NCDS: Steve Robinson, Asst. Coach - North Carolina
By: Steve Robinson, Asst. Coach - North Carolina
Christmas is always a challenge for college coaches. I am very fortunate to work for Roy Williams because he believes in giving our team a few days off for the holidays. He doesn't like to schedule a game so close to Christmas so that our team would not have a chance to go home for at least a couple of days. Personally, I love that because it gives me time to spend the holiday with family and friends. It is a great opportunity to catch my breath and get ready for the next several months of non-stop action.
When our team returns from the break (we played at home on the 22nd and reconvened in Chapel Hill on the evening of the 26th) we will have practice at night, which allows those players who have to travel a greater distance a chance to spend as much time at home as possible. Larry Drew II, David and Travis Wear, and Deon Thompson will be flying in from California. As a coach you always worry about flights being cancelled or delayed or missing connections due to the weather, or just blame it on holiday travel. So you get on the court for that first practice and hope that everyone made it back safely and on time.
Now that we have completed exams and don't have classes for about two weeks we can get our guys to focus strictly on basketball. We tell them this is like the NBA - it's all basketball until the second semester begins. For our freshmen, they will have to adjust to being away from home over a break and spending time with the team everyday. We do have several home games to close out the month so those parents and friends that can make it to Chapel Hill will get a few more days with them.
What to expect from 2010? Now that is a good question with start of league play just around the corner. ACC competition is brutal and I am sure this season will be like those in the past - it usually goes down to the last game to determine the league champion. We must continue to improve and become more consistent with our overall play.
Our big guys Ed Davis, Deon Thompson and Tyler Zeller have been steady for us. They have good touch scoring the ball around the basket even with all the banging that goes on inside. It is amazing how physical the college game is becoming. Just ask Travis and David Wear and they will tell you how important the weight room will be for them next off-season.
Our wings are getting a real taste for the effort that is needed on every play. With Marcus Ginyard the most experienced perimeter we really count on his leadership on the court. Will Graves has not hit his stride yet but we think he could become an important player during ACC play. Earlier I talked about the need to get stronger and our off-season weight program and John Henson will benefit from his time in the weight room. He is finding out just how tough things are when you can't physically stand your ground. Leslie McDonald and Justin Watts have both had some good moments in limited time.
Larry Drew II and Dexter Strickland have both been pretty solid handling the point guard role so far. In some regards its like having two freshmen splitting time since Larry didn't play a bunch of minutes last year. He did have a year of practice with us. Now we just need him to keep stepping up with his play and learning as he goes along. Dexter has really been working so hard. He's a competitive young man that wants to excel. We all love his attitude and think he will have a bright future.
I hope 2010 will be a great year for all of you. Go Heels!
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