By R.L. Bynum
For three seasons as a Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach, Dave Hanners had a front-row seat to marvel at Allen Iverson’s talent.
When Hanners, a former UNC player and assistant coach, saw Terrence Brown Jr. during summer workouts and scrimmages at the Smith Center, it took him back to his time in Philadelphia that concluded in 2003.
“I thought I was watching Allen Iverson the first time I went in the gym because Terrence Brown is a walking clone,” Hanners said on the “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast.” “I got to coach Allen for a number of years in Philadelphia, so I knew his game and personality.”
Watching Brown, a 6–3, 174-pound senior Utah transfer, run through drills for the first time only reinforced the resemblance, suggesting he might be UNC’s “Answer.”
“And watching Terrence play for the first time, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh!’ ” Hanners said.
Brown told Hanners that a lot of people have told him how much he reminds them of Iverson.
“He’s got unbelievable quickness and speed,” Hanners said. “He’s a good outside shooter. I think he can become a very, very good outside shooter, the more he works at it. But he can get wherever he wants on the floor. So he’s a tremendous driver and, like Allen, he’s a superior athlete.”
Iverson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, spent parts of 10 seasons with the 76ers and went on to play for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies before a brief return to Philadelphia to close out his career. He won the league MVP award and led the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001, Hanners’ first season in Philadelphia.
Iverson, who won four NBA scoring titles, built his reputation on speed, shiftiness with the ball and a willingness to take on defenders far bigger, traits that made him one of the most electrifying, ball-dominant guards of his generation.
Brown spent his first two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson before transferring to Utah, where he broke out as a junior, averaging 19.9 points (third in the Big 12), 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 45.3% from the floor and 32.7% from 3-point range.
The reminder of basketball legends didn’t stop with Iverson. Hanners recalled a practice when the coaching staff drew up a play that brought a Carolina program legend to mind.
“I watched in one practice where they actually ran lob plays for him, and I said, ‘Well, that’s not Vince Carter, but it sure looks like where he was when he caught that ball and dunked it,’ ” Hanners said.
That combination of speed, shot-making and athleticism has Hanners eager to track Brown’s development in Chapel Hill.
“Terrence is somebody I look forward to really watching and following,” he said.
The Iverson comparison also brought Hanners to a more nuanced point: the trade-offs that come with a ball-dominant guard. Brown will likely be UNC’s most ball-dominant guard since Cole Anthony in the 2019–20 season.
Hanners doesn’t see red flags with Brown.
“I think there are positives and negatives,” Hanners said of a ball-dominant guard. “I coached one of the greatest guards to ever play, Allen Iverson, and for the most part, it was positive.
“But there were times when he would get in there late in the clock and not have a shot and have to pass with not enough time to get a good shot,” Hanners said. “So, if someone becomes too ball-dominant, the defense has the ability to stand and be in the way.
“If one guy has the ball just dribbling in one area or one direction, it makes it a little bit easier on the guys if there’s not great ball movement,” he said. “And if he’s a ball-dominant player, he has to pick and choose his moments to be ball dominant and not do it constantly, because the other four guys are just standing around saying, ‘What are we doing?’ ”
Hanners was quick to note that he hasn’t seen that pattern from Brown through practice.
“The practices I’ve watched, he’s not been that type of player,” Hanners said. “He’s been very, very willing to pass the ball, use his speed and quickness to get a driving angle to create a help situation where he can pass to one of his teammates.”
That trust extends to how Brown reads the floor when he gives the ball up, according to Hanners.
“If he knows that when he passes the ball to say Maximo [Adams], and he drives, that Maximo will make a good play,” Hanners said. “He knows he can get places with the ball, but I think he has a lot of trust in his teammates from watching the little bit that I have.”
You can listen to the entire podcast episode here.
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| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov (Alex-ANN-drose SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday, 7:30, ESPN2 | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via utahutes.com
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