By R.L. Bynum
Jarin Stevenson knew exactly what he wanted the first possession against Wofford to look like. He found an open lane, rose with both hands and dunked, and the Smith Center crowd got loud on a dark, rainy Friday night.
The play set the tone for a 109–70 North Carolina win, and it was the kind of aggressive start Michael Malone has pushed for since he got the job.
“Just go in and make plays. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Just go out there and be aggressive,” Stevenson said. “Once I had that open lane, I knew that I wanted to make an aggressive play and set the tone early.”
Stevenson, a 6–11 senior forward, finished with 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting and added a pair of free throws early in a first half in which the Tar Heels built a 33–15 lead by the eight-minute media timeout. He said he had been thinking about the dunk before the game.
“Deep down, I really wanted to set the tone, get a dunk in, and do whatever I could to get two hands and dunk it in,” Stevenson said. “It is something that has been in the back of my mind. To start the game, set the tone, and start out really aggressive, so our team is ready to go, and I am ready to go.”
Malone said the conversation about Stevenson’s aggressiveness started almost immediately after he was hired. He met with Stevenson and his parents the next day to talk about how to bring more edge to his game, and he said the plan was never to change who Stevenson is as a person.
“I remember when I first got the job, and I met with him maybe the day after I got the job, and with his mom and dad, and we talked about how we get him more aggressive,” Malone said. “And I talked about knowing him and his personality… But on the court, his play can speak loudly. And that first play, I just said in front of the team, it’s going to set the tone.”
Malone described the goal as aggression in several forms, which includes attacking the rim, working the glass and getting to the free-throw line. He also said he wouldn’t ask Stevenson to be someone he isn’t.
The dunk also affected the rest of the team.
Terrence Brown, who led North Carolina with 21 points, said the team arrived with high expectations and that Stevenson’s opening play matched them. He also admitted that he was surprised by the finish, because Stevenson has a habit of taking the safer option around the basket.
“Jarin set the tone because he usually goes in and lays it up,” Brown said. “I didn’t even think he was gonna dunk it.”
Brown said his reaction lasted well beyond the play itself.
“I told him, when he dunked it, I was flexing so long that it felt like I pulled something in my chest, like I was flexing for so long,” Brown said.
Maxi Adams, who recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, said Stevenson’s start helped a team that was still looking to improve after a closer-than-expected win over Western Carolina on Monday. He added that the Tar Heels came into the game wanting to prove something.
“Jarin, obviously, he set the tone, but the last couple of games we haven’t been playing our best, so I think we came to the game with a chip on our shoulder, and that’s what set the tone for us,” Adams said.
The Tar Heels never let Wofford back into the game, and Stevenson’s aggressiveness showed up elsewhere in a 52.1% shooting night.
Malone said the same mindset has to carry over every game, which gives Stevenson a chance to keep building when Wyoming visits the Smith Center on Tuesday.
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Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
