UNC basketball will be without a top 3-point shooter for the season opener next week
North Carolina coach Roy Williams said redshirt freshman Anthony Harris is still awaiting medical clearance and will not play in the Tar Heels’ season opener against College of Charleston on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-4 guard from Woodbridge, Va., suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Dec. 30 last season against Yale. The injury limited his play to just five games and a total of 61 minutes for the Heels.
“He will not play next Wednesday, but he’s starting to get more involved,” Williams said on the ACC’s video call Thursday. “He’s not been completely released yet.”
It puts Harris in a similar position to where he was as last season began. Harris missed the first eight games last year while rehabilitating the a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered as a senior in high school in December 2018.
When he is healthy, Harris will add another perimeter shooter to the lineup for Carolina. In the brief time he did play last season, he showed potential as a boost of energy from off the bench. His highlight of last season was scoring 14 points — including eight straight during one stretch — all in the second half of the Heels’ win over UCLA.
Williams said Harris was not participating in any of the team’s full-court drills, but he was able to participate in some half-court and “dummy” drills without competition.
“The medical people will tell me when he’s ready to go,” Williams said. “And when they do that we’ll get him back in the full court, up and down, 5-on-5 stuff.”