Can UNC basketball’s Kerwin Walton be what the Tar Heels needed the most this season?
How does a “Muffin Top” grow into a difference-maker? North Carolina freshman Kerwin Walton is drawing up the blueprint.
The 6-foot-5 guard was arguably the least-heralded of the Tar Heels’ highly-touted recruiting class. But he brought the one commodity Carolina missed in its lineup last season: shooting.
Walton has made 10 of his last 15 attempts from 3-point range and is shooting 50 percent from behind the arc this season. Miami defenders will be keenly aware of where Walton is on the court at all times when UNC travels to face the Hurricanes Tuesday at 8 p.m. Just like Notre Dame and Georgia Tech before it.
“He’s going to be, over time, a difference-maker for them,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said on an ACC coaches video conference Monday. “As the game went on, when he rose up, I was scared to death. I was like, he’s a big-time shooter. So I think for them moving forward, that’s going to change them.”
Carolina’s strength without question is in the frontcourt. But teams have been clogging the post daring the Heels to prove they can consistently make shots from the perimeter. Walton’s presence on the floor ensures opponents stay honest because they can’t leave him unattended.
“They’re loading up on him, I mean everybody on the other team, their staff, screaming, ‘Shooter, shooter, shooter,’” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “And that’s where he’s doing such a great job of not taking bad shots. We can help him out more by recognizing that we’ve got to get him more shots.”
Kerwin Walton and his ‘muffin top’
Walton only made two baskets through the Tar Heels’ first six games. But when he erupted for three 3-pointers and a season-high 13 points in their win over Kentucky on Dec. 19, he began getting attention.
Former UNC guard/forward Theo Pinson, who is on a first-name basis with levity, tweeted out during the game, “LETS GO MUFFIN TOP!!!,” in reference to Walton’s baby afro. Pinson and other Heels currently in the NBA were present for several practices in the preseason.
“I heard it before,” Walton said. “So it was just it’s just hilarious to me. But I love it, though.”
Walton is a bit soft-spoken and his introvert personality may explain why he’s sometimes been hesitant to shoot when he clearly was open. Junior Leaky Black said he’s watched Walton make, “like 75 straight from one spot,” so it’s not from lacking confidence, it’s from being a freshman.
“I feel like he doesn’t really know what’s a good shot,” Black said. “He knows what’s a good shot for him, but for our team, we feel like once we get him open, we want him to shoot the ball. It’s a matter of him getting his feet wet.”
Shoot your shot
The Heels are fully confident in his shooting ability because they’ve seen him put in the work. Williams said Walton has perfect form, but puts an unusual spin on the ball when it’s released.
“If you don’t have a solid, solid technique that keeps you away from mistakes, then you better shoot a million of them,” Williams said. “And I think that Kerwin has shot a million of them and will shoot another million in the next week, probably. He does have the great follow through so you’ve got to protect -- excuse me perfect -- your own way of shooting.”
Williams said his defense is improving too. Walton used to not talk at all on defense, which is unacceptable for Williams and perhaps why he didn’t crack the starting lineup until Williams decided a shakeup was needed following their loss to N.C. State. He has now started the past two games. His minutes are up too, from averaging 11 through the first eight games to 25 minutes the last two.
“I just feel a lot more aggressive, I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable just in being in the system,” Walton said. “I’m kind of understanding the good spots, different spots, I can be in the offense and how I can get myself as many looks -- as many good looks -- as I can.”
Walton is tied with freshman guard R.J. Davis for the team-high with 12 made 3s. Take away Walton’s contribution from behind the arc and the Heels are shooting just 25 percent as a team.
Miami is one of the worst teams in the ACC when it comes to defending the 3-point line. Opponents have shot nearly 35 percent from 3 against the Canes. The Heels hope Walton can add to their misery on Tuesday.
“I recruited him because of his shooting ability,” Williams said. “I’d like him to shoot a little bit more.”
UNC at Miami
When: 8 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Watsco Center, Coral Gables, Florida
Watch: ESPN
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 6:15 AM with the headline "Can UNC basketball’s Kerwin Walton be what the Tar Heels needed the most this season?."