By Eddy Landreth
Staff Writer
In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man,
Now I’ve reached that age, I’ve tried to do all those things the best I can. No matter how I try, I find my way into the same old jam.
– Led Zeppelin, “Good Times, Bad Timesâ€
For the first two years and one month of Larry Drew II’s playing career at Carolina, he often found himself in the same old jam.
This could mean errantly dribbling the ball for a turnover, taking poor shots, throwing bullet passes to big men three feet away or turning his head from Coach Roy Williams when Williams was talking.
Some say Drew came close to leaving UNC last spring. The same people will tell you the only reason he stayed is there were no takers at the level of Carolina.
We may never know the truth. We do know Drew has returned for his junior season and is the starting point guard for a program trying to regain its stature.
As in so many cases such as this, the end could erase our recollections of an uncomfortable start.
Beginning with the Tar Heels’ 75-73 victory against nonconference rival Kentucky, Drew has clearly played more aggressively at both ends of the court and done so with a minimum of mistakes.
“Larry is more conservative with the ball and is getting it to its designed destination,†sophomore shooting guard Leslie McDonald said.
Whether this is happening because of maturity, competition from freshman Kendall Marshall or a realization that his career is hurdling by in a way that will leave nothing but mediocre memories is all too intertwined to single out one reason.
What we can say is that if he continues to move the ball quickly and efficiently on offense and play tenacious defense while directing his teammates to where they should be, his chances and that of his team for success are far greater.
“We need great play out of our point guard,†Williams said. “If we get good point guard play, it makes us a heck of a lot better.â€
One problem that has haunted Drew from his start in Chapel Hill is the image of Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson. Those two played fast and scored easily at times.
Drew is more in the mold of Jimmy Black and Derrick Phelps, two defensive-minded point guards who led Carolina to national titles. The biggest difference in Drew and those two is he is a much better jump-shooter when he sets his feet and takes good shots.
More important though is his continued development on defense and at making sound entry passes to the big men and moving the ball correctly on the break.
Whether Drew’s time here is ultimately viewed as successful is truly on his shoulders. He can continue to listen to Williams, as he appears to be doing, and learn from the mistakes he has made, or he can regress and force his inconsistencies on the team.
He will make the decision, and he can be sure history will record the result.