Built on Potential - Today's Take

Inside Carolina’s Greg Barnes on the North Carolina basketball roster and the necessity that each key new player reach his potential for Michael Malone’s first season to be a success.

“Replacing Henri Veesaar is going to be a challenge. You’ve got some pieces that are going to be able to provide you with something. Is it enough to make up for what Veesaar brought? That remains to be seen. We’ll just have to wait and see how that plays out as we get closer to November. 

“But first you make sure you get the guys that you want. And then there is role definition. Neoklis Avdalas can play that point forward position. Terrence Brown is more of an attacking point guard. So how they play off one another can really boost the rest of the starting lineup. If Matt Able can make that next step, and we saw a lot of potential out of him last year in Raleigh, then all of a sudden, you’ve got three really good players in the backcourt who can lead and direct the offense. So with that, you don’t need quite as much from the front court.

“Maxi Adams has a lot of potential to pop as a freshman and if he can emerge as a starting option by December or January, then that changes the math all together. But I do think we are talking about potential with all these guys and that’s true with international players as well. 

“So that’s the question mark and why there is some concern with the Carolina fan base about this roster. As it’s currently constructed, you need a lot of these guys to play to their potential next year for this team to be really good because if they don’t, you could have some issues that create a bumpy road.”