Trimble switches to No. 7, one of two numbers next season that haven’t been worn since 1950

R.L. Bynum,

By R.L. Bynum

Seth Trimble and Paxton Wojcik will use jersey numbers that no Carolina men’s basketball player has worn since 1950.

Carolina revealed the Tar Heels’ jersey numbers on Monday. After wearing No. 0 for his freshman season, Trimble, a sophomore guard, will be the first No. 7 since Simon Terrell (later the executive director of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association) from 1948 to 1950. Wojcik, a transfer guard from Brown, will be the first No. 8 since Dick Patterson in the 1949–50 season.

This is the first season that digits 6, 7, 8 and 9 are allowed since the NCAA barred them starting with the 1957–58 season. Last month, the NCAA announced that numbers from 0 to 99 would be permitted. One of the last previous players with one of those numbers was the late Bill Russell, who wore No. 6 at San Francisco.

The only other changes for returning players are for walk-ons who are switching to the numbers their fathers wore at UNC.

Guard Creighton Lebo is going from No. 25 to No. 14, the number his father, assistant coach Jeff Lebo, wore when he played for UNC from 1985 to 1989. Puff Johnson, who wore No. 14 the past two seasons, transferred to Penn State and will wear No. 4 there.

Guard Rob Landry is going from No. 15 to No. 22, which his father, Pearce Landry, wore from 1993 to 1995. Justin McKoy, who transferred to Hawaii, wore that number for the last two seasons. The No. 22 is honored in the Smith Center rafters for York Larese (1958–61), Bob Lewis (1964–67) and Wayne Ellington (2006–09).

The numbers for other newcomers are: No. 1 for freshman forward Zayden High, No. 2 for freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau, No. 3 for Notre Dame fifth-year guard transfer Cormac Ryan, No. 24 for Louisville transfer senior forward Jae’Lyn Withers, No. 32 for West Virginia transfer junior forward James Okonkwo and No. 55 for Stanford transfer junior guard Harrison Ingram.

High picked a number worn mainly by guards, most recently Leaky Black, Theo Pinson, Marcus Ginyard and Melvin Scott.

Cadeau picked a number worn by four other excellent UNC point guards — Raymond Felton, Joel Berry II, Coby White and Caleb Love. Felton and Berry both have their No. 2 jerseys honored.

Ryan will wear the same number worn by Shammond Williams, another outstanding guard. Kennedy Meeks, assistant coach Pat Sullivan and Reyshawn Terry also wore No. 3. Ryan wore No. 5 last season for the Irish. That number, of course, is taken by Armando Bacot, who likely will have his jersey at least honored when his career is over, joining Ty Lawson (2006–09) and Marcus Paige (2012–16).

Withers’ No. 24 was worn last season by Tyler Nickel, who transferred to Virginia Tech. Withers also wore that number at Louisville. It was also recently been worn by Kenny Williams. Before that, Walter Davis, Dante Calabria and Joe Wolf also wore that number. Davis’ jersey is honored.

Nickel and D’Marco Dunn, who transferred to Penn State, will both wear a number next season that they never could have worn for UNC: No. 23.

Okonkwo takes the number Pete Nance wore last season, which he also wore at West Virginia. Recent No. 32s include Luke Maye, Ed Davis and Rashad McCants, but Hall of Famer Billy “The Kangaroo Kid” Cunningham is the most decorated and the number is honored for him.

Ingram will be the first Tar Heel to wear No. 55, which he also wore at Stanford, since Christian Keeling in 2020. Walk-on Wade Moody wore that number in 2013–14. Before that, you have to go back to Matt Wenstrom, who wore that number for three seasons, including for the 1993 national championship team.

DateMonth/dayTimeOpponent/event
(current ranks)		TV/
record
October
24FridayL, 78–76vs. No. 16 BYU in SLCExhib.
29WednesdayW, 95–53vs. Winston-Salem St.Exhib.
November
3MondayW, 94–54vs. Central Arkansas1–0
7FridayW, 87–74vs. No. 11 Kansas2–0
11TuesdayW, 89–74vs. Radford3–0
14FridayW, 97–53vs. N.C. Central4–0
18TuesdayW, 73–61vs. Navy5–0
Fort Myers Tip-Off
25TuesdayW, 85–70vs. St. Bonaventure6–0
27ThursdayL, 74–58vs. No. 10 Michigan State6–1
DecemberACC/SEC
Men’s Challenge
2TuesdayW, 67–64at Kentucky7–1
—————————
7SundayW, 81–61vs. Georgetown8–1
13SaturdayW, 80–62vs. USC Upstate9–1
16TuesdayW, 77–58vs. ETSU10–1
CBS Sports Classic
in Atlanta
20SaturdayW, 71–70vs. Ohio State11–1
—————————
22MondayW, 99–51vs. East Carolina12–1
30TuesdayW, 79–66vs. Florida State13–1,
1–0 ACC
January
3SaturdayL, 97–83at SMU13–2, 1–1
10SaturdayW, 87–84vs. Wake Forest14–2, 2–1
14WednesdayL, 95–90at Stanford14–3, 2–2
17SaturdayL, 84–78at California14–4, 2–3
21WednesdayW, 91–69vs. Notre Dame15–4, 3–3
24SaturdayW, 85–80at No. 18 Virginia16–4, 4–3
31SaturdayW, 91–75at Georgia Tech17–4, 5–3
February
2MondayW, 87–77vs. Syracuse18–4, 6–3
7Saturday6:30vs. No. 4 DukeESPN
10Tuesday7 p.m.at MiamiESPN or
ESPN2
14Saturday2 p.m.vs. PittsburghESPN
17Tuesday7 p.m.at N.C. StateESPN or
ESPN2
21Saturday1 p.m.at SyracuseABC
23Monday7 p.m.vs. No. 24 LouisvilleESPN
28Saturday6:30 or 8:30vs. Virginia TechESPN or
ESPN2
March
3Tuesday7 p.m.vs. No. 20 ClemsonESPN or
ESPN2
7Saturday6:30at No. 4 DukeESPN
10–14Tues.-Sat.ACC
tournament		Spectrum Center,
Charlotte

