Humble And Hungry Reggie Bullock preps for a big sophomore year by Sherrell McMillan
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cDonald’s All-American. Jordan Brand Classic participant. Two-time state champion. Basketball player at the University of North Carolina. Son. Brother. Friend. Myriad adjectives and accomplishments can accurately describe Patricia Williams’ grandson, Reggie Bullock. However, the 6'7", 250-pound wing from Kinston, NC, has two words he most wants to be identified with. Etched across Bullock’s left bicep is one of them: “humble.” Inscribed on his right bicep is the other: “hungry.” Alone, “humble” and “hungry” have little meaning or value to someone like Bullock. Together, they form the defining phrase of his life—a constant symbol of where he came from, and a steadying reminder of the upward ascension he desires for himself as a person, player, and for his family.
Main Attraction Humble. It started off as just a normal afternoon in 2005 for
Wells Gulledge. One of his best friends had come into town for business, and the two were relaxing in a Kinston Bojangles. Wells had a biscuit and fries; his friend the same. They sat and talked until Gulledge, the head men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Kinston High School, said he wanted to drive a few miles to the Holloway Recreational Center to watch a few games. His friend agreed. When they arrived at the Holloway Center, they couldn’t even get in the door. The building was nearly at capacity, the crowd was energetic and boisterous, and a skinny seventh grader was stealing the show. “In the first five minutes, Reggie had four three-pointers, a couple of layups, and like two dunks,” Gulledge recalled. “It was a wild atmosphere and my buddy couldn’t believe it. He said he’d never been to a recreational game and seen such excitement. I think that was the point in time where you could really see that Reggie was going to be something special.”
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2011–12 Tar Heels about him, and he could really shoot the ball. There was no question that he was a varsity-level athlete.” The promise, athleticism, and skill Bullock displayed, however, didn’t lead to immediate playing time as a freshman. In fact, Bullock rarely played as ninth grader, serving mostly as a zone-busting, spot-up shooter. The Vikings, who lost to Concord in the state championship game, had several upperclassmen starters forcing Bullock to wait his turn. Still, in limited action, he scored 10 points in the title game. While not enough to help Kinston emerge victorious, Bullock’s performance was a harbinger of things to come.
Decision Points Humble. Committing to UNC and telling Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams that he wanted to play in Chapel Hill was the easy part for Bullock—letting Indiana’s Kelvin Sampson and Wake Forest’s newly hired Dino Gaudio know that he wanted to play for Carolina was the hard part. Indiana was the first school to offer Bullock a scholarship and, two days later, the Demon Deacons followed suit (just months after Skip Prosser’s tragic death). A week later, Williams did the same and Bullock, being a UNC fan for most of his life, knew where he wanted to matriculate. “I said to him, ‘You’re going to have to call Coach Sampson and Coach Gaudio also and let them know that you Homegrown Heroes: UNC’s Leading Scorers from the Tar Heel State Player
The Holloway Center is a sort of proving ground for young, up-and-coming players in Lenoir County. Several long-time caretakers of the facility have a better feel than most for whom—among the hundreds of kids that walk through the center’s doors each year—can play ball. More than anything, though, the seriousness with which teenagers in the Kinston area play, and the competition it fosters, helps determine who has “it” and who doesn’t. Gulledge said he first remembers watching former North Carolina All-American and NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse play against—and dominate—some of the best young players in the area. “Coach Davis [who oversees the center] is a special person and he always keeps us abreast of what’s going on down there,” Gulledge said. “When he saw Reggie play for the first time, he knew there was something special there.” After two standout years at Rochelle Middle School, Bullock headed to Kinston High School to play for Gulledge and the Vikings. Prior to his freshman season, Bullock went with Kinston to a summer team camp. Bullock’s play at the camp turned heads and ended with him being placed on the varsity team, a feat that’s rare for a rising ninth grader. “We got about what we expected out of Reggie there,” said Gulledge. “He was easy to coach, had a great demeanor
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Years
Hometown
Points
1. Phil Ford
1974-78
Rocky Mount
2,290
2. Antawn Jamison
1995-98
Charlotte
1,974
3. Brad Daugherty
1982-86
Black Mountain
1,912
4. Walter Davis
1973-77
Pineville
1,863
5. Michael Jordan
1981-84
Wilmington
1,788
6. Rashad McCants
2002-05
Asheville
1,721
7. Donald Williams
1991-95
Garner
1,492
8. Jason Capel
1998-02
Fayetteville
1,447
9. Brendan Haywood
1997-01
Greensboro
1,411
10. Kris Lang
1998-02
Gastonia
1,392
11. Rusty Clark
1966-69
Fayetteville
1,339
12. Bobby Jones
1971-74
Charlotte
1,264
13. James Worthy
1979-82
Gastonia
1,219
14. Jeff McInnis
1993-96
Charlotte
1,128
15. Jerry Stackhouse
1993-95
Kinston
1,080
16. Bill Bunting
1966-69
New Bern
1,069
17. Reyshawn Terry
2003-07
Winston-Salem
926
18. David Noel
2002-06
Durham
880
19. Ranzino Smith
1984-88
Chapel Hill
828
20. Ray Respess
1962-65
Pantego
656
21. Robert McAdoo
1971-72
Greensboro
604
22. Charlie Shaffer
1961-64
Chapel Hill
555
23. John Virgil
1976-80
Elm City
542
24. Will Graves
2007-10
Greensboro
513
25. Curtis Hunter
1982-87
Durham
508
With only 166 points through his freshman year at UNC, Reggie Bullock has plenty of work left to do to crack this list. But if he can remain healthy, there’s little doubt that Bullock can become the 17th home-state hoopster to score 1,000 points in a Tar Heel uniform (unless prolific prep scorer P.J. Hairston beats him to the punch).
Humble And Hungry chose another place—that you want to go to UNC,’ ” said Gulledge. “He was just one of those quiet kids that never had to say no before. We talked him through it, and he got on the phone with Coach Sampson and he was just as nervous as he could be. We got two chicken biscuits and some sweet tea—he was shaking.” Eventually, Bullock did call the coaches and let them know of his decision. Gulledge said he was surprised by Sampson’s response to Bullock. “Coach Sampson said, ‘Reggie, I think you’ve made an excellent decision,’” said Gulledge. “Then he said ‘My daughter attended UNC and it’s a terrific program, has great academics, and has a great coach.’” The call to Williams went a little bit differently. Williams, not known for offering scholarships to prospects as early as he did with the Kinston native, called Bullock to let him know he wanted him at Carolina. Not long after, Bullock became a Tar Heel. “It was a great experience,” Bullock said. “This is where I’ve always wanted to be.” Said Gulledge: “He was always a Carolina fan, having grown up in North Carolina. He understands what Carolina basketball is about—it was just a perfect fit for a North Carolina kid.”
Bouncing Back Hungry. What made Bullock’s performance against Clemson even more remarkable? Just three weeks earlier, Bullock lost his grandmother Patricia. “I was playing for her before I got hurt,” said Bullock. “It’s been a little hard without her here, but I know that she wouldn’t want me to get frustrated or anything, just go out and play basketball.” What made Patricia so special? According to Gulledge, everything. “She was the matriarch of Reggie’s family,” he said. “Reggie moved in with her when he was seven or eight years old. Mrs. Williams always had short leash on him because she didn’t want him turned loose on the streets. She helped raise Reggie and his siblings. She was a fixture in the Kinston area because she raised a community. Simply, she was a wonderful person.”
Deja Vu All Over Again Hungry. Two weeks after the Clemson game, Bullock showed another flash of brilliance, hitting four first-half three-pointers in a blowout win at Boston College.
All Eyes On Me Hungry. Let’s call it the quiet before the storm. North Carolina’s 2010–11 season didn’t start off the way most fans wanted it to. Plagued by mental lapses and errors, turnovers, and the inability to score consistently, the Tar Heels lost four of their first 11 games and limped into a home contest on a Tuesday night against Clemson. Besides preserving “the streak” in Chapel Hill against the Tigers, UNC needed a win to stay in the hunt for a NCAA Tournament berth. Two nights before, Carolina suffered a 20-point loss at lowly Georgia Tech, dropping to 12–5 and prompting Williams to make a change in the starting lineup, benching junior point guard Larry Drew II for freshman Kendall Marshall. In arguably the biggest game of the season to that point, Bullock showed what he’s capable of. On the court with his roommate and classmate Marshall, Bullock scored seven straight during an 11–0 run late in the first half to give the Tar Heels an eight-point lead at halftime and ultimately a season- and streak-saving 75–65 victory. Bullock had a career-high 18 points and, with Marshall at the helm, the Tar Heels went on to win 16 of their last 19 games. “Coach basically said to get in the passing lanes, and I started my game off by getting into passing lanes, getting easy buckets, and getting myself on a good pace and knocking down shots when my teammates found me, “ Bullock said after the game. “That was the key to the game to get me going... My confidence was rising.”
