Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Although the North Carolina Tar Heels suffered an embarrassing loss to Virginia a few days ago, there was one good thing that came out of the game. Junior forward James Michael McAdoo scored his 1,000th point, and although many have accomplished such a feat in Tar Heel blue, few did it in the fashion that he did. For those that did not get a chance to see the game or watch SportCenter, where they must have replayed the moment a billion times, McAdoo soared over two defenders in the lane to slam it down for the points. He could not have had such an accomplishment in any better way.
Like I said before, many Tar Heels in the past have reached the goal of 1,000 points, so why is McAdoo’s feat so important compared to the rest? Well, for a guy that was a projected first round draft pick before his freshman year that fell to a long shot second round pick by the end of his sophomore year, this was a defining moment that may have showed NBA scouts that he can be a valuable first round pick. This is not a feat that is easy to come by, and while everyone, including the Virginia fans, call out McAdoo for being “overrated,” he proved that that phase is over. Granted, he was a tad overrated during his freshman in sophomore years, but I truly believe that he is coming out of his shell with each game this season.
I always say that momentum is the key in the Tar Heels’ plan on being successful in the ACC. It is one of the toughest divisions in college basketball, and the team that wins is always the one that gets hot at the right time. This feat was for sure breathing down McAdoo’s neck throughout the season, and now that he got it out of the way, he can carry his momentum into the next game, and the next one, and the next one. He is the backbone of this young team whether he knows it or not, and he needs to put up double-doubles consistently in order to help the Tar Heels win games.
Accomplishing 1,000 points through two and a half seasons is very impressive, and I really believe that he will have one more season to improve that stat. Let’s face it, McAdoo is not NBA ready just yet, but with a little more college experience, he can without a doubt be a first round pick following his senior year. As long as he can continue to play the way he has been as of late, then he should have no problem improving his draft stock.
This season is a huge struggle for the Tar Heels, so it is nice to see that at least one player has something to celebrate.
