The North Carolina junior varsity basketball team isn’t serving NCAA sanctions. None of its players took money for autographs, had a relationship with an agent or took paper classes. Yet, when the season comes to an end in late February, there will be no postseason for the Tar Heels. Not because they did anything wrong, just because that’s the way it is when you’re a JV basketball player at UNC. Four months, 12 games and you’re done.
But for the JV players, something much more valuable than any tournament championship is on the line — a coveted spot on Coach Roy Williams’ squad.
With only four seniors on the current varsity roster and one signed recruit coming in, spots are limited. With a number of highly touted recruits still on the Tar Heels’ 2015 radar, there’s a strong chance only one walk-on spot will be available, if any, next season.
So which JV players might we expect to be the next member of Blue Steel? Patrick Ronan, a senior from Winston Salem, gives his top three:
Mike Hutter
A junior guard from Wake Forest, Hutter is part of a long list of Ravenscroft School alum who are playing at the collegiate level. One of those players is senior UNC guard Luke Davis. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Hutter definitely has varsity guard size, and with Williams having a good experience with Ravenscroft in the past, Hutter might be next.
Toby Egbuna
At first glance, Egbuna might be the first player one would expect to see run out of the tunnel in front of 21,750 fans. The junior forward from Clemmons stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs in at a sculpted 220 pounds. While in high school at West Forsyth, Egbuna played the post and was known for his toughness and ability to battle, something Williams might see as a useful practice tool.
Spenser Dalton
