For some reason people might be starting to a little more eagerly look ahead to the start of basketball season, especially around the center of North Carolina. It’s inarguable that football hasn’t gone nearly as well as everyone had hoped, and between how bad their last game looked and how this weekend’s game against Clemson appears to be trending, once again eyes are drifting a little more south on campus to the Smith Center.
There’s also a lot of hope over in Carmichael Arena. The Tar Heels finally
hosted a first and second round for the first time under Courtney Banghart last season. They have some high-profile additions that could put the team in even better shape to compete in the high end of the ACC and nationally. This includes some hard work to secure Liza Astakhova to the United States. If you haven’t it’s worth the read to see just how many hoops she had to jump through just to end up on campus.
Both squads are going to get a chance in the spotlight next week as ACC Tipoff begins in Charlotte. The bonus for Carolina fans is that it happens during another open weekend for the football team, so they’ll get more attention as—win or lose this weekend—football will again shut down communication until it’s time to talk about Cal. Tuesday, we all found out who both basketball teams are sending to join the respective coaches to meet the media.
It all kicks off on Monday as Banghart will take Reniya Kelly and Indya Navar with her to Charlotte. Kelly enters her junior season as an all purpose player rebounding and shooting the ball, and is clearly being tapped to take another step ahead in trying to get Carolina further along the NCAA Tournament. Nivar meanwhile is the defensive stalwart for Banghart, leading the Tar Heels in steals and will look to continue to lock down offenses this upcoming season.
The next day Hubert Davis will bring along senior leader and new Ice Cream Shop owner Seth Trimble and one of the multiple International transfers to Carolina Henri Veesaar. Trimble is expected to lead the time as the main point guard, Veesaar gives the Tar Heels one thing they were sorely missing last year: size. In fact, the Tar Heels will be noticeably taller this season, and that will be on display on the Charlotte stage next week when the Tar Heels meet the media.
The ACC Tipoff will also follow Carolina’s first public display of the team—the Blue/White Game that will be played following the conclusion of the Clemson game this weekend. With Trimble really being the only returning regular from last year’s team and the tension on Hubert Davis after the recent struggles, there will be plenty for the media to ask when they show up. Both the men and women have some serious tests early, with Kansas coming to Chapel Hill to face the men and the women going to South Carolina for an exhibition at the end of the month. Both squads will need to start fast, and next week should be a reminder on that based on their meetings with the media.
