This question can go a lot of different directions, all valid.
I’m going with Jarin Stevenson. Why?
I grew up in Alabama with Tar Heel parents, and two generations later, I remain the lone member of that extended family who landed in Chapel Hill for undergrad rather than Tuscaloosa. I watched a lot of Stevenson while he was there, and I heard a lot about him from family members. That started with the ribbing when Nate Oats earned his commitment out of high school, and it ended with the usual fan reaction
when a player leaves: “You can have him, we didn’t want him anymore.”
The knock on Stevenson at Alabama was that he struggled to be effective down low. As a perimeter defender, he could be lights out, but the symbolic moment for Stevenson’s time in T-town was missing a put-back lay-up at a key moment and then getting benched and berated for not dunking it. The word I kept hearing from my Bama brethren: “soft.”
Stevenson’s been asked to do a lot for this team, inside and outside, and he’s especially been tasked with huge responsibilities down low in Caleb Wilson’s absence. Result, in my opinion: he’s been fantastic, and most of it’s been the sort of unsung but critical stuff that doesn’t dominate a box score. I’ve been really impressed with his growth and physicality this season. He definitely gets a shout out from me.
Who’s your most improved?
