By R.L. Bynum
Caleb Wilson heads the three-player Class of 2025 class at Carolina, and his talents will be on display on a big stage Tuesday at the McDonald’s All-American Game in Brooklyn.
Wilson, a 6–9, 195-pound five-star Atlanta power forward, will be on the West team with Duke signee Nikolas Khamenia, a 6–8 forward from California, in the 9 p.m. game (ESPN). Duke signees Cameron (6–9 forward) and Cayden Boozer (6–4 guard), both from Florida and Wilson’s teammates on the Nightrydas Elite AAU team last season, are on the East team.
Five-star girls UNC recruit Nyla Brooks will play the girls game, which starts at 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2).
“For me, being a McDonald’s All-American is a huge thing,” Wilson said during a brief Monday press conference at Barclays Center. “I feel like it’s the beginning of the next step. I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a little kid, and I feel like it’s a great accomplishment. But I’m always ready for the next thing.”
Wilson is dominant up front and has the ballhandling skills and playmaking ability of a guard.
Carolina’s incoming freshman class also includes two four-star combo guards: Isaiah Denis of Davidson, N.C. (ranked 78th in ESPN’s Class of 2025 rankings) and Derek Dixon of Washington, D.C. (ranked 52nd).
Wilson, the No. 6 overall player in the Class of 2025, says that he plays hard with a big motor, which makes him highly sought after by NBA teams.
“I feel like on the next level, college and also the NBA, it is very important to be able to do a lot of things on the court,” Wilson said. “You come to the NBA as a rookie, you often are not the leading scorer. They often always have a franchise player. So [you’ve] got to find a way to impact the game the other way. So I feel like that’s what is attractive to teams and coaches at the next level.”
In early March, Wilson led Holy Innocents to the Georgia High School Association Private Class state title with an 84–45 victory in the championship game over North Cobb Christian with 33 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. He averaged 21.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.6 blocks and 2.1 steals last season.
That came after playing with top-level talent last summer playing for Nightrydas Elite and helping lead that team to the Peach Jam championship with 17.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
“Making the move to Nightrydas, I did that because I felt like it was important for me to learn how to play with other talented players,” Wilson said.
McDonald’s All-American Game rosters
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov (Alex-ANN-drose SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Players who entered 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 | Pacific |
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Photo via screenshot
