By R.L. Bynum
Coach Hubert Davis officially welcomed four transfers and just-reclassified incoming point guard Elliot Cadeau to the program for next season on Wednesday.
Here’s what Davis had to say about those five players:
— Cadeau, a 6–2 guard from West Orange, N.J., joins two other incoming freshmen in Simeon Wilcher, a 6–5 guard from Plainfield, N.J., and Zayden High, a 6-10 forward from San Antonio, Texas:
“Elliot is an elite passer and playmaker. He always wants his team to win and excels at making his teammates around him better. Elliot is a selfless teammate who consistently celebrates the success of others. He is a great addition to our team and program, and we are excited he is a Tar Heel.”
— Harrison Ingram (top photo), a 6-7 forward from Dallas, where he attended the St. Mark’s School, totaled 682 points, 405 rebounds and 218 assists in two seasons at Stanford. He was the 2022 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, when he won conference freshman-of-the-week honors six times:
“I love Harrison’s elite versatility on both ends of the floor. He’s a great passer, playmaker and scorer with size. He is a great leader and teammate who has a burning desire to win. We initially recruited him in high school and are glad he’s a Tar Heel.”
— Cormac Ryan, a 6–5 guard from New York City, has scored 1,173 points and made 212 three-pointers in 116 games over four seasons. He played three years at the Milton Academy in Massachusetts before beginning his collegiate career at Stanford in 2018–19 (he scored 14 points vs. UNC in Chapel Hill that season). He transferred to Notre Dame, where he red-shirted in 2019-20 and then averaged 10.5 points for the Irish from 2020–23.
“Cormac is an accomplished college basketball player who has consistently performed at the highest level on the biggest stages. He’s a great shooter, defender, leader and fierce competitor every time he steps on the floor. We are thrilled to have him here at UNC.”
Photo courtesy of the ACC
— Jae’Lyn Withers, a 6-9 forward, made 64 starts in 81 games over the past three seasons at Louisville, where he averaged 8.0 points and 5.6 rebounds. Originally from Charlotte, where his father, Curtis, was a three-time all-conference standout for the 49ers, Withers attended North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville for three years before finishing his prep career at Cleveland Heights High School in Ohio.
“Jae’Lyn is a versatile big man who can do a number of things really well on both ends of the court. He can consistently make three-pointers, run the floor, post up, attack the offense and create plays off the bounce. He is also an excellent defender and rebounder, exactly what we were looking for at that position. He is a North Carolina kid and we are glad he is back home.”
— Paxson Wojcik, a 6–5 guard, has played two seasons at Loyola Chicago and the most recent two at Brown, where he earned second-team All-Ivy League honors, Academic All-Ivy honors and was a team captain for the Bears in 2022–23. He’s originally from Chapel Hill, where his dad, Doug, was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 2000–03:
“Paxson is a talented basketball player who excels at doing everything on the court at a high level. He brings consistent perimeter shooting, rebounding and passing from the wing. He will be a great leader for us. We are excited to have Paxson as part of the Carolina Basketball family.”
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| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — W | G | 6–9 | 215 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 196 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov | C | 6–11 | 212 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 174 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | F | 6–10 | 215 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z | G | 6–3 | 193 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 195 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May, Jorge Sanz, and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who entered 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 | Pacific |
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Top photo via @StanfordMBB
