Former North Carolina guard Kerwin Walton committed to Texas Tech on Monday, becoming the fifth transfer to join the Red Raiders this offseason.
Walton, a 6-foot-5 guard from Hopkins, Minn., averaged 3.4 points in 13.3 minutes per game last season as a sophomore. He started 20 games as a freshman for the Tar Heels in 2020-21, averaging 8.4 points per game and shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.
He joins a Texas Tech team that has already added center Fardaws Aimaq (Utah Valley), guard De'Vion Harmon (Oregon), forward Jaylon Tyson (Texas) and guard D'Maurian Williams (Gardner-Webb) as transfers. Texas Tech went 27-10 and advanced to the Sweet 16 last season in Mark Adams' first season as head coach.
(Photo: Jamie Rhodes / USA Today)
What is Texas Tech getting in Walton?
Brendan Marks, UNC beat writer: At his best, a knockdown shooter. Although Walton fell out of UNC's rotation this season under first-year head coach Hubert Davis, let's not forget the type of immediate impact he made as a freshman in 2020-21.
That year, in Roy Williams' last season, Walton led the Tar Heels in 3-point percentage (42 percent) and made 3-pointers (58), despite hardly playing in the nonconference slate. But this season, given North Carolina's improved shooting across the board, Walton's special skillset was less in demand — especially considering he didn't offer much else when he was on the floor.
Essentially, when Walton was the team's only 3-point threat, coaches could live with his deficiencies on defense and as a playmaker, since he spaced the floor so well. Not so much once the team's other well-rounded players started canning 3s at comparable, if not better, clips than Walton.
But that 3-point stroke is still there, and it's up to his next coaching staff to round out his game beyond just that.
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Why did Walton enter the portal?
Marks: As I understand it, Walton was told very clearly by the staff this offseason where he stood in terms of the rotation, and what he needed to improve on to elevate that standing.
But the reality is, North Carolina had already started to recruit over Walton, who was a late add to Williams' final class in the first place. Plus, with all of Caleb Love, R.J. Davis and Leaky Black returning for next season, there were only ever going to be so many minutes leftover on the perimeter.
Instead of battling for a bit role at the back of the rotation, Walton first entered the NBA Draft, and then ultimately opted to return to school but entered the transfer portal. At Texas Tech, he'll have a coaching staff who can develop the entirety of his game while making quick use of his 3-point marksmanship.
