Something for you while you are picking through the leftovers. Not to mention this will be another example of fans loving a columnist for one column when generally they accuse him of being pro-Duke or pro-UK or whatever. If you don’t believe me, go to Inside Carolina and count the number of times someone prefaces a comment by saying, “Normally I don’t care for/agree with/like Mike DeCourcy but…” At any rate, DeCourcy calls for the benching of Larry Drew, which is not a novel idea nor does it go far enough for some UNC fans who would rather he’d never play again
Roy Williams ought to have seen enough by now.
In the calendar year 2010, this is what North Carolina junior Larry Drew has produced as the Tar Heels point guard: a 12-16 record, 35 percent shooting, more than 3 turnovers per game.
Williams always has believed in Drew and told Sporting News during the preseason, “He’s gotten an unfair rap — and I mean very unfair — for being the sole reason things went poorly.”
With the Heels now 3-2, however, Drew is shooting 27 percent. In two games against high-major opponents, UNC averaged 18.5 turnovers. Even if one believes in Drew’s skills, it’s apparent he no longer does.
It’s time for Williams to make a change. If Drew really is the champion Williams believes him to be, being demoted will push him to fight harder to win back his job.
Williams himself said after the loss to Vanderbilt in Puerto Rico that playing time must be earned. If that really were the standard, Drew would find his gear hanging from a wooden peg in the UNC locker room.
Honestly this is nothing new among UNC fans. Benching Larry Drew was all the rage after the first game much less today following five substandard performances. DeCourcy does make a valid point about benching Drew might cause him to actually play better. I, for one, think some lineup shifts and role changes might lead to some better play from multiple players. Whether that happens or not is anyone’s guess.
