Sophomore Joel Berry's climb to the top continues

When Joel Berry arrived at North Carolina a little over a year ago, Marcus Paige gave him a warning.

This notice didn’t relate to academic rigor, or the transition from high school basketball to the ACC. Instead, Paige informed Berry of one of the stiffer challenges of being a point guard at UNC — the criticism he’d receive from assistant coach Steve Robinson.

For 13 years, Robinson has coached the Tar Heels’ perimeter players, mentoring point guards Raymond Felton, Ty Lawson and Kendall Marshall.

And as Berry struggled through the trials he faced his first year in Chapel Hill, he often heard Robinson’s stern words, much like the point guards who came before him.

“Every time I came to the sideline, (Robinson) was in my ear telling me I need to do this and do that. But it’s all paid off.”

The sophomore starting point guard has ascended from bench player to one of UNC’s most crucial pieces, helping steer the Tar Heels to their first Final Four in seven years.

But Berry’s journey to this point started a season ago.

Injury and illness plagued Berry in his first season, forcing him to miss eight games during ACC play. But his strong finish showed his potential.

The three-time winner of Florida’s Mr. Basketball award made 10-of-20 3-pointers in the Tar Heels’ final 10 games of the year, going 6-for-11 from behind the arc in postseason play.

“After he came back from his injury, he became a different player,” Robinson said. “I don’t know if him sitting on the sidelines and watching games helped slow down things for him, but it’s like the light switch turned on.”

Berry’s also benefitted from Paige’s leadership.

When Robinson wasn’t coaching the young point guard, Paige — who held the starting point guard spot for the past three years — advised Berry on what’s important at the position in UNC’s system.

“When you have a guy of that caliber and that kind of player saying, ‘We need you to be aggressive, and we need you to have that confidence,’ I think that means a lot,” Berry said. “I’ve taken that and just tried to use that as motivation.”

And it’s shown this season.

Entering Saturday’s national semifinals against Syracuse, Berry ranks second on the team with 12.8 points per game and leads UNC with a 37.6 3-point shooting percentage.

His play has been even more pivotal in the postseason, where he’s averaged 15 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

“I would have to say he’s been our most consistent player all year long,” said Coach Roy Williams prior to UNC’s contest against Indiana.

The strides Berry’s made this season have been similar to the ones Felton, Lawson, Marshall and Paige made as sophomores.

While Robinson notices other similarities between Berry and his predecessors, he believes they all share one trait.

“I don’t know if there’s a glaring difference in terms of what Joel has and what the other guys have,” Robinson said. “At the end of the day, they’ve all led their teams and they’ve all been winners.”

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