By R.L. Bynum
Sensational UNC freshman forward Caleb Wilson is inching closer to a return for No. 18 North Carolina, and if it were solely up to Wilson, Coach Hubert Davis said that he would already be back on the floor.
Wilson, who fractured his left hand Feb. 10 in the loss at Miami, has missed four games. The Tar Heels have gone 3-1 in that stretch, but his absence has been felt even as his presence remains constant.
On the “Hubert Davis Live” radio show Wednesday night, Davis said Wilson’s competitive drive has made managing his recovery a challenge.
“He would play tonight, if I would let him. He wants to be out on the court badly,” Davis said. “He just really does, and he’s getting better every day. Have another doctor’s visit a little bit later this week and just reevaluate the timetable, and if everything stays like we think it, hopefully he’ll be back soon.”
Wilson leads the team in scoring (19.8 points per game) and rebounding (9.4), with that scoring average the highest by a freshman in program history and the rebounding average second among freshmen.
At the JMA Wireless Dome before Saturday’s 77–64 victory over Syracuse, Wilson was putting up shots while using that left hand to support the basketball after only putting up one-handed shots before earlier games.
Davis said that Wilson’s impact has been about as great as it can be for a player who isn’t playing, with the enthusiasm he’s shown.
“I hope people have noticed and can see what he’s doing on the bench,” Davis said. “I’m just telling you that’s not normal. So many times when things don’t go your way, you’re so wrapped up in yourself.”
Even as Wilson heals, Davis has had to rein him in.
“I’ve got to tell him that you might get a technical — you’ve got to stay on the bench,” Davis said. “He’s just jumping around, but I don’t want to stop that. It speaks more to who he is on the bench than it is out there on the floor, and the type of person and teammate he is.”
Davis is happy to have had junior center Henri Veesaar back for the last two games after he was questionable, then a game-time decision for the Syracuse game.
“Going into the game on Saturday, we wanted to see how he was going through warmups, and we just didn’t know if he was going to play or not. He felt really good and felt good enough to play, and man, we needed him.”
Veesaar finished with 19 points and three blocks, steadying the Tar Heels.
“He’s done this the whole year, just been huge for us on both ends of the floor,” Davis said. “But his leadership, his character, his personality out there on the floor calms everybody and gives everybody confidence.”
UNC followed that victory with a 77–74 win two days later at the Smith Center over Louisville, capping a bounce-back stretch after the disappointing 82–58 loss Feb. 17 at N.C. State.
“I feel like our guys, and that’s one of the reasons that I’m proud of them, is just how they reacted and responded,” Davis said. “This team has done that throughout the entire year, and something to be celebrated and something to acknowledge.”
Still, Davis acknowledged that getting Wilson back would elevate an already resilient group.
Carolina continues to prepare for its next test at 8:30 Saturday against Virginia Tech at the Smith Center, hopeful that another positive medical evaluation will bring Wilson closer to returning to the court rather than just igniting the bench.
For now, Davis said the freshman’s energy remains unmistakable.
“[I feel like] people have noticed and seen what he’s doing out there,” Davis said. “I think everybody enjoys watching him on the court, though, too.”
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Top photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
