Bullock Back From Injury

Reggie Bullock is back. The North Carolina sophomore guard from Kinston tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee last season against Maryland. He rehabbed over the spring and summer and is anxious to get back on the court with his teammates.
"I wanted the best for me for basketball so I had to listen to what my trainers wanted me to do," Bullock said. "It would get miserable some days. But if I want to reach my full potential in the game of basketball, I had to do what they wanted me to do." Bullock injured his knee less than two months after losing his grandmother. Reggie's grandmother helped raise him into the person he is today. "I still play in her honor," Bullock said. "Every day at practice I still think about her. I know that she wanted me to be the best basketball player I could be and the best person I could be. I try to reach that potential for her." Bullock had several bright moments as a freshman for the Tar Heels, including being named ACC Rookie of the Week after scoring a season-high 18 points in a 76-65 win over Clemson. He was the first Tar Heel to earn the award since 2007. Head coach Roy Williams is expecting big things from Bullock coming off the injury. "I expect him to make a higher percentage of his shots," Williams said. "I expect him to be better on defense and do some more things with the ball." His teammates have been impressed with how Reggie has returned to form. "Reggie's come back a lot more explosive," sophomore forward Harrison Barnes said. "He's stronger defensively, and I think he's going to give us that outside shooting that will allow us to stretch the floor this year." Bullock has added some fresh ink to his arms since his high school days. He still has the "Humble" and "Hungry" tattoos on his biceps. But he's added some Kinston flavor to his arms, including a tattoo for "East Bright Street" and another one for his area code "252." "Traditionally for basketball, Kinston is one of the greats of any city in North Carolina," said Bullock, who grew up watching the likes of Jerry Stackhouse and Craig Dawson in Kinston. "I'm doing anything I can to let people know what Kinston is about and that we produce great basketball players. I'm just happy to be one of those players." The Tar Heels are happy to have the latest Kinston product to hit the ACC completely healthy again.