With his 17 points on 8-13 shooting, future North Carolina Tar Heel James McAdoo shared co-MVP honors of the McDonald’s All-American Game with Kentucky recruit Michael Gilchrist.
“Just a dream come true, first and foremost just to be in the game, but I just went out there with the mindset to make shots and grab some rebounds,” McAdoo said.
From the looks of it, McAdoo will be a perfect fit at UNC. Especially, if he gets invited to UNC Chi Omega sorority formals, like current Heels Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall.
(This is a Paul M. Banks and David Kay collaboration.)
The 6-8, 215 pound McAdoo was very impressive Wednesday night at the United Center. His combination of size and athleticism makes him effective in the paint but also in transition which fits perfectly with Roy Williams’ up-tempo offense at North Carolina.
McAdoo said in explaining why he choose Carolina, and why he went against the idea of graduating early.
“As soon as I made that decision back in the summer, I didn’t really think about it, and every time Carolina would come on tv, and in the tournament during my senior year, I would think man I could have been out there playing. But my senior year, and especially this game (Mcdonald’s All-American game), makes it all worth it. To miss out on all this, would have been the dumbest decision of my life.
The nephew of NBA great Bob McAdoo, James also showed off his versatility hitting a three-pointer and a nice pull-up jumper off the dribble. If he can continue to improve his outside shot, he should be able to play either forward spot at Carolina and will be a nightmare of a match-up. McAdoo will be able to use his size, strength, and length to overpower small forwards but take advantage of his quickness against power forwards.
McAdoo’s fellow MAA, and upcoming UNC teammate P.J. Hairston summed up what MacAdoo brings to the table.
“He does everything around the rim, and has a jumpshot, and can rebound. Those are the main things we need in The Hill,” he said.
Despite the McDonald’s All-American Game being a glorified pick-up game for the most part, McAdoo actually made a couple nice defensive plays. At one point, he jumped the passing lane on the perimeter resulting in a steal and easy transition dunk.
McAdoo’s role with the Heels next season will depend on the future of UNC’s frontcourt Tyler Zeller, John Henson, and Harrison Barnes. All three players could potentially forgo their eligibility and head to the NBA, but it appears all three will return to Carolina including Barnes, who would likely be a top-three overall pick. If that is the case, McAdoo will be a dangerous weapon off UNC’s bench and could help them earn the #1 ranking in the pre-season polls. If any of those current Heels head to the league, McAdoo should be in the starting line-up from the opening tip of the season.
Roy Williams has shown a great penchant for recruiting top notch talent to his program; maybe that same salesmanship (and/or the threat of the NBA lockout) can keep these guys in school longer.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest webzine. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
He does a regular guest spot each week for Chicagoland Sports Radio.com You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.