By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — When Jaydon Young was a kid, North Carolina basketball wasn’t just a team — it was his world. Growing up in Goldsboro, he wore Carolina blue with pride, cheering from his living room, sometimes pacing with nervous energy, sometimes sulking after a loss.
“I was a super fan,” Young said at a Thursday press conference at the Smith Center. “Like being at school and almost having butterflies when they played Carolina and Duke games. I can remember all of it.”
He used to make the trip to Chapel Hill with his Boys and Girls Club team, walking through Kenan Stadium and dreaming about what it might be like to wear a Carolina jersey one day.
“We used to take team trips to come to football games, tour the locker room, stuff like that,” he said. “And then basketball-wise, we used to come to Late Night with Roy almost every year, unless my grades were bad or something.”
Those childhood visits lit something inside him — a devotion that followed him through high school at Greensboro Day and his first two college seasons at Virginia Tech, even when it meant playing against the team that shaped his love for the game.
When Young stepped onto the court at the Smith Center his freshman year as a Hokies guard, it was surreal. But the butterflies he used to get from watching were suddenly replaced by laser focus.
“That was probably the most focused I’ve ever been in my life,” he said. “It was pretty crazy. But being in the away locker room doesn’t really feel the same as being in the home locker room.”
That afternoon, he played against the players he’d spent his childhood cheering for. The court, the fans, the shade of blue and everything felt familiar, but all felt backwards.
“I just wanted to come out, see if I could make a few shots,” said Young, who was playing behind Hunter Cattoor and scored two points in 12 minutes of UNC’s 96–81 victory. “I didn’t really expect the game to go like it did. I played a lot more than I thought. Just trying not to mess up when I was out there.”
Now, two seasons later, the emotions are different. He’ll go through a different Smith Center tunnel, and he’ll be wearing the colors he grew up revering. Young said it really hasn’t hit him that he’ll play for Carolina.
“I think the first game, maybe,” Young said. “But I feel like I got a lot more confidence in my game now, so I don’t think I’ll be too nervous now.”
Young’s path to Chapel Hill wasn’t straightforward. After two seasons at Virginia Tech, where he scored 306 points and hit 57 3-pointers in 58 games, he entered the transfer portal in search of the best fit, not necessarily a childhood dream.
“Definitely excited to have it happen how it did,” he said. “They weren’t really on my radar when I first got in the portal. I did it kind of fast, just because a lot of people were calling. I didn’t really like that. I was ready to get somewhere and start working on my game.”
Initially, he committed to High Point University, but Alan Huss, its head coach, left to join the Creighton staff. Then, the phone rang. This time, it was Carolina, who initially talked to his dad, Victor.
“I think we just sat there and looked at each other for about two minutes,” he said. “He just explained everything that was going on. And I said, ‘But I told you I was gonna be a Tar Heel my whole life.’ So that was pretty much set in stone.”
At Virginia Tech, Young found his rhythm late in his sophomore season. He scored in double figures in his final six games, averaging 16.3 points during that stretch, capped by a 27-point performance at Miami.
“I just told myself all year to stay down, it’s going to come,” he said. “Making shots and all that — I’ve always been the type of guy it just took me a little longer to figure things out. I expected it 100%. I told the whole staff, all my teammates, that it was gonna happen, too.”
The breakout validated what he’d always believed about himself.
“I knew that I could do that,” he said. “I hadn’t showed it just yet. But when the time came, honestly, I just wanted to do a little more. I was trying to get 30 in the next game and 35 — that was all I was looking for.”
Now at Carolina, Young’s focus is on channeling that confidence into a role defined by effort and toughness.
“Outside of putting the ball in the basket, I really just want to bring energy to the game,” he said. “Play as hard as I possibly can, compete on the defensive side of the ball, and then obviously make shots when I get them.”
He credits much of his mindset to his father, who played at Mount Olive and trained him since he was a kid.
“One of the life lessons that he really taught me was just never get too high, never get too low,” Young said. “Through high school, through college, I never really let the outside noise or adversity affect me. I definitely give my dad the credit for that.”
At UNC, Young has found a team that mirrors his competitive drive.
“We all are huge competitors willing to do anything to win,” he said. “And I don’t think anyone’s out for the credit. Everyone’s ready to compete, everyone willing to win.”
The former Tar Heels who returned for pickup games last summer — players like Cam Johnson, Luke Maye and Garrison Brooks — reminded him what it means to be part of something bigger.
“It really shows the tradition and the family thing going on here,” Young said. “Everybody loves it here. Everybody comes back. Even people that’s not from North Carolina.”
For a kid who once got butterflies just watching UNC play, stepping onto that court in Carolina blue will be a full-circle moment.
“When I get on the court,” he said, “everything goes away.”
But for a Goldsboro native who once dreamed in Carolina blue, some things never do.
| 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 |
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 |
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 11 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. 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. 12 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 | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at No. 16 Virginia | ