Deon Thompson: A Key to UNC's Season

Last year many people thought North Carolina would win the national championship. With perhaps the best player in the country in Tyler Hansbrough, and a wealth of talent around him, this would seem like an obvious choice. The Tarheels did lose to the Hoyas though, falling short of the Final Four.

They lost a couple of key players, one being power forward Branden Wright, but have most of their team back this year. They have a very good chance to make it to the Final Four and with a National Championship. One key to this accomplishment is Deon Thompson.

Deon Thompson, a sophomore got limited minutes last year. He came off the bench and served as a backup to both Tyler Hansbrough and Branden Wright. He played well when given a chance, most notably during a game against the Arizona Wildcats. During this game the heels were without their starting forward. Thompson had double figures in both points and rebounds and showed that he could be a strong force in the middle. He continued to excel as the season went along.

Deon Thompson spend most of this offseason trying to get in shape. Playing in various leagues across the country, the 6-8 forward lost nearly thirty pounds and is now down to 240 pounds. He spent time in the offseason working with former Tarheels like Sean May and Marvin Williams. The two helped Thompson work on his post game and rebounding. Considering his great play in the offseason and his weight loss, Thompson is expected to be a much improved player this year.

Thompson is a key to the Tarheels season for many reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason is that he is filling the shoes of star freshman Branden Wright. Wright was a guy who could score in the post and had a great ability to block shots. Thompson will be expected to fill this void. Furthermore Thompson's play will directly impact UNC's go to guy Tyler Hansbrough.

Almost every team in the country will try to double and even triple team Tyler. If Thompson proves he can score inside, teams will have to respect him and thus they will not always be able to put two or three guys on Hansbrough. It Thompson steps up, UNC will be tough inside.

Thompson has a very good medium range jump shot. With his long arms he usually makes any shot around the basket. Thompson needs to continue to look for his shot more and more this season. The Tarheels need him to average double figures in both points and rebounds by the end of the season. Thompson needs to improve as a rebounder and shot blocker. I believe he will do just that. Look for Thompson to be a force this year for the heels, and look for him to help UNC make a run at the National Championship.