Success Beyond a Lottery Pick for UNC - Today's Take

Inside Carolina’s senior reporter Greg Barnes on the importance of building back the North Carolina brand and having success on the NBA level beyond just the high draft picks…

“The headlines that come with having lottery picks and the media attention is certainly a positive. More important is maximizing that potential at the NBA level. When was the last time North Carolina had an all-star type player? And Carolina has had some pretty high draft picks over the last couple decades in Coby White, Harrison Barnes, Brandon Wright and even back to Marvin Williams and Ray Felton. 

“But even if you are drafted high, you have got to be able to turn that into playing at an elite level. That, more than anything, is what’s been missing. Look at Jayson Tatum. One of the best players in the NBA and it’s automatic cache for Duke. Vince Carter for Carolina is still a highlight reel folks watch and that’s a big Carolina tie, but he last played at UNC 28 years ago, and retired from the NBA six years ago.

“That’s something that Caleb Wilson can provide. He’s clearly a top five pick, and I can see him going as high as No. 2. He needs to maximize that. He still needs growth, but personality-wise, he’s fantastic. He’s a billboard waiting to happen for some team, and that’s going to be very beneficial for both him personally and for UNC.

“What you’re trying to do is give yourself as many opportunities as possible. That’s how you build the brand. That’s what Carolina used to do a lot and clearly that has faded. So that is what Michael Malone is tasked with – getting Carolina back to that point where they have a lot of very good players, and it’s not just on Caleb Wilson. The key is trying to build your base and create lots of opportunities, and therefore give your program multiple chances to have a home run in the draft, and have big success in the NBA beyond just being a high pick.”