Tar Heels Seek Spacing Through Shooters

Tar Heels Seek Spacing Through Shooters

In Chapel Hill, the plan is simple: stretch the floor, move the ball, and make defenders pay from deep. The Tar Heels are looking to turn the three-point line into their biggest weapon this season, and if early signs are any indication, they might just have the firepower to do it.

Talk to anyone around the program, and you’ll hear the same thing  confidence. Derek Dixon, one of the most talked-about shooters on the roster, didn’t hesitate when asked about his shooting. “I’m the best shooter on this team,” he said without flinching. A few minutes later, Jonathan Powell echoed the same sentiment. “I’d say I’m the best shooter here too.” And the funny thing? Neither might be wrong.

That’s the story of this North Carolina team  options everywhere. Based on numbers from last season, the Tar Heels have multiple legitimate snipers ready to space the floor. Kyan Evans hit an impressive 44.6% of his threes at Colorado State. Luka Bogavac, a sharp-shooter from SC Derby, wasn’t far behind at 39.9%. Dixon’s 38.5% at Gonzaga High speaks for itself, while Powell’s 35.2% clip at West Virginia rounds out a quartet that could easily change the way UNC plays offense this season.

At Thursday’s open practice, all four looked smooth and confident in shooting drills, drilling threes from every spot on the floor. “Everybody can shoot, up and down the lineup,” freshman forward Caleb Wilson said with a grin. “It’s gonna allow so much spacing  and I’m gonna dunk on somebody. That’s what I like about it.”

That spacing is exactly what Hubert Davis and his staff have been emphasizing since the offseason. At the Blue-White scrimmage, the Heels often played with four or even five shooters on the perimeter. The floor was wide open — bigs stepped out, cutters had room, and the pick-and-roll became the foundation of their offense instead of the traditional post-up sets that bogged them down in stretches last year. The result? A faster, more fluid, more dangerous UNC attack.

The shift also fits the personnel. Henri Veesaar, the 7-footer who transferred in this summer, loves the system’s flexibility. “I think the spacing is really good for us,” he said at ACC Tipoff. “We can put five guys on the floor who can shoot. We can play Zayden High at the five; he can shoot it. I can shoot it. So it gives us so many options. Seth Trimble, for example — it’s gonna give him more room to attack and make plays for others.”

Last season, North Carolina wasn’t exactly a poor shooting team  they finished fifth in the ACC with a 35.6% mark from three  but the consistency wasn’t always there. The Tar Heels were streaky, starting the season at just over 32% from beyond the arc before heating up late. By March, they had found their rhythm, and the offense started to hum. Jae’Lyn Withers (44.3%) and Ian Jackson (39.5%) led the way in efficiency, while Drake Powell and RJ Davis added steady production. But without a real inside threat, defenses could cheat toward the perimeter, forcing UNC into isolation-heavy sets that occasionally stalled the offense.

That’s not the case anymore. This year’s team has balance, spacing, and clearly defined roles. The shooters are there to keep defenses honest, the bigs can stretch out to the arc, and the guards have room to create. It’s a modern approach, built for pace and rhythm  something that could make the Tar Heels one of the most dynamic offensive units in the country if everything clicks.

UNC will get more chances to test that system soon, first in an intrasquad scrimmage next week in Cherokee, then in two preseason games  one against BYU in Salt Lake City on Oct. 24 and another at home versus Winston-Salem State on Oct. 29.

If Thursday’s practice was any indication, this group understands its identity. The three-point line won’t just be part of the offense; it’ll be the offense. And for Dixon, that’s music to his ears. “It makes my job easier,” he said. “When I draw two defenders, I just kick it out and trust my guys to hit shots. That’s what this team is about sharing the ball, making plays, and keeping it simple.”

The message from Chapel Hill is clear: this isn’t last year’s offense. The Tar Heels are spacing the floor, firing away, and building an identity around shooters who believe every shot they take is going in. And if those shots keep falling like they did in practice, opponents are going to find out fast  this version of North Carolina is built to score, and they don’t plan on slowing down.