It’d be easy to call the beginning of this men’s basketball season the true start of a new era for Carolina. Though Hubert Davis is entering his third season as the program’s head coach, this is the first year the Tar Heels have a roster almost completely of his own design. It’s also the first year UNC has truly leaned on the transfer portal to fill out the team; five Tar Heels spent last season playing for a different university. Add in true freshmen Zayden High and Elliot Cadeau, and that’s seven brand new players in the fold.
It’ll take some getting used to for Tar Heel fans, especially those who remember the days of four-year players rising from the end of the bench to stardom by the time they left. But college athletics are in a whole new world now, and Carolina would be wise to keep up.
And according to fifth-year senior and de facto team spokesman Armando Bacot, there’s a fringe benefit to having so many new faces on the team this year.
“It’s been great having so many new guys, since we just flushed last season,” Bacot said on Friday. “We really haven’t thought about it at all, because the guys on the team haven’t been through that. Only a few of us was a part of that. It’s been great and refreshing.”
One of those new arrivals is Paxson Wojcik, who split his last four seasons of college basketball between Loyola Chicago and Brown. The more seasoned among the UNC fanbase will recognize Wojcik’s name: his father, Doug, was an assistant under head coach Matt Doherty in the early 2000s. But Paxson said family ties weren’t a factor in his decision. Rather, it had to do with Carolina’s current head coach.
“Coach Davis’ passion was something that really stood out to me,” Wojcik said. “He loves this place and speaks so highly of it. Him being a player, coming back, meeting his wife here. This is home for him. And I could really tell how special of a place it is just by hearing him talk about it. So that’s something that was really attractive to me.
“And also being a part of a program like Carolina basketball, with the rich tradition and the winning culture. Just the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself was really appealing to me.”
There’s a dubious honor shared among UNC’s five transfers: none of them made the NCAA Tournament last spring. When joining Carolina’s returners, who are fresh off their own disappointing season, the group as a whole could be seen as an island of misfit toys. And Bacot said that island has already developed a strong chemistry.
“It’s probably the closest I’ve been with a group since I’ve been here, other than maybe my freshman year,” he said. “I love coming in here every day, practicing, lifting, going out with teammates. It’s been great. We seem like a group that really wants to play for each other and win, and I think that’s encouraging.”
Bacot’s confidence is a good sign for the Tar Heels, especially since the big man has never been shy about being honest when talking with the media. But as last season showed everyone, talk is cheap. Carolina’s early performances last fall were the true signs of what the season had in store, and those signs weren’t good. For UNC to truly put those memories to bed, it all starts tonight.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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