CHAPEL HILL -- Standing at the Smith Center on Saturday, serving as a volunteer assistant coach for Team Alabama at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, 6-foot-9 forward Justin Knox said it still hadn't sunk in that he will playing on this basketball court in a matter of months.
"I'm just taking everything in right now, enjoying everything right now," said Knox, who must pass 12 hours in summer school at Alabama before he can transfer to North Carolina as a graduate student. "I'm just ready for this summer to get over with so I can graduate, and get up here, and get to work."
UNC should be pretty eager for that, as well.
Knox, a 250-pounder who averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in Tuscaloosa last season, is a key late addition for the Tar Heels, what with the surprising transfers of sophomore forwards David and Travis Wear, plus the departures of last year's post starters, Deon Thompson and Ed Davis, for the NBA. In particular, he adds bulk, depth and experience to what had become a thin frontcourt.
"He's a physical guy, he's going to put a body on someone," said his uncle, Darien Knox. "He's a great offensive rebounder, he shot anywhere from 75 to 80 percent from the free-throw line. I look for Justin to come in immediately - whether it's coming off the bench, or whether he's starting - and compete. Him and Big Z [Tyler Zeller] are going to go at it, that's for sure, and they're going to get each other better."
That improvement is one of the key reasons that Justin Knox - who wants to play professionally after next season - chose to transfer. His final choices came down to UNC and Georgia Tech, but after pondering his options, he said he thought the Tar Heels would give him a better chance at his goals.
"It was difficult to pick," he said. "But at the end of the day, it came down to what the better opportunity was for me in the future. And you can't really go against a Hall of Fame coach in Roy Williams. So I really want to learn under him, and hopefully he can teach me a couple of things, and get me over that hump and into the league [NBA]."
Knox, who played pick-up ball with his future teammates on his recruiting visit, will be only the third scholarship Tar Heel taller than 6-6 on next year's roster, joining 6-10 sophomore John Henson and Zeller, a 7-foot junior. Carolina will be trying to return to the NCAA tournament after failing to make it there this past season, and Knox seems determined to help get it there.
Asked what he adds to the mix, he said: "I bring post play that's pretty dynamic for the team, and I have the ability to bring my man out to the 15-foot line; I can shoot from that range. I bring aggression in the paint, and I can play good defense. And all that goes with what Coach Williams will teach me."
Before any of that can happen, though, Knox must pass 12 more hours of business and finance classes. After this weekend - when he plans to sign his financial aid papers at UNC, hang out with his future teammates, talk to a couple of his Tar Heels coaches and, he hopes, watch his AAU team win a couple of games - he plans to return to Alabama, buckle down, graduate in early August and then return to Chapel Hill ASAP.
"I'm just excited to start with them, and in the offseason, get with the team and get the chemistry, so we can do some big things this year,'' he said. "... A lot of good players came through here, and I'm proud to just get [the opportunity] to play on the same court as some of those players.
"I'm just ready to get started."
