When J.P. Tokoto’s first-half 3-pointer during Saturday’s 82-77 win against No. 11 Kentucky was reviewed and determined to be a 2-point shot instead, the thought came to mind: “When Hairston launches triples, he’s rarely even near that line, much less on it.”
When Marcus Paige drained a second-half 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Julius Randle, Kentucky’s outstanding 6-foot-9 freshman, with 8:15 left to give the Tar Heels a six-point lead, it was hard not to think, “Hairston loves to shoot over big guys, and he never met a moment he wanted to shy away from.”
Heck, it’s hard not to think what North Carolina still might be with Hairston, a potential All-America candidate.
And that’s kind of the point. We don’t know. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams doesn’t know. The baby-blue clad fans who packed the Dean Smith Center — attendance was 21,750 — on Saturday don’t know.
Only the NCAA knows.
Well, at least theoretically. Who knows if that organization knows?
There have been no indications of an end to this eligibility saga that’s already chewed up almost a third of the North Carolina basketball season, which is why Hairston and fellow NCAA purgatory resident Leslie McDonald spent Saturday in grey sweatpants and a white Jordan Brand t-shirt—the giveaway for the game — cheering on their teammates from the bench.
Hairston’s issues revolve around the use of rental cars he may have been better off not driving. It’s believed that McDonald’s issue involves the use of a particular brand of mouth guard.
The Tar Heels are 7-2 on the season with wins against Michigan State, Kentucky and Louisville—the teams ranked No. 1, 2 and 3 in Sporting News’ preseason Top 25. And they’ve lost at home to Belmont and on the road to UAB, both good teams, but teams that likely will have to win their league’s automatic bid to make the NCAA Tournament in March.
In a vacuum, that seems incredibly bizarre.
When you understand what the absence of Hairston and McDonald meant to last year’s North Carolina squad and this summer’s practices, though — they combined to make 131 3-pointers last year — you begin to understand the inconsistency.
After nine official games of uncertainty, more than five full weeks of not knowing when or if those two perimeter threats will return, the process of becoming a North Carolina team with a true identity remains a process.
“It’s still kind of an adjustment, because last year you had guys on the wing who at any given time would just rise up and knock down a 3, and that really spreads the defense out,” point guard Marcus Paige told Sporting News after the Kentucky win. “But this year teams can do different things defensively, like pack it in, switch screens and play zone, things they would struggle guarding last year. It’s been an adjustment for all of us.”
Here’s the single most telling stat for North Carolina. The Tar Heels, as a team, have made just 25 shots from beyond the arc this season. Paige has 21 of those 25.
Tokoto made his third 3-pointer of the season against Kentucky — he laughed afterwards when asked if he knew the first long-distance shot would be eventually ruled a 2-pointer: “Yeah, I knew. I was just wondering when they were going to go look at it.”
Freshman point guard Nate Britt is 1-for-6 on the season. That’s it. Nobody else has made even a single 3-pointer.
And without Hairston and McDonald, two well above-average off-guards, the Tar Heels have had to shift positions on the fly. Tokoto has had to play shooting guard instead of his natural spot at small forward. James Michael McAdoo, who had 20 points against Kentucky, has had to play small forward instead of his natural spot at power forward.
“I think they’ve accepted (the new roles), but I’m not sure they’ve figured it out yet,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. “… It’s not a natural position for either one of them, so I don’t think you can do that in nine games, but they do understand it more.”
And yet, here they are, with a better trio of wins than any other team in the country.
“At the end of the day, we’re still going to have to play,” sophomore Brice Johnson said. “We just have to go out there and play. If they’re not going to be there, we just have to go out there and play. When they come back, we’re going to be ready for it. We’re going to be ecstatic for them to come back.”
This situation has become an issue that’s turning into a debacle. It’s approaching Myck Kabongo levels, and Texas basketball fans still cringe when thinking about that seemingly never-ending saga last year. Kabongo accepted “improper benefits” and then wasn’t fully upfront when initially asked about it by the NCAA.
The quick version of events: Last Dec. 19, Yahoo! Sports broke the news that Kabongo would be suspended the entire season by the NCAA. On Dec. 23, after reviewing an appeal by Texas, the NCAA announced his suspension would be reduced to 23 games, and he would be eligible to return Feb. 13. He wound up playing 11 games and averaged 14.6 points and 5.5 assists. Without their point guard the bulk of the season, the Longhorns finished 16-18 and lost to Houston in the opening round of the CBI.
This North Carolina team has more talent than that Texas squad, and has clearly responded to the adversity better than the Longhorns did. The Tar Heels have proven that they can win against the best teams in the nation without Hairston and McDonald.
Eventually, they deserve to know what they will be in March. We've reached the point where the impact of the NCAA's indecision is worse than the potential of making a wrong decision.
Enough is enough, NCAA.
