By R.L. Bynum
GREENSBORO — Isaiah Denis could have left when Carolina changed coaches, but the sophomore stayed. On Friday night, in Michael Malone’s debut, Denis was rewarded with a coming-out party for Tar Heels fans who barely saw him on the court during his tough freshman season.
He showed off his athleticism, shooting and driving ability in collecting 14 points, four rebounds and two 3-pointers in an 88–70 exhibition win over Southern Cal at the First Horizon Coliseum.
The night meant more to Denis than a typical exhibition opener.
“This is definitely personal for me,” Denis said after battling a finger injury most of last season, when he played only 33 minutes over 10 games.
His production came in the moments that kept Carolina in the game. A 3-pointer from Denis, along with one from Jarin Stevenson, put UNC up 23–22 in the first half, and he joined Maximo Adams in hitting 3s during an 8–1 run that followed a nearly five-minute scoring drought.
He was still making plays late, and his layup with 1:58 remaining pushed the lead to 17.
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“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 played 20 minutes, nearly two-thirds of what he got all of last season, and helped steady a backcourt still finding its identity while transfer guards Terrence Brown and Matt Able struggled.
There were coach-to-player moments, including an intense conversation between Malone and Denis midway through the second half, but it ended with a handshake as the sophomore headed to the bench, a small scene in a game that both men described as being about trust.
Denis said that trust began when Malone arrived, and it was a big reason he wanted to come back.
“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.”
The groundwork for Friday was laid in the summer, when Denis said his focus was on making a leap as a sophomore and becoming a point guard more than anything. He also came into the season wanting to prove, as he put it, “that I know who I am.”
Denis said Malone’s system plays to his strengths, and he sees himself as a player who can shoot and create for his teammates.
“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 the performance did not surprise him.
Denis ran the team, scored and put pressure on the defense, and the coach said the signs had been there for months. Malone also said he didn’t take the player’s decision to stay for granted, and that Denis came to him after the game to say so.
“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 said Denis had been waiting for his moment.
“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 will have time to prepare for Indiana next, giving Denis a chance to answer that challenge. He said the work that got him here was steady, and that the staff noticed it.
“I feel like I just took another leap and just kept getting better,” he said. “Coaches saw that.”
On Friday night, the fans saw it too.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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