Salvaging Something From Class of 2012
The recruiting class of 2012 was never destined to challenge the class of 1990—Rodney Rogers, Randolph Childress, Trelonnie Owens, Marc Blucas, Robert Doggett and Stan King—for the distinction of best in school history. It’s not every year you get two Hall of Famers, along with two invaluable role players like Owens and Blucas. I happened to run into Dave Odom at practice last week and razzed him about missing out on Doggett and King. Thankfully he knows me well enough to recognize my feeble attempt at humor. And truth is, if Doggett hadn’t had knee problems, he might have been the real thing as well.
Not nearly as much was expected from this year’s class of Chase Fischer, Daniel Green and Anthony Fields. Good thing, for their sake. Only Fischer has made more than a nominal contribution. He’s averaging 6.7 points while shooting 35 percent from the floor and 32 percent from 3-point range. He had a decent stretch going on 3-pointers, hitting six of 15 over four games, before going 0-for-4 against UNC. Nobody except C.J. Harris could hit the broad side of a barn against the Tar Heels.
But Green did make an impression against the Tar Heels, hustling for five rebounds while committing four fouls in 15 active minutes. I asked coach Jeff Bzdelik yesterday if a lack of depth was showing up in the way the Deacons have faded in the second half in their past three games. He said possibly.
Partly because of that, and partly because he loves how the kid plays, but Bzdelik said he’s decided to give Green a bigger role in the final eight regular-season games headed into the ACC Tournament. Green has played 135 minutes total, and is averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds.
“Daniel Green has been improving steadily and has earned and deserves minutes,’’ Bzdelik said. “He did a great job in the time that he was in there, and I can see, for the remainder of this year, him getting a consistent amount of time.’‘
Fields lost his confidence somewhere along the way, and it’s hard for a coach to have confidence in a player who has none in himself. He has played 175 minutes total, but only 17 in ACC play.
Bzdelik did remind me of something that I’d forgotten along the way. Fields has had two wrist surgeries over the past 12 months, and Bzdelik is convinced that the forced inactivity and rehab has set Fields back. I don’t believe anyone expects Fields to ever be the next Chris Paul, but the staff would like to see him develop and provide depth at college basketball’s most critical position of point guard. It’ll probably be next year before we find out if that’s in the cards.
“In fairness to Anthony Fields, Anthony spent almost six months with his left hand in a cast,’’ Bzdelik said. “And he had two surgeries on his left wrist – with a bone graft. And he wasn’t able to play for six months.
“His wrist is still stiff to the point that the doctors said it will take about a year for him to get mobility back. It’s very difficult for a point guard to play basically with a hand tied behind his back. That needs to be understood.’’