Isaiah Denis didn’t just have a good exhibition opener. He had the kind of night that changes the conversation around a player.
In Carolina’s 88-70 win over Southern Cal on Friday at the First Horizon Coliseum, the sophomore guard delivered 14 points, four rebounds and two 3-pointers while looking like someone ready to matter. He played 20 minutes, nearly two-thirds of what he logged all of last season, and kept making plays at both ends of the game.
That mattered even more because Denis has been through a long stretch of being on the outside looking in. After battling a finger injury most of last season, he appeared in just 10 games and played only 33 minutes.
He could have moved on when Carolina changed coaches, but he stayed. Under Michael Malone, that patience got its payoff.
“This is definitely personal for me,” Denis said after the game.
And it showed in the timing of his baskets. His 3-pointer, along with one from Jarin Stevenson, gave UNC a 23-22 lead in the first half.
Later, Denis teamed with Maximo Adams on 3s during an 8-1 run that snapped a nearly five-minute scoring drought. He was still finishing possessions late, too, capping his night with a layup that stretched the lead to 17 with 1:58 left.
“I feel like I could have shown a lot last year, and I feel like I wasn’t able to do that,” Denis said. “Obviously, there were things on the court that kept me away from that. I just feel like every time I step on the court now, there’s just a lot of what God is doing in my life and what I can go out there and do, and just glorifying that on the court.”
Denis’ impact also came at a time when Carolina’s backcourt is still sorting itself out. Transfer guards Terrence Brown and Matt Able both struggled, and Denis helped steady things by handling the ball, scoring and putting pressure on the defense.
The trust between Denis and Malone has been building since the coach arrived, and it was one of the main reasons Denis decided to return.
“Just Coach Malone and the coaching staff making me feel comfortable, making me feel wanted,” Denis said. “I have a close relationship with Chris Paul and his family, and the coach even went out of his way to go ahead and text Chris. Going to that extent just shows how much he wanted me, how much he trusts me.”
Denis said his summer work centered on taking a step forward as a sophomore and becoming a point guard first and foremost. He also wanted to prove, as he put it, “that I know who I am.”
He sees his game fitting Malone’s approach.
“He just tells us to make the right reads. He likes to use our strengths,” Denis said.
“Mine is speed, and I can shoot the ball. I can create for my teammates.”
Malone said none of what Denis did Friday came as a surprise. The coach pointed to months of progress, from summer workouts through the fall and into practice sessions that began in September. He also said Denis, along with Jarin Stevenson and Jaydon Young, made a choice to be part of what Carolina is building.
“He came up to me after the game and said, ‘Thanks for taking a chance on me,’ and I told him, ‘No, thanks for taking a chance on me,’ ” Malone said. “He didn’t have to stay. Him, Jarin [Stevenson] and Jaydon Young all wanted to be a part of something.”
Malone added that Denis had been waiting for this kind of chance.
“He’s had a really good stretch of practices, from summer into the fall, into the practices that started in September,” Malone said. “So, I’m not surprised by Isaiah’s performance.
He has been waiting for this opportunity, and he took it and ran with it tonight. And now the challenge is: Can he continue to do so?”
Carolina now has time to prepare for Indiana, which gives Denis another chance to keep building on a night that felt like a breakthrough. He said the work behind it was steady, and that the staff noticed.
“I feel like I just took another leap and just kept getting better,” he said. “Coaches saw that.”
Friday night, so did everyone else.
In Other News...
UNCs First Malone Rotation Hint Should Grab Tar Heels Fans Attention
Michael Malone wasted little time using North Carolinas exhibition against USC to see what kind of combinations might actually fit once the games start counting. The Tar Heels cycled through 24 different five-man lineups, a clear sign that the new coach is still probing the edges of his roster and trying to figure out which groups can provide the best balance. The starting five of Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Neo Avdalas, Jarin Stevenson and Sayon Keita saw the most action, with a version that included freshman Maximo Adams close behind.
Even in a night filled with experimentation, Jarin Stevenson stood out as the one constant, logging the most minutes and showing up in the majority of the lineups Malone tried. Isaiah Denis also earned significant run, another clue that the rotation picture is still very much taking shape. For a team in search of early identity under a new coach, the exhibition offered a useful first look, but it also left the most important question hanging: which of these combinations will still matter when the season truly begins? [Read more 🡒]
Tar Heels Showed Off New Depth In Michael Malones First UNC Test
Michael Malones first test on the North Carolina sideline came with a reminder that preseason games can still tell a useful story. In an 88-70 exhibition win over Southern Cal, the Tar Heels got contributions from a deeper group than many expected, with Jarin Stevenson, Isaiah Denis, Maximo Adams and Neo Avdalas all giving Carolina a reason to feel better about its rotation before the games start to count.
The night also had a few of those early-season flashes that tend to stick with a coach, none better than Sayon Keita jumping a passing lane for a steal and finishing with a dunk. Both teams were missing key players because of injury or eligibility, so the real value for Carolina was less about the final score than the way new faces handled a bigger stage, and how much more depth Malone may have to work with than first assumed. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Needs More From Edwards Jr. Before This Season Slips Away
North Carolina heads into its Week 6 matchup with Pittsburgh trying to stop a two-game skid before the season drifts any further off course. The Tar Heels are already staring at the wrong side of .500, and the pressure on Bill Belichick has only grown after last seasons 4-8 finish. The offense has been the biggest issue, and it has left little margin for error as the schedule tightens.
A lot of the spotlight is on Edwards Jr., whose play has not matched what North Carolina needs from the quarterback position. The Tar Heels do catch a break in that Pittsburgh starter Mason Heintschel is dealing with an injury, but UNC cannot count on the Panthers to hand them anything. If Edwards Jr. cant give the offense more, this stretch of the season could get away from the Tar Heels in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]