By R.L. Bynum
Carolina missed a chance at getting Jarin Stevenson when he was a four-star high school recruit out of nearby Seaforth High School in Chatham County, but the Tar Heels made good on a second shot at the 2023 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
According to multiple reports, Stevenson, a 6–11, 215-pound forward and a rising junior, has committed to UNC after averaging only 18.7 minutes, 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds last season for Alabama.
The news comes on the same day that another UNC target, BYU’s Kanon Catchings, committed to Georgia after visiting Carolina on Friday.
Stevenson is the third player UNC has snagged from the transfer portal after 7–0 redshirt junior former Arizona center Henri Veesaar and 6–2 junior former Colorado State point guard Kyan Evans. UNC went into the offseason with no rising juniors but now has three.
If Drake Powell returns for his sophomore season, he’d play with a player he faced in high school playing for another school in Chatham County: Northwood High School. They played together as freshmen at Northwood when the Chargers made the state championship game.
Stevenson was the third Alabama player to enter the transfer portal after Mo Dioubate, who has committed to Kentucky, and Naas Cunningham.
Stevenson, whose mother Nicole Walker Stevenson played for three ACC championship teams from 1995 to 1998, picked Alabama over UNC, Missouri and Virginia as the No. 41 player in the Class of 2023.
The Tide has won both meetings with UNC during Stevenson’s career. He was scoreless in 15 minutes with four rebounds in the Tide’s 89–87 Sweet 16 victory over UNC in 2024 and had six points and three rebounds in 16 minutes during Alabama’s 94–79 victory on Dec. 4 in the Smith Center.
His best career game was in Alabama’s 103–80 victory at Texas on Feb. 11 when he collected 22 points, four 3-pointers, four rebounds and a block. He has 13 career double-figure scoring games, including 19 points and a career-high five 3-pointers in the Tide’s 89–82 Elite Eight victory over Clemson in 2024.
Stevenson has 14 career games with multiple 3-pointers, six with at least three, three with at least four and the career-high against Clemson.
He started 22 of 37 games for Alabama last season but only started once in the last 12 games, that coming in the 90–81 first-round NCAA tournament victory over Robert Morris.
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 one 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 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| Freshman | Alexandros Samodurov | C | 6–11 | 212 | |
| 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 | 6–5 | 196 | |
| 1 | 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
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left for the 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 |
Schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski or Rocco Miller)
(11 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia at the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center
Dec. 1 — vs. Arkansas in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
ACC games
Home and away: Duke, Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford, Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Photo via rolltide.com
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