By R.L. Bynum
Of all of the seven players who transferred out of the North Carolina men’s basketball program in the offseason, none has started their season with their new school better than Dontrez Styles.
By halftime, the Georgetown junior already had career-high in points and rebounds, and had played more minutes than in any game last season for UNC.
Styles started and produced his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and was a team-high +34 in the Hoyas’ easy 94–57 home victory Tuesday night over Le Moyne in Ed Cooley’s debut as head coach.
“The main thing is I want to go out there and play hard,” Styles said. “I know I can go out there and rebound and do everything on the court. I just want to go out there and just be aggressive and play confident. And I feel like I did that, and that was my goal, and I’m gonna keep doing that.”
Last season, his best numbers as a Tar Heel were when he collected nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes on Dec. 13 against The Citadel. He topped all those numbers by halftime when he had 13 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes.
Styles hit a corner 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
“We have a great group of guys that go out there and compete every practice and just every day in the weight room go out there and compete,” said Styles, one of 11 newcomers to the Hoyas roster. “We’re gonna have a great season.”
Georgetown, picked to finish eighth in the 11-team Big East, will be without Kansas State graduate transfer Ismael Massoud for the first part of the season after he had right hand surgery on Oct. 24.
“It was very emotional, to be honest with you. Very, very emotional,” Cooley, the former Providence coach, said of his Hoyas debut after they went 13–50 the past two seasons with Patrick Ewing as coach.
The only time Styles played more in a Carolina game was in his freshman season when he played 25 minutes in the 93–86 overtime NCAA tournament victory in Fort Worth, Texas, over Baylor on March 19, 2022. That day, he scored nine points, including a huge corner 3-pointer at the start of the extra period.
Styles and Arizona senior Caleb Love are the only two of the seven transfers so far who have started their first games with their new teams. Justin McKoy doesn’t make his debut for Hawaii until the Rainbow Warriors face Hawaii Hilo next Tuesday night.
Checking in on 11 former Heels
Destiny Adams, Rutgers forward
6–3 | Junior | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
56–51 Monday win vs. Monmouth — Started; 31 minutes, 13 points, 5–15 FG, 0–1 3FG, 3–5 FT, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 fouls, 2 turnovers, 1 block, 2 steals, +1
Next game — 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Wagner
D’Marco Dunn, Penn State guard
6–5, 195 pounds | Junior | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
79–45 Monday win vs. Delaware State — Didn’t start; 16 minutes, 3 points, 1–4 FG, 1–3 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 1 turnover, 1 steal, +6
Next game — 7:30 Friday vs. Lehigh, B1G+
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota forward
6–11, 230 pounds | Junior | UNC 2020–21 (part of 1 season)
80–60 Monday win vs. Bethune-Cookman — Started; 35 minutes, 23 points, 4–10 FG, 1–3 3FG, 14–16 FT, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 turnovers, 1 block, +23
Next game — 7:30 Friday vs. Texas-San Antonio, Peacock
Puff Johnson, Penn State wing
6–8, 205 pounds | Senior | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
79–45 Monday win vs. Delaware State — Didn’t play, getting close to being 100% as he recovers from an unspecified injury
Season opener — 7:30 Friday vs. Lehigh, B1G+
Caleb Love, Arizona guard
6–4, 205 pounds | Senior | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
122–59 Monday win vs. Morgan State — Started; 21 minutes, 12 points, 3–8 FG, 2–6 3FG, 4–4 FT, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 block, +32
Next game — 7 p.m. Friday at No. 2 Duke, ESPN2
Justin McKoy, Hawaii guard
6–8, 230 pounds | Graduate student | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
2022–23 statistics (UNC) — 11 games, 1 start, 59 minutes, 19 points, 6–13 FG, 2–6 3FG, 5–5 FT, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks
Season opener — 1 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, vs. Hawaii Hilo
Tyler Nickel, Virginia Tech guard
6–7, 225 pounds | Sophomore | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
100–55 Monday win vs. Coppin State — Didn’t start; 20 minutes, 12 points, 4–9 FG, 2–6 3FG, 2–2 FT, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, 1 block, +20
Next game — 9:30 Friday vs. South Carolina in Charlotte, ACCN
Will Shaver, UAB center
6–10, 270 pounds | Redshirt sophomore | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
73–71 Monday loss vs. Bradley — Didn’t play
Next game — 8:30 Friday vs. Clemson in Asheville, ESPN+
Dontrez Styles, Georgetown wing
6–6, 212 pounds | Junior | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
94–57 Tuesday win vs. Le Moyne — Started; 31 minutes, 15 points, 6–13 FG, 2–4 3FG, 1–2 FT, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 4 turnovers, 1 block, +34
Next game — 8 p.m. Saturday vs. Holy Cross, FS2
Kennedy Todd-Williams, Ole Miss guard
6–0 | Senior | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
91–41 Monday win vs. Queens — Started; 21 minutes, 10 points, 4–11 FG, 0–1 3FG, 2–4 FT, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, +29
Next game — 6 p.m. Thursday vs. Oklahoma, SEC Network
Kerwin Walton, Texas Tech guard
6–5, 200 pounds | Senior | UNC 2020–22 (2 seasons)
73–46 Wednesday win vs. Texas A&M-Commerce — 8 minutes, 3 points, 1–3 FG, 1–1 3FG, 1 rebound, +2
Next game — 2 p.m. Sunday vs. San Jose State, ESPN+
Photo via @Georgetownhoops
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