By R.L. Bynum
Georgia Tech transfer forward Ty Claude had been fully cleared to play for No. 9 North Carolina. A UNC spokesman confirmed Friday that Claude will be available for UNC’s Monday opener against Elon.
The 6–7, 230-pound graduate student, who announced his transfer in mid-August, didn’t play in the Blue-White game or either exhibition because of eligibility questions.
Claude is one of three UNC transfers, along with former Belmont wing Cade Tyson and former Vanderbilt forward Ven-Allen Lubin.
Claude’s college career started at Morehead State in 2019, and he moved in 2022 to Western Carolina before playing for the Yellow Jackets last season. He missed the 2020–21 season with an injury. He finished his high school career at Moravian Prep after first playing at Goldsboro High School.
Claude averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in the 2022–23 season for Western Carolina. He played 32 games last season at Georgia Tech, starting four times. He scored 152 points and pulled down 165 rebounds.
Claude’s career high was 24 points for Western Carolina against Samford on Feb. 1, 2023. His best game for the Jackets last season was 19 points and six rebounds against Howard.
In Georgia Tech’s 74–73 win over UNC on Jan. 30, Claude played 28 minutes off the bench, collecting nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks on 4 of 8 shooting. That was one of three career three-block games and tied for his most points in an ACC game. He also scored nine at Clemson on Jan. 16.
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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 |
| 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
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
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
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 ramblinwreck.com