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2011–12 Tar Heels “It was just catching and shooting—my teammates were finding me and I was doing anything I could to get the team on a roll,” Bullock said of the performance. “I got into a rhythm and was just feeling really good out there.” Unfortunately, Bullock’s success was cut short. In November 2009, Bullock tore his left meniscus during one of Kinston’s games at the Iolani Classic in Honolulu, HI. Bullock had surgery not long after, missed five weeks of his senior season, but returned to help Kinston win another state title. Bullock thought he left the injury behind, but it came back to haunt him. Fast forward to his freshman year at UNC—a turbulent campaign that, as previously recounted, had some highs and lows. Bullock tweaked the injury at the beginning of the Tar Heels’ season, but decided to play through the pain. Then, when it became apparent he could no longer help the team, he opted for another surgery on the knee and missed the final month of the season, including UNC’s victory over Duke to clinch the ACC regular-season championship, and Carolina’s run to the Elite Eight. “It was difficult for me because I knew I could be out there contributing,” said Bullock. “I know I’m a great threepoint shooter and I know I could’ve been out there to help give the team some of the things we needed.” Bullock was cleared to resume basketball activities in mid-July, after almost six months on the sidelines. During that time, Bullock watched former UNC and NBA stars during daily pick-up games in the Smith Center and tried to pick up a thing or two from the veterans. “I’m watching Shammond Williams, how he plays defense and Jawad Williams, how he shoots the ball,” explained Bullock. “Those are the players that have been here a lot when I’m here. I’m just watching what they’re doing, seeing how they compete, and trying to learn from them.” Bullock said that being friends and roommates with Harrison Barnes and Marshall helped him get through his difficult freshman season. “We always hang out and crack jokes with each other,” Bullock said. “That’s why everybody has such a strong bond. Sometimes, we go to the movies, go out to eat, hang in the locker room. We do almost everything together.” Gulledge said he saw the friendship form while the three hung out on the All-Star circuit during their senior year of high school. A Tale of Three Seasons Dates
Games
MPG
FG%
3Pt%
11/12-11/21
4
15.5
50.0
53.3
PPG 9.8
11/23-1/18
13
13.8
40.0
27.1
6.7
1/26-2/27
10
15.0
25.4
22.9
5.7
2/27-3/27
0
Increased Focus Hungry. With shooting guard Leslie McDonald out indefinitely after tearing his ACL in July, Bullock is preparing for an increased role as UNC tries to win its third national title since 2005. “We haven’t really talked about it [a national championship]—we’re not worried about it,” he said. “We know that we have to be able to perform and show teams that we’re not here to play games. If we perform well and do what Coach Williams tells us, the rest will take care of itself.” Added Gulledge: “He has a little chip on his shoulder, coming off the injury. With Leslie going down—you never want to see a teammate get hurt—he’s going to have to step up. It’s going to be a very important year for him.” But stepping up to a challenge is nothing new for Bullock. And the mantra that has served him so well in the past will continue to drive him during the upcoming season. Humble. Hungry. That’s Reggie Bullock. MSP
DNP-knee surgery
Bullock’s knee injury first flared up before the UNC-Asheville game on 11/23 (which he missed). After his breakthrough game vs. Clemson on 1/18, the knee caused him to miss several practices (but no games). Using these dates to break up the season, we can divide Bullock’s freshman campaign into three sections. Not surprisingly, his shooting became progressively worse as his knee deteriorated.
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“So, we took him up for summer school before his freshman year and Kendall, Harrison, and Reggie are moving in with John [Henson],” he said. “Harrison comes around the corner with his golf clubs around his shoulder. I said, ‘Reggie you’re going to need my golf clubs to play golf.’ “It’s just a great and unique situation. That’s the first time he saw some things outside of basketball—because Harrison and Kendall are so diverse in what they do. It was one of those times in his life when you could see the wheels of freedom churning a bit. Those guys definitely take care of each other.”
A former staff writer at The Robesonian (Lumberton, NC) and assistant director of media relations at Fayetteville State University, Sherrell McMillan is a past contributor to Maple Street Press Tar Heel Tip-Off and covers recruiting for Inside Carolina.