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No.ClassPlayerPos.HgtWgt
8FreshmanCaleb Wilson (5 star)46–10215
5FreshmanIsaiah Denis (4 star)CG6–4180
3FreshmanDerek Dixon (4 star)CG6–5200
40SophomoreIvan Matlekovic57–0255
11SophomoreJonathan PowellG6–6190
2SophomoreJames Brown 56–10240
1SophomoreZayden High46–10230
44JuniorLuca Bogavac
(BO-guh-VAHTS)		W6–6215
4JuniorJaydon Young26–4200
13RS juniorHenri Veesaar
(VEH-sar)		57–0225
0JuniorKyan Evans16–2175
15JuniorJarin Stevenson46–10215
7SeniorSeth Trimble26–3200
Walk-ons
25SophomoreJohn Holbrook46–8230
32JuniorEvan Smith26–1195
6RS seniorElijah Davis26–3205

Former UNC players who transferred

PlayerClass next seasonPos.HgtWgtNext school
Elliot CadeauJuniorPG6–1180Michigan
Jalen WashingtonSeniorC6–10235Vanderbilt
Ian JacksonSophomoreG6–4190St. John’s
Cade TysonSeniorF6–7200Minnesota
Ven-Allen LubinSeniorC6–8230N.C. State
DateMonth/dayTimeOpponent/event
(current ranks)		TV/
record
October
24FridayL, 78–76vs. No. 16 BYU in SLCExhib.
29WednesdayW, 95–53vs. Winston-Salem St.Exhib.
November
3MondayW, 94–54vs. Central Arkansas1–0
7FridayW, 87–74vs. No. 11 Kansas2–0
11TuesdayW, 89–74vs. Radford3–0
14FridayW, 97–53vs. N.C. Central4–0
18TuesdayW, 73–61vs. Navy5–0
Fort Myers Tip-Off
25TuesdayW, 85–70vs. St. Bonaventure6–0
27ThursdayL, 74–58vs. No. 10 Michigan State6–1
DecemberACC/SEC
Men’s Challenge
2TuesdayW, 67–64at Kentucky7–1
—————————
7SundayW, 81–61vs. Georgetown8–1
13SaturdayW, 80–62vs. USC Upstate9–1
16TuesdayW, 77–58vs. ETSU10–1
CBS Sports Classic
in Atlanta
20SaturdayW, 71–70vs. Ohio State11–1
—————————
22MondayW, 99–51vs. East Carolina12–1
30TuesdayW, 79–66vs. Florida State13–1,
1–0 ACC
January
3SaturdayL, 97–83at SMU13–2, 1–1
10SaturdayW, 87–84vs. Wake Forest14–2, 2–1
14WednesdayL, 95–90at Stanford14–3, 2–2
17SaturdayL, 84–78at California14–4, 2–3
21WednesdayW, 91–69vs. Notre Dame15–4, 3–3
24SaturdayW, 85–80at No. 18 Virginia16–4, 4–3
31SaturdayW, 91–75at Georgia Tech17–4, 5–3
February
2MondayW, 87–77vs. Syracuse18–4, 6–3
7Saturday6:30vs. No. 4 DukeESPN
10Tuesday7 p.m.at MiamiESPN or
ESPN2
14Saturday2 p.m.vs. PittsburghESPN
17Tuesday7 p.m.at N.C. StateESPN or
ESPN2
21Saturday1 p.m.at SyracuseABC
23Monday7 p.m.vs. No. 24 LouisvilleESPN
28Saturday6:30 or 8:30vs. Virginia TechESPN or
ESPN2
March
3Tuesday7 p.m.vs. No. 20 ClemsonESPN or
ESPN2
7Saturday6:30at No. 4 DukeESPN
10–14Tues.-Sat.ACC
tournament		Spectrum Center,
Charlotte

Photo via @UNC_Basketball

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Published by R.L. Bynum

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