By R.L. Bynum
Last season, Coach Hubert Davis had trouble keeping everybody happy, leading seven players to transfer.
Now it appears that one of three members of his incoming freshman class at Carolina is already unhappy with the roster situation for next season.
Simeon Wilcher, a 6–3, 185-pound point guard, has requested a release from his national letter of intent according to a report by Inside Carolina. ESPN’s No. 28 player in the Class of 2023, the four-star player out of Roselle Catholic in New Jersey committed to the Tar Heels in October 2021 but won’t be coming to Chapel Hill.
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to ask North Carolina for a release from my national letter of intent. We will not be commenting further and thank UNC for the opportunity to play in the ACC,” read the statement that the Wilcher family gave Inside Carolina.
Carolina has five guards on the roster with RJ Davis, returnee Seth Trimble, transfers Cormac Ryan and Paxton Wojcik, and Elliot Cadeau, who reclassified last week.
If UNC grants Wilcher’s release, that would leave four-star forward Zayden High, ranked No. 64 in the Class of 2023, and Cadeau, who was ranked No. 10 in the Class of 2024 before reclassifying, as the only freshmen on the team for next season.
Cadeau’s decision to arrive at UNC a year earlier likely was the biggest factor in Wilcher deciding to play elsewhere.
Since last season, seven players transferred in search of better situations: Caleb Love to Arizona, Dontrez Styles to Georgetown, Tyler Nickel to Virginia Tech, Justin McKoy to Hawaii, Puff Johnson to Penn State, Will Shaver to UAB and D’Marco Dunn, who hasn’t committed to a school yet.
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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 three 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 |
| 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
In 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
Through Sunday — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
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)
(10 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
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
Photo via @rc_basketball
