still dominate a game.
Even with his performance, the disappointment that came from not accomplishing their championship goals was apparent on his face. This is a kid that just wants to win something meaningful at North Carolina.
Fortunately for Paige, he gets a “do-over” of sorts. The injury-plagued season has led to Paige putting off the NBA for one more season in Chapel Hill. Once again, North Carolina will have high expectations heading into the season.
Keeping It Heel
Their only significant loss was wing J.P. Tokoto declaring for the NBA Draft, but North Carolina returns nearly every important player from last season.
Paige will likely be joined by Joel Berry/Nate Britt, Justin Jackson, Brice Johnson, and Kennedy Meeks in the starting lineup, four of the aforementioned five players averaged double figures in scoring last season and Britt and Berry each proved to be decent outside shooting threats by the end of the year (36.6 percent and 35.4 percent from three-point range).
They also return a bench full of solid role players that includes Theo Pinson, Isaiah Hicks, and Joel James. A loaded roster with Paige being on top of his game makes the Heels a popular pick to make a run to the Final Four in 2016.
With Duke losing Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones, and Quinn Cook, and Virginia losing Justin Anderson and Darion Atkins, the ACC is North Carolina’s for the taking next season. The Blue Devils and Cavs will still be formidable, FSU will be much improved, and NC State could be a contender if they land one more wing scorer, but can anyone match the Tar Heels?
They’ll have talent, experience, and the hunger to right the wrongs from last season.
North Carolina is a proud program that has endured a great deal of scrutiny thanks to the academic scandal that was brought to light in recent years. Players like Paige have had to deal with questions about that issue even though they had nothing to do with it.
He deserves a season without that distraction, and without injuries. The questions aren’t likely to stop, so he will have to hope that at least the injuries do. The first step in getting healthy came earlier this week when Paige had surgery on the ankle that had been causing him problems.
Due to his small stature and slight build, Paige may have a difficult time sticking in the NBA. Even if that’s the case, he knows he has plenty of time to make money playing basketball overseas. Returning to school is about winning a national championship and cementing his legacy at North Carolina.
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