Berry aims for potential starting spot for UNC men's basketball

As the spotlight turns to him, North Carolina guard Joel Berry expects to excel.

The No. 1 Tar Heels lived in the limelight in the offseason, heralded for their strength at all positions, highlighted by a dominant frontcourt and an experienced backcourt.

But as the season approaches, all eyes have focused in on Berry.

On Nov. 3, senior point guard Marcus Paige fractured the third metacarpal on his right hand, benching him for three to four weeks.

With the season kicking off, the Tar Heels find themselves short of their sharpest shooter and gallant general — but Berry has the Tar Heels breathing easier as the season gets underway.

The sophomore, whom Coach Roy Williams tabbed as one of the players that impressed him the most in the offseason, plans not only to contribute while Paige is injured but to excel throughout the season. The guard has been thrown into a more prominent role — but then again, that was always his plan.

“I’m hoping (to start),” Berry said when asked even before Paige’s injury. “I’m coming out here and competing every day to try to get that spot.”

And Paige knows he has players with experience — including Berry — to back him up as he works to get healthy.

“Having those options is a good thing,” Paige said. “Our freshmen last year — Justin (Jackson), Theo (Pinson) and Joel — assimilated really well.”

Berry will have large shoes to fill. But with his growth in the offseason, teammates and coaches don’t see him as a downgrade.

“Joel has really done some nice things shooting the ball in the basket and taking the ball to the basket,” Williams said at ACC media day. “So we’ve seen some of that improvement.”

After dealing with an injury stint of his own in the 2014-15 season, Berry saw an increased role at the end of his first season. After returning from a seven-game hiatus because of a groin injury, Berry averaged 15.2 minutes per game.

But while Berry saw increased minutes on the court to end his first-year season, playing from the bench helped him as much as his time on the floor — even if he didn’t know it at the time.

“I needed that,” Berry said. “I didn’t want to sit out, but it was something I had to go through to be able to improve my game.”

Facing the challenge of serving as a backup, Berry learned from the bench, preparing himself for when he did earn the start.

Now, finding himself in that position, Berry has made a key improvement to elevate his game.

“I was doing too much thinking last year, trying to get everything down,” Berry said. “Now, I can just go out there and play ball.”

Accustomed to the system and comfortable where he stands, Berry’s presence on the floor could add to an already talented North Carolina offense.

And when he steps onto the hardwood to open the season, he’ll be ready.

@_Brohammad

sports@dailytarheel.com