Last season, North Carolina had the top backcourt in the country, and one of the most experienced, with Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.

Next season, it will have one of the thinnest and least experienced.

Lawson and Ellington both bypassed their final year of eligibility to turn pro. Each, along with Tyler Hansbrough, was taken in the first round of the National Basketball Association draft on Thursday. Danny Green went in the second round.

Swing guard Marcus Ginyard will return to school for a fifth year after missing last season following foot surgery. He will give Coach Roy Williams one experienced guard.

Starting point guard Larry Drew II played some as Lawson's backup last season, but in terms of total minutes he did not play a great deal. Drew averaged 9.6 minutes per game.

Drew does not have a backup who is strictly a point guard, either. So, Ginyard will have to play some backup at point.

"Yeah, he probably will, because Larry is the only guy on the squad that has ever played point guard in a game," Williams said. "(Freshman) Leslie McDonald can do some things with the ball as a lead guard. (Freshman) Dexter Strickland has played some as the lead guard at his high school. But both of those guys are not naturally point guards like Larry Drew is.

"I think all four of those guys will have some time there at the point guard spot."

Strickland may be just a little more familiar with the point than Williams lets on, but it's true Strickland is a so-called "combo guard."

Fortunately, Ginyard has played some point at the college level. He helped there two years ago because of UNC injuries. Injury remains a concern.

In each of the past three years, Carolina began the season with three true point guards on the roster and was down to a single healthy one at times.

So, if something happens to Drew II, life could get a little hairy for the Tar Heels.

"I think everybody here will be surprised at how good Larry Drew is this coming season," Williams said. "I think he has a chance to be a big-time player. I don't want him to be a big-time player. I need him to be a big-time player, and that's a big difference."

There is plenty of depth along UNC's front line. Even though Chapel Hill loses Hansbrough, the leading scorer and rebounder in Carolina history, the Tar Heels will have senior Deon Thompson, sophomore Ed Davis, sophomore Tyler Zeller, freshmen Davis and Travis Wear and John Henson.

But the key, as always in college basketball, is point guard. So, a lot will ride on Drew's ability not just to remain healthy but to produce. He spent the first session of summer school in Chapel Hill, taking classes, working out and playing pick-up ball with his teammates. Drew is at home this session.

The difference between Drew and someone else going home is that he will get great coaching while he's in California. (The family lives in Los Angeles.) His father, Larry Drew Sr., is a former NBA player and is an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks.

"He's working out twice a day with his father ... and I'm very, very happy about that," Williams said.

Drew won the three-point shooting contest at the McDonald's All-American game during his senior year of high school. In his freshman year at Carolina, he shot 35 percent from the field and 23 percent (6-26) on three-point attempts. Drew has shown he can shoot. Now he has to do it consistently.

"We told Larry he has to get better in every phase of the game," Williams said. "His shot is something everyone is going to question until he makes some. And he's not a bad shooter. He's just got to get it grooved and start making some of them.

"He's a true quarterback. He can pass the basketball. In those two or three games at the end of the year, when we held Ty out [because of a toe injury], Larry did some good things in those games. I tell every player to improve in every area of the game, but the one thing is that Larry is going to have to do is make some jump shots so people will come out and play him."

A year from now, Kendall Marshall will arrive to provide depth at point guard. Until then, Drew is going to have to carry the load.

"I looked in that class and thought we needed a point guard," Williams said. "For our program and what we look for, (Drew) was the best. We recruited Tyreke Evans [who went to Memphis for one year], but he was a one-and-done, and that wasn't going to help us."

Eddy Landreth can be reached at chnsports@nando.com or by calling (919) 932-8743.