By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina went from making missteps and misses during the previous offseason to big and quick steps by Coach Hubert Davis and General Manager Jim Tanner.
After roster construction created so many challenges for Davis last season, he’s done much better in the transfer portal this time around and has secured commitments much faster. Taking decisive action was important after losing four players to the portal, including guards Elliot Cadeau (who transferred to Michigan) and Ian Jackson.
Davis said that his roster has to get bigger, and it has.
On Sunday, Alabama 6–11 transfer Jarin Stevenson became UNC’s third portal commitment, 123 days earlier than the Tar Heels got their third commitment the previous offseason. UNC added two critically needed players: a big man who is a shot-blocker with a defensive presence in 7–0 Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar — rated the second-best center in this transfer-portal class — and a dynamic point guard who shoots well from the perimeter in 6–2 Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans.
Carolina may not have snagged the best available portal player at either position — the top point guard in the portal, Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee, committed Wednesday to reigning national champion Florida. But one ranking has UNC’s transfer-portal class No. 13 and it lured four players who should be good fits.
A year ago, UNC couldn’t attract any of the top big men in the portal after the departure of Armando Bacot and didn’t get its first transfer portal addition until Belmont guard Cade Tyson committed on April 28, and that obviously didn’t turn out well.
After missing out on centers such as Clifford Omoruyi (who committed to Alabama) and Danny Wolf (who ended up at Michigan), the Tar Heels got commitments from Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin on May 23 and Georgia Tech transfer Ty Claude on Aug. 14.
Last season, the issues were roster construction, how the roles were defined, size and depth. All of those have already been addressed. Davis has transformed his roster from one that was flawed last season to arguably the best since becoming head coach, assuming Drake Powell returns for his sophomore season.
Unlike last season, when Drake Powell was forced to play out of position in many games at the four spot, he’ll play mostly at the three next season, just as he did for the last month of last season.
Carolina will go from 6–9 Jae’Lyn Withers being the tallest starter during the last month of the season to a rotation with 6–9 freshman Caleb Wilson playing with two taller players: Stevenson and Veesaar. Particularly if Drake Powell, at 6–6, is back for his sophomore season, there should be no more size issues.
The deadline to declare for the NBA draft is April 26. One mock draft has Drake Powell being picked in the second round as the 46th overall pick.
The Tar Heels will go from 6–0 RJ Davis or 6–1 Cadeau at point guard to 6–2 Kyan Evans, who should more than compensate for the perimeter shooting lost with RJ Davis’ departure.
In addition, three freshmen join the program: five-star 6–9 forward Caleb Wilson and two four-star combo guards, 6–5 Isaiah Denis and 6–3 Derek Dixon, also providing UNC with a taller roster.
Carolina will also have a 6–6 guard, West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell, who is a lethal perimeter shooter, as well as 6–8 James Brown returning. Also possibly returning is 6–9 Zayden High, who was reportedly suspended by the school and the program, but is enrolled at Carolina for the spring semester.
Continuity is challenging in the transfer portal era, but UNC will have a chance at it, considering Jonathan Powell has three years of remaining eligibility, and Veesaar, Evans, and Stevenson can each play for two more seasons.
| 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 |
UNC 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, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday, 7:30, ESPN2 | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. 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 |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via arizonawildcats.com
