By R.L. Bynum
Former Oregon State guard Jordan Pope previously considered North Carolina, but the Tar Heels reportedly aren’t among his final two schools.
Joe Tipton of On3.com reports that the 6–2, 165-pound All-Pac 12 honorable mention pick, who will be a junior next season, will announce his decision Wednesday night, and pick either Texas and Texas A&M. His previous list included UNC, Cal, Miami, Louisville, Florida, Baylor, Kansas, Xavier, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona and Villanova.
Pope averaged 17.6 points last season, shooting 45.1% from the floor and 37.1% from 3-point range, making 66 3-pointers for the 13–19 Beavers as a sophomore. He made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team the season before with 12.6 points per game and 60 3-pointers.
His top moment of the season was when he scored a career-high 31 points and made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Jan. 25 at home in an 83–80 upset of then-No. 7 Arizona.
He scored at least 20 points 13 times last season, including 30 in a win at Stanford on Feb. 24 and 29 in a loss at Washington on Jan. 6. He’s scored at least three 3-pointers 18 times in his career and at least five 3s five times.
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Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Luka Bogavac, Isaiah Denis, Derek Dixon, Kyan Evans, Jonathan Powell, James Brown and Zayden High return and the players in the incoming freshman class hold in their commitment, which would put UNC six under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Dylan Mingo | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 40 | Junior | Ivan Matlekovic | 5 | 7–0 | 255 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 13 | RS senior | Henri Veesaar | 5 | 7–0 | 225 |
| 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 |
In transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | |
| Isaiah Denis | Sophomore | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
Key offseason dates
Last Tuesday — Transfer portal opened
Thursday — Deadline to request evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee
11:59 p.m. April 21 — Transfer portal closes
11:59 p.m. April 26 — NBA early-entry deadline
May 8–10 — G-League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
Week of June 22 (date to be determined) — NBA Draft
Photo via @BeaverMBB
Do not think for one moment the decision to limit Cadeau and Trembles minutes in the tourney was not seen in a different light than Carolina Blue than other players.