WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina

UNC has freshman Henson snapping photos of his meals

By Dane Huffman

Oct 26, 2009

Greensboro, N.C. — Deon Thompson has a critical role on the North Carolina basketball team this season, and it has nothing to do with rebounding or blocking shots.

He has to get freshman John Henson to breakfast every morning.

And make sure Henson takes a picture of his meal and e-mails it to UNC strength coach Jonas Sahratian.

“I pick him up every morning to take him to breakfast and make sure he’s eating,” Thompson said Sunday of Henson.

Henson is listed at 6 feet 10 inches and 195 pounds and the Tar Heels expect huge things from him this season. Even Marcus Ginyard, Carolina’s fifth-year senior, said Henson is the one player in practice who makes the others go "Wow!"

“It’s impossible to watch John Henson play for more than five minutes and not say 'Whoooo,'” Ginyard said.

But Carolina is watching Henson closely, and not just on the court. The Tar Heels want him to beef up for the season ahead, which is why Henson has to pull out his Blackberry and take a photo of all his meals.

“Whatever meal he’s got, he has to take a picture of it,” Thompson said.

Henson is one of five freshmen on the UNC roster, and Carolina’s dependence on that class is one reason coach Roy Williams says this year’s team is hard to predict.

“I think the biggest thing is we do have a chance to be a very good defensive team and perhaps a very good defensive team early,” Williams said. “I have seen that Marcus and Deon are very serious about their leadership – the statements, the guidance they are trying to give the other guys.

“I have seen the depth we thought we’d have up front is real. I think five or six guys will be able to play up there with varying amounts of success.”

Carolina has only practiced for a week, but already, a clearer picture of the team is emerging, Larry Drew is scheduled to start at point guard, with freshman Dexter Strickland his backup there.

Ginyard, who has slimmed down from 220 pounds to 205, will be the third point guard as needed. Williams said he was as impressed by Ginyard as any player in preseason, and even though Ginyard can play three positions, he wants Ginyard starting at shooting guard.

“I’d rather see him in the starting lineup. He’s not go to be fazed by what’s going on,” Williams said.

That puts Henson at small forward, even though he’s tall for the position at 6-10. But Williams said Henson hasn’t played in the post at all so far.

The post belongs to Thompson and Ed Davis, the athletic lefty who could be one the league’s best players. Davis was fifth in the voting for preseason all-conference.

“Last year he was a role player, a supportive player, a very effective guy coming off the bench,” Williams said. “Can he do this when the defense is aimed at him? That’s what w have to see.

“He’s bigger, he’s stronger. We just need Ed to be what Ed can be. I do believe Ed will be better.” 

The depth inside is impressive, with 7-foot Tyler Zeller back for his sophomore year and freshmen twins David and Travis Wear.

Still, Williams groaned about a preseason magazine he saw that lauded Carolina’s frontcourt even though much of the talent is untested.

The issue, he said, comes in crunch time. Carolina no longer has experienced players like Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.

“I like that experienced talent returning,” Williams said. “But if you don’t have experienced talent, talent is the second choice.”

The Tar Heels have that this year.

“The one thing I do know is this ballclub will be alright,” Ginyard said. “We’ve got what we need to get through this year. We’ve just got to figure out how to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.”
 

UNC basketball at a glance

Coach: Roy Williams - 7th year with North Carolina (176-37 record at North Carolina, 594-138 overall)

Record last year: 34-4 overall (13-3 in the ACC) - North Carolina won the national championship last season.

Key Losses: F Tyler Hansbrough, G Wayne Ellington, G Ty Lawson, F/G Danny Green, G Bobby Frasor

Best Recruit: John Henson - 4th best player in the nation according to Scout.com

Mark Thomas' take: The reigning national champs are now rebuilding. I know, that makes me laugh, too. Roy Williams has no desire to rebuild, just reload. He does it with a recruiting class that most coaches would take as their starting five. Guard Marcus Ginyard returns for his last season after recovering from a fracture in his foot. Forward Ed Davis turns down being a Top Ten NBA Draft pick to be one of the best shot blockers in the country. The Tar Heels will miss Ty Lawson but Larry Drew II will do his best to keep Roy Williams up-tempo offense from missing a beat. Back to that recruiting class. At some point, fans will get to see John Hinson, Leslie McDonald, Dexter Strickland and the Wear brothers on the floor at the same time. Prediction: 30 wins, ACC record 13-3

Projected Starters (Stats from 2008-2009 season):

Name	Min	Pts	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	FG%	FT%	3P%
Larry Drew II	9.6	1.4	1.1	1.9	0.4	0.0	.351	.412	.231
Marcus GInyard	12.3	1.3	2.7	1.3	0.7	0.0	.250	.500	.000
Ed Davis	18.8	6.7	6.6	0.6	0.4	1.7	.518	.573	.000
Deon Thompson	24.8	10.6	5.7	0.7	0.9	1.1	.492	.646	.000
John Henson	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Key Reserves (Stats from 2008-2009 season):

Name	Min	Pts	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	FG%	FT%	3P%
Tyler Zeller	7.8	3.1	2.0	0.2	0.2	0.2	.472	.765	.000
Will Graves	11.2	4.0	2.6	0.8	0.4	0.1	.437	.889	.278
Dexter Strickland	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Schedule (All times EST):

Date	Opponent	Location	Time	TV
November 6	Belmont Abbey (Exhibition)	Chapel Hill	730pm
November 9	Florida International	Chapel Hill	7pm	ESPNU
November 11	N.C. Central	Chapel Hill	9pm	ESPNU
November 15	Valparaiso	Chapel Hill	4pm	FSS
November 19	Ohio State	New York, NY	915pm	ESPN2
November 20	California or Syracuse	New York, NY	5/715pm	ESPN2
November 23	Gardner-Webb	Chapel Hill	730pm	FSS
November 29	Nevada	Chapel Hill	645pm	Fox Net
December 1	Michigan State	Chapel Hill	9pm	ESPN
December 5	at Kentucky	Lexington, KY	1230pm	CBS
December 12	Presbyterian	Chapel Hill	730pm	TBA
December 19	at Texas	Arlington, TX	2pm	ESPN
December 22	Marshall	Chapel Hill	7pm	FSS
December 28	Rutgers	Chapel Hill	830pm	ESPN2
December 30	Albany	Chapel Hill	7pm	ESPNU
January 4	at College of Charleston	Charleston, SC	7pm	ESPNU
January 10	Virginia Tech	Chapel Hill	745pm	Fox Net
January 13	at Clemson	Clemson, SC	9pm	ESPN
January 16	Georgia Tech	Chapel Hill	2pm	ESPN
January 20	Wake Forest	Chapel Hill	7pm	ESPN
January 26	at N.C. State	Raleigh	9pm	Raycom
January 31	Virginia	Chapel Hill	745pm	Fox Net
February 4	at Virginia Tech	Blacksburg, VA	9pm	Raycom
February 7	at Maryland	College Park, MD	2pm	Fox Net
February 10	Duke	Chapel Hill	9pm	ESPN/Raycom
February 13	N.C. State	Chapel Hill	4pm	ESPN
February 16	at Georgia Tech	Atlanta, GA	9pm	Raycom
February 20	at Boston College	Chestnut Hill, MA	12pm	CBS
February 24	Florida State	Chapel Hill	7pm	ESPN
February 27	at Wake Forest	Winston-Salem	2pm	Cbs
March 2	Miami	Chapel Hill	8pm	Raycom
March 6	at Duke	Durham	9pm	ESPN
March 11-14	ACC Tournament	Greensboro