Kerwin Walton Hasn't Found the Freshman Wall Yet

First-year Tar Heel improving as the year goes on

If there is a freshman wall, Kerwin Walton hasn’t found it yet. The rookie sharpshooter is fifth in the ACC in three pointers and second in percentage, hitting at a .467 clip.

Far from hitting the wall, Walton has been improving as his freshman year goes on. Over the last five games, he’s hit 17-of-30 from three, including 5-of-7 in the blowout of Louisville.

He’s also increasingly been putting the ball on the floor and dribbling past defenders who try to close out on him behind the three-point line. Walton is 5-of-7 on two-point attempts in the last three games.

"I have been getting really comfortable,” he said after the game. “Very, very comfortable. I know defenses are going to come up on me because I'm a shooter and they are going to try their hardest to try and take that away from me. So I am just going to take what they are going to give me and if they are giving me the drive, then I am just going to go in for a layup, go in strong and go in hard and just try and finish the basket."

In a six-man freshman class that included four McDonald’s All-Americans, Walton wasn’t expected to have an immediate impact, but he’s started 13 games, more than any other freshman except Caleb Love. He’s also third among the freshmen in scoring.

"I didn't know what to expect,” he said. “I just knew that my time would come. I didn't know when it would come, but I was for sure going to be prepared for it. My focus was getting better every single day. I didn't really care if I was ranked high or if I was ranked low. I was just worried about putting the ball in the hole, playing defense, and winning games. That was my motto and that's what I stick by. And I always continue to work hard and get better."