Dexter Stickland shines for Tar Heels in Carrier Classic

CORONADO, Calif. — Dexter Strickland entered the year as the glue guy. He was the guy on the team who didn’t get the stats, the acclaim or the attention of the other four starters on North Carolina’s basketball team.

On most other college teams he’d star. But on UNC’s stacked squad, he was the starting role player for the No. 1 team in the country.
Except on Friday at the Carrier Classic, Strickland was the only player keeping the Tar Heels afloat on the aircraft carrier. His 33 minutes of work, which tied Kendall Marshall for most on the team Friday, netted UNC 10 points, five assists, two steals and just one turnover.

The junior guard is not only the starting shooting guard but also Marshall’s backup at point guard. One of UNC head coach Roy Williams’ biggest tasks this offseason has been preparing Strickland for the point guard position in Marshall’s absence.

“I think I did all right, but I could have done better,” said Strickland, who went 4-for-7 from the field and missed his final two jumpers.

Strickland showed no motivation to shoot the ball in the early going and touched the ball just twice in the first four minutes of the game. His glue guy persona was sticking to him.

But the Carrier Classic was obviously not an ordinary game. Both the Spartans and the Tar Heels had to deal with outdoor conditions, the meaning of the Veterans Day game and the presence of the Commander-in-Chief.

“In the beginning of the game I wanted the feel of it first,” Strickland said. “It was a different kind of game obviously. I was just trying to get myself into the groove, and I started getting into it late in the first half.”

When he took the point guard reins from Marshall midway through the first half, Strickland tallied two assists and one steal in less than four minutes as UNC pulled within two points.

The tenacity with which Strickland plays the point guard position contrasted starkly with his shooting guard play. He didn’t attack the basket as much as he did the Spartans defense, opening things up for his teammates on offense.

“Coach always gets mad because he always feels like Dexter over-penetrates, but we all love it because it creates so many more opportunities,” UNC sophomore forward Harrison Barnes said.

“Getting into that point-guard groove, he’s getting better at finding people and creating for himself.”

Marshall said he has the utmost faith in Strickland to handle the offense while he takes a breather on the bench. The Tar Heels are comforted by a capable point guard in Strickland but prefer the junior at the 2-guard while Marshall runs the point.

The chemistry between the two was no more evident than six minutes into the second half. On a fast break following a Tyler Zeller defensive board, Marshall pushed the ball down court.

The Spartans retreated well and Draymond Green created an effective wall to Marshall’s passing lane on the right. But Strickland streaked down the floor and hid behind the Michigan State players until he saw the ball come through a small hole in the defense.

He admitted after the game he was surprised Marshall got the pass to him since he wasn’t even looking in Strickland’s direction. But Marshall saw him all along and trusted in his teammate, fellow starter and point guard understudy to make the play.

“I just try to make the open pass, and I don’t think it’s anything spectacular,” Marshall said. “Dexter does a great job on the break and finishing, so I want to get it to him as much as possible.”

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