Roy Williams benched him. Now UNC’s Leaky Black is a whole different player.
Leaky Black’s benching turned out to be one of the best moves North Carolina has made this season. The 6-8 junior called it a “reality check” when coach Roy Williams took him out of the starting lineup against Georgia Tech.
Black has responded with some of the best offensive play of his three seasons on campus. He scored a career-high 16 points and added nine rebounds in the Tar Heels’ 67-65 win over Miami Tuesday. That included a career-high four 3-pointers. He’d only made 3-of-15 from behind the arc through the first 10 games this season.
Oh, he’s back in the Tar Heels’ (7-4, 2-2 ACC) starting lineup now and the way he’s been scoring lately has made himself an invaluable part of the rotation.
“It’s just confidence, you know, I don’t think we could play any worse than what we did in the N.C. State game or last year,” Black said during his postgame video conference. “So I feel like you just have to have confidence. North Carolina is going to have a game and we need to score points, so I just felt like it was my night.”
Black had a string of six straight games last season where he hit at least one 3-pointer and he was 8-of-23 (34.7 percent) over that stretch. So it’s not like he’s never been successful shooting from 3.
But nothing builds confidence like taking and making shots that decide outcomes of games. Black scored the game-winning basket against Notre Dame this past Saturday with a driving bank shot. And with the Heels trailing Miami 61-60 with 1:42 left, he made his fourth and final 3 to complete a rally from down 10. The Heels never trailed again.
Leaky Black, Kerwin Walton shot well against Miami
Black is shooting 60 percent (14-23) from the floor and that includes 5-of-9 from 3-point range in his last three outings. That’s the most baskets he’s made over a three-game span in his career. (His previous high was 11.)
“He definitely took it (being benched) personally and changed the way he played,” said senior guard Andrew Platek, who made the game-winning shot with 3.6 seconds left against Miami. “...This is the best stretch I’ve seen Leaky play in my in my career with him and I’m super proud of him.”
Black and freshman guard Kerwin Walton, who finished with 13 points, were the only two Carolina players who shot well. Midway through the second half, they were a combined 8-of-12 from the field, while the rest of the Heels were 6-of-28 shooting.
Platek later joked, he wasn’t sure that he’d ever seen Black make four 3s in a row. But the Tar Heels needed every one of his baskets.
Williams made the distinction that it was the best Black has shot the ball, but not necessarily the best he’s played. He pointed out Black forced a drive and was called for a charge with 3:34 left when Miami clearly had defenders in his path.
“I always expect Leaky to be great defensively and be very intelligent,” Williams said. “And his driving in there and the charge late in the game was not a very smart play. But he’s been sensational at times defensively.”
Turnovers from RJ Davis, Caleb Love
Black is the most versatile player on the roster with his ability to guard multiple positions and play just about anywhere. Williams said he considered using Black at point guard against the Hurricanes while watching freshmen R.J. Davis and Caleb Love struggle to run the offense. They combined for seven turnovers and shot a combined 2-of-14 from the field.
Ultimately, Williams did not make the move. But, as it turned out, Black did end up with the ball to begin the final possession.
“I just wanted to go right into ‘Fist,’ because we practice that every single day, it’s what we’re most comfortable,” Black said. “I looked down into post, I’m pretty sure they were fronted. I tried to get to the other side to get it to them. And then Andrew’s guy helped off him. So I just kicked into Andrew and he made a huge play on the floater.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Roy Williams benched him. Now UNC’s Leaky Black is a whole different player.."