Column: Bullock, Coples flourishing

It took an unfortunate injury to a North Carolina teammate for Reggie Bullock to show what he can do. But since Dexter Strickland went down, the Kinston native has yet to disappoint.

Bullock, who only three weeks ago was coming off the bench in a reserve role, has started the last four games for the Tar Heels. He’s averaged 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game since earning that role.

But Bullock’s numbers aren’t what have been most impressive. It’s the intangibles he possesses that have people raving about his play.

Since Bullock was injected into the starting lineup, the Tar Heels have forced 12 more turnovers than they’ve committed and have held opponents to under 39 percent shooting. In eight conference games, that’s 2 percentage points less than the team’s average.

Against Wake Forest, ESPN commentators lauded Bullock for his hustle play — diving for loose balls, getting back on defense, fighting through screens — which there is no stat for.

The 2010 Kinston graduate and McDonald’s All-American gets his first start against rival Duke tonight.

Fellow Kinston native Quinton Coples has also been turning heads lately.

The country’s top-ranked defensive end was considered the most talented player in Mobile, Ala., for this year’s Senior Bowl, and he didn’t disappoint. Scouts raved on Coples all week with his agility and quickness, and the defensive end is widely projected to go seventh overall to Jacksonville in this year’s NFL draft.

Both Bullock and Coples were stars at Kinston High (Coples played his senior year of football at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia) then had to make the adjustment of no longer being the go-to guy.

What happened to Strickland, considered UNC’s best on-ball defender who tore his ACL on Jan. 19 at Virginia Tech, was unfortunate. But, using the glass-is-half-full approach, Strickland’s injury gave Bullock the shot he’s been longing for since leaving Kinston a two-time state champion.

An unfortunate situation also gave Coples a chance to shine when Marvin Austin was punished two seasons ago for his part in agent-related NCAA violations. Coples kept his nose clean during the ordeal, and in turn used the sudden playing-time leap and position change to help propel himself to a guaranteed top 10 NFL draft pick.

If Bullock can follow Coples’ example, he, too, can become a lottery pick.

If the last four games are any indication, he’s well on his way.

Ryan Herman’s column appears in The Free Press on Wednesdays. Reach him at 252-559-1073 or rherman@freedomenc.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.