Marcus Paige Injury Could Help Heels in Long Run
Posted by Matthew Auerbach on November 5th, 2015North Carolina announced on Wednesday that senior point guard Marcus Paige has suffered a fractured third metacarpal on his right (non-shooting) hand in practice and will be sidelined three to four weeks as a result. Paige, the leading returning scorer for the Heels and the key cog to the nation’s top rated preseason squad, was selected as the Co-Preseason Conference Player of the Year just last week by the members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.
Marcus Paige Will Miss the Start of His Senior Season (newsobserver.com)
Paige is coming off a season where he was slowed by plantar fasciitis in his right foot, causing his offensive production to dip after a stellar sophomore campaign. In that second year in Chapel Hill, Paige was named to the all-ACC first team, averaging a career-high 17.5 points per contest. Slogging through the much of his junior season with the nagging injury, Paige still managed to lead the club in points and assists, garnering third-team all-ACC honors.
With Paige likely to miss the first few weeks of game action, sophomore Joel Berry II will likely get the first look to replace the senior captain. Berry, a McDonald’s All-American, averaged a shade over four points per game as a freshman, but saw his opportunities and production rise as he got more acclimated to the collegiate game. He scored a season-high 15 points in a March victory over Georgia Tech and was very effective off the bench in the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a nine-point, three-assist game in 19 minutes in a regional semifinals loss to eventual national runner-up Wisconsin.
North Carolina opens the season next Friday against Temple. If Paige’s projected recovery timeline holds, he will be set to return in time for a December 1 showdown with the nation’s preseason No. 3 team, former conference foe Maryland, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. In between the games with the Owls and Terrapins, the Tar Heels will face Fairfield, Wofford and Northern Iowa before taking on an improving Northwestern program in the opening game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. Losing your trigger man in a season when teams must adjust to a shortened shot clock, however, could be a blessing in disguise for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina’s roster strength quite clearly favors the frontcourt. With Paige on the bench for the first handful of games, it gives Berry, junior guard Nate Britt and sophomore Theo Pinson golden opportunities to develop some continuity while generating early confidence against lesser opponents. And while it is undeniable that Paige, who will become the school’s all-time leader in made three-point field goals with his ninth conversion this year, is the team’s best long-range option to create space for the big men to operate down low, Berry brings an added dimension of dribble penetration with his superior athleticism and strength. Perhaps with a strong start, Berry could earn some minutes playing alongside the senior captain upon his return, allowing Paige to slide off the ball and create some open looks for him, a rarity during his time in Chapel Hill.
