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.
“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.
Key events, dates
April 27 (at 11:59 p.m. ET) — Deadline for players to submit their names to the NBA draft
May 1 — Transfer portal closes
May 11–12 — NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago
May 12–19 — NBA Combine in Chicago
May 17–19 — Evaluation for high school players at NCAA-certified events (EYBL in Indianapolis is on those)
Potential 2024-25 UNC men’s roster
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Freshman | James Brown (4 star) | 5 | 6–8 | 225 |
| — | Freshman | Ian Jackson (5 star) | 2 | 6–4 | 180 |
| — | Freshman | Drake Powell (5 star) | 2 | 6–5 | 185 |
| 2 | Soph. | Elliot Cadeau | PG | 6–1 | 180 |
| 1 | Soph. | Zayden High | 4 | 6–9 | 225 |
| 13 | Junior | Jalen Washington | 5 | 6–10 | 230 |
| 55 | Senior | Harrison Ingram | 4 | 6–7 | 235 |
| Eligible for fifth season | |||||
| 5 | Graduate | RJ Davis | PG | 6–0 | 180 |
| 24 | Graduate | Jae’Lyn Withers | 4 | 6–9 | 215 |
| Walk-ons eligible for 5th season | |||||
| 14 | Graduate | Creighton Lebo | PG | 6–1 | 180 |
| 22 | Graduate | Rob Landry | 2 | 6–4 | 190 |
2023–24 UNC players to enter transfer portal
| Class | Player | Date entered | Pos. | Hgt. | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | James Okonkwo | April 5 | F | 6–8 | Akron |
| Junior | Seth Trimble | April 9 | G | 6–3 | TBA |
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