P.J. Hairston, Reggie Bullock Move Into Big Roles
By now, all college hoops fans are familiar with the Tar Heels- one of the top two teams in the country along with Kentucky due to an influx of starters returning, specifically Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Tyler Zeller and Kendall Marshall. Incoming Freshman, a high school All-American, will come off the bench at power forward to give UNC championship-level talent in the frontcourt. In the backcourt, Dexter Strickland, a junior next season, will continue to earn a majority of the minutes at shooting guard, backed up last season, by Leslie McDonald and Reggie Bullock. And now that McDonald has torn his ACL and will likely miss all of the 2011-12 season, it makes reserves Bullock and rising freshman P.J. Hairston integral pieces to this championship contender.
Both Hairston and Bullock bring outside shooting, something this team desperately needs; McDonald finished second on the team with 51 3-pointers made last season and UNC ranked 248th in the country with a 32.8 3-point percentage. Bullock made only .296 percent of his attempts last season, he is also coming returning from a knee injury (torn meniscus) that sidelined him for most of the second-half of UNC's run; however, the former top-20 recruit has deep range on his jump shot and should rebound after missing too many open 3s in Roy Williams' fast-break offense. Hairston, a 2011 top-20 recruit, is one of the better shooters in his class with range extending to 25 feet in catch-and-shoot situations or off-the-dribble. He can be streaky, but has good enough size and a quick release to shoot over defenders.
By President Corey Ruff - 7-18-11
