By R.L. Bynum
Dontrez Styles, who said Tuesday morning he decided to leave UNC because he wants to play, has narrowed his choices to N.C. State, East Carolina, Georgetown and South Carolina, and hopes to decide by Sunday.
He made the comments during the “Tuesdays with Trez” segment of “The Bryan Hanks Show” on WRNS 960 AM in Kinston.
“I want to play and get back to it,” Styles said. “It’s a great program. I enjoyed my time here but ready to move on to my next chapter. It was very sad because two years here, I’m used to it. When you’re used to something and it’s time for a change, it’s really sad.”
After averaging 30.3 points and 10.3 rebounds during his career at Kinston High School, he went from playing 30 games as a freshman at UNC, with double-digit minutes in six games, to only 15 games this past season with double-digit minutes in only three.
A year after watching the national championship game in New Orleans from the North Carolina bench, he watched Monday’s final from Chapel Hill while mulling his future.
His process is very different from when he was at Kinston High School. He knew he wouldn’t pick any school other than Carolina since he grew up a Tar Heels fan and considered UNC his dream school. The choice is tougher this time around.
“I’m wide open, but the decision is coming soon. But I’m going to be ready for a new journey,” said Styles, who will be a junior with two more years of college eligibility.
Styles visited N.C. State last weekend and will visit Georgetown on Thursday when the NCAA-mandated recruiting dead period ends. He also is considering South Carolina and East Carolina, the latter just up the road from where he grew up in Kinston. He noted that all of those schools are building something.
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“I feel like I can come in and help all these schools out,” Styles said.
He praised Coach Kevin Keatts and his N.C. State coaching staff, and said he knew some of the players on the Gamecocks’ team.
Styles hopes the process will be over by Sunday.
“I plan on it, but it’s a big decision,” he said. “I want to make sure it’s right. So, if I get to Sunday and I need more time, maybe a couple more days? So, you never know. But I plan on Sunday.”
If Styles picks N.C. State, he’d become the first player to play for both Carolina and N.C. State since Bones McKinney played for the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels in the 1940s.
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC two under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left for the transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
Thursday through May 28 — Kevin Thomas at USA Basketball U18 national team tryouts in Colorado Springs
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 13 — Deadline for international players to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski or Rocco Miller)
(11 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia at the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge (announced last year on June 12)
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
