By R.L. Bynum

North Carolina men’s basketball roster is finalized for next season with the arrival of 6–6 Montenegrin wing Luka Bogavac this week.

The roster for new-look Tar Heels, officially announced by UNC on Thursday, features nine single-digit jersey numbers spread across a lineup heavy on new faces — three freshmen, six transfers, one international pickup and a junior varsity alum — anchored by just five with UNC experience.

Bogavac (shown in top photo touring the Smith Center this week with Ivan Matlekovic) averaged 14.9 points last season for SC Derby Podgorica in Montenegro’s top league, hitting double-figure points 23 times, including a 27-point showing against Mega Basket.

At the center of it all is senior guard Seth Trimble, the team’s most seasoned voice. A three-year contributor from Menomonee Falls, Wisc., Trimble has appeared in 102 games, starting more than half of last season while averaging 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds.

“I am very excited about this upcoming season and this year’s team, led by Seth Trimble,” Coach Hubert Davis said in a UNC release. He noted that Trimble will take on a leadership role previously filled by players such as Leaky Black, Armando Bacot and RJ Davis.

“Going into the summer, we wanted to get bigger and more versatile to give us the ability to be better on both ends of the floor, and I believe we’ve done that,” Davis said.

Back for UNC are redshirt senior guard Elijah Davis, who transferred from Lynchburg a year ago, sat out last season and is Coach Davis’ son, along with sophomore forwards James Brown, Zayden High and walk-on John Holbrook. High served a school suspension from UNC and missed last season.

The transfer wave reshaping the roster includes:

• Kyan Evans (Colorado State) — A sharpshooting guard who led the Mountain West in true shooting percentage and scored 23 points in the 2025 NCAA Tournament vs. Memphis.
• Matlekovic (High Point) — The 7-foot Croatian has professional experience in the Adriatic League and played sparingly last season at High Point.
• Jonathan Powell (West Virginia) — Perimeter threat with 64 threes last season.
• Jarin Stevenson (Alabama) — A former N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year at Pittsboro’s Seaforth High School who got NCAA tournament experience with the Tide.
• Henri Veesaar (Arizona) — The versatile 7-footer from Estonia collected 13 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes in the Sweet 16 against Duke.
• Jaydon Young (Virginia Tech) — He has the potential of instant offense off the bench with his deep shooting range after scoring 57 3-pointers in two seasons with the Hokies.

The freshman class offers plenty of star potential with:

• Derek Dixon, the 2025 D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year, Gonzaga College High School.
• Isaiah Denis, who led Davidson Day School to a 2024 state title.
• Caleb Wilson, the 2025 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, who is dominant scorer, rebounder and top-level defender.

Evan Smith, a junior guard from Charlotte, joins the varsity squad after a season with UNC’s junior varsity program, which has been discontinued in the wake of the Grant House settlement.

The blend of proven veterans, decorated newcomers and international talent makes this one of the most transformed Tar Heel rosters in program history. With Trimble as the leader, UNC’s identity may still be familiar.

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No.	Class	Player	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt
8	Freshman	Caleb Wilson (5 star)	4	6–10	215
5	Freshman	Isaiah Denis (4 star)	CG	6–4	180
3	Freshman	Derek Dixon (4 star)	CG	6–5	200
40	Sophomore	Ivan Matlekovic	5	7–0	255
11	Sophomore	Jonathan Powell	G	6–6	190
2	Sophomore	James Brown	5	6–10	240
1	Sophomore	Zayden High	4	6–10	230
44	Junior	Luca Bogavac (BO-guh-VAHTS)	W	6–6	215
4	Junior	Jaydon Young	2	6–4	200
13	RS junior	Henri Veesaar (VEH-sar)	5	7–0	225
0	Junior	Kyan Evans	1	6–2	175
15	Junior	Jarin Stevenson	4	6–10	215
7	Senior	Seth Trimble	2	6–3	200
		Walk-ons
25	Sophomore	John Holbrook	4	6–8	230
32	Junior	Evan Smith	2	6–1	195
6	RS senior	Elijah Davis	2	6–3	205

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Former UNC players who transferred

Player	Class next season	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt	Next school
Elliot Cadeau	Junior	PG	6–1	180	Michigan
Jalen Washington	Senior	C	6–10	235	Vanderbilt
Ian Jackson	Sophomore	G	6–4	190	St. John’s
Cade Tyson	Senior	F	6–7	200	Minnesota
Ven-Allen Lubin	Senior	C	6–8	230	N.C. State

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Date	Month/day	Time	Opponent/event (current ranks)	TV/ record
	October
24	Friday	L, 78–76	vs. No. 16 BYU in SLC	Exhib.
29	Wednesday	W, 95–53	vs. Winston-Salem St.	Exhib.
	November
3	Monday	W, 94–54	vs. Central Arkansas	1–0
7	Friday	W, 87–74	vs. No. 11 Kansas	2–0
11	Tuesday	W, 89–74	vs. Radford	3–0
14	Friday	W, 97–53	vs. N.C. Central	4–0
18	Tuesday	W, 73–61	vs. Navy	5–0
			Fort Myers Tip-Off
25	Tuesday	W, 85–70	vs. St. Bonaventure	6–0
27	Thursday	L, 74–58	vs. No. 10 Michigan State	6–1
	December		ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge
2	Tuesday	W, 67–64	at Kentucky	7–1
			—————————
7	Sunday	W, 81–61	vs. Georgetown	8–1
13	Saturday	W, 80–62	vs. USC Upstate	9–1
16	Tuesday	W, 77–58	vs. ETSU	10–1
			CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta
20	Saturday	W, 71–70	vs. Ohio State	11–1
			—————————
22	Monday	W, 99–51	vs. East Carolina	12–1
30	Tuesday	W, 79–66	vs. Florida State	13–1, 1–0 ACC
	January
3	Saturday	L, 97–83	at SMU	13–2, 1–1
10	Saturday	W, 87–84	vs. Wake Forest	14–2, 2–1
14	Wednesday	L, 95–90	at Stanford	14–3, 2–2
17	Saturday	L, 84–78	at California	14–4, 2–3
21	Wednesday	W, 91–69	vs. Notre Dame	15–4, 3–3
24	Saturday	W, 85–80	at No. 18 Virginia	16–4, 4–3
31	Saturday	W, 91–75	at Georgia Tech	17–4, 5–3
	February
2	Monday	W, 87–77	vs. Syracuse	18–4, 6–3
7	Saturday	6:30	vs. No. 4 Duke	ESPN
10	Tuesday	7 p.m.	at Miami	ESPN or ESPN2
14	Saturday	2 p.m.	vs. Pittsburgh	ESPN
17	Tuesday	7 p.m.	at N.C. State	ESPN or ESPN2
21	Saturday	1 p.m.	at Syracuse	ABC
23	Monday	7 p.m.	vs. No. 24 Louisville	ESPN
28	Saturday	6:30 or 8:30	vs. Virginia Tech	ESPN or ESPN2
	March
3	Tuesday	7 p.m.	vs. No. 20 Clemson	ESPN or ESPN2
7	Saturday	6:30	at No. 4 Duke	ESPN
10–14	Tues.-Sat.	ACC tournament	Spectrum Center, Charlotte

Photo via @UNC_Basketball