UNC basketball, 2009-2010 addition

I've seen UNC play most of its games this year, and so far I've been excited with how this group has played. They are young, VERY young. If you told me that we would be 10-3 at this point, I'd probably be expecting that.

A list of our key players by class:

Seniors:

Marcus Ginyard. The current version of the Secretary of Defense. He can play, and now he can hit the 3 pointer. Great leader, steady player. Good ball handler.

Deon Thompson. Whose our leading scorer? It's Deon. He's also our 2nd leading rebounder. He can be a turnover machine, but overall a solid player.

Juniors:

Will Graves. Will's 3 point shooting % (38%) is a little better than his field goal % (37.4%). He can be an assassin from outside. Defense is suspect but improving. Can also be lost during the game, but Roy seems to motivate him better this year. He's also a good rebounder.

Sophomores:

Tyler Zeller. He's a finesse player, much in the line of Kris Lang. He has a good shooting touch, and he can provide some good D, too.

Ed Davis. He's a scorer from inside, a great rebounder. His ball handling/dribbling ability is a weakness. Ed's getting to the line a lot this year, so he should be our top scorer by the end of the season.

Larry Drew II. He's filling some big shoes by replacing Tywon Lawson, but he's doing a great job. His ball handling ability is fine, he can hit the open shooter, and his shooting ability, especially at the 3 point area, has improved immensely. His D is solid.

Justin Watts. Justin will probably see his time dwindle as the Heels get into ACC play, but he can shoot. His D is suspect, and so is his ball handling.

Freshmen:

David Wear. He's a role player, giving the Heels some rebounding, some solid D, and some 3 point shooting. He's going to be a fine player.

Travis Wear. I don't believe Travis is as flashy as his brother, but he can do everything his brother does, and he may be a tad more consistent.

John Henson. This guy is a legitimate shot blocker. He can rebound, he can shoot, and he's a decent ball handler. I'd like to see him be more assertive on Offense, but he's still learning the game.

Dexter Strickland. I like this fellow's poise. He can turn the ball over, but he is a freshman who can make freshman mistakes. He may be our most dependable freshman this year.

Leslie McDonald. Leslie has shown me that he can play, and he doesn't turn the ball over a lot, but he needs to be more assertive in the game. He's played 68 minutes so far this year, and he has 8 assists and only 5 turnovers. I hope he can play some point in the future.