For the first time in the history of the UNC Basketball program, 4 freshmen players have been named “ACC Freshman of the Week” after Kerwin Walton won the award this week. They also join Wake Forest as the only other ACC program to achieve such a feat. Walton joins backcourt mates, Caleb Love and R.J. Davis, in addition to Day’Ron Sharpe as Tar Heel rookies to win the award.
UNC went 2-0 last week with wins over Northeastern and Clemson, and Walton was a big reason why they won both games. In the game against Northeastern, Walton scored 14 points on 5-10 shooting, going 3-7 from behind the three point line. Against Louisville, Walton paced Carolina’s perimeter attack, scoring 19 points on 5-7 shooting from behind the three point line, as Carolina raced their way to a 99-54 win which boosted their NCAA Tournament standing.
For the season, Walton is averaging 7.9 points, on 50% shooting from the field, including a blistering 47% from behind the arc. Once an afterthought in the 2020 recruiting haul, Walton has proven to be a valuable member of the Tar Heels.