It’s been a different kind of off-season for everyone involved in the sports world, and Carolina Basketball isn’t an exception. The 2019-20 season didn’t go as expected, so the time leading up to the start of the next basketball season is crucial for this proud program to return to national contention. A big part of the struggles last winter, was due to the insurmountable injuries that affected the team, primarily in the back court. One of the players that was sorely missed was freshman combo guard Anthony Harris. In his brief playing time, Harris averaged 6.8 points, while shooting 54% from the field, including 43% from behind the arc. Harris suffered his second ACL injury in as many years, in the final game of the non-conference season against Yale. After making his debut at Virginia, Harris provided some much needed energy onto the court, and added scoring the team was dying for.
In the aftermath of a forgetful season, a lot has transpired at the point guard position for Carolina. Freshman phenom Cole Anthony decided to enter his name into the 2020 NBA Draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. In a surprising move, classmate Jeremiah Francis announced his intentions to transfer out of the Carolina program, and eventually enrolled at New Mexico. That left Carolina with a huge void to fill at the most important position on the floor, for the third consecutive off-season. Roy Williams brought in a highly touted prospect in Caleb Love, who appears to be a more natural fit in the Carolina system, than Anthony. Nonetheless you’re still asking a lot from a freshman, in one of the better conferences in college basketball. With that in mind, Williams believes that Harris will be available for the start of the 2020-21 season.
This will lessen the stress on Love to carry the load, and will allow guys like Leaky Black, Andrew Platek, and incoming freshman R.J. Davis being able to play their natural positions, instead of juggling multiple positions.
While there’s no guarantee that the season will start on time, or even take place for that matter, this is a big step forward for the team, and more importantly the health of Harris, who we believe will be a big contributor to the program for the foreseeable future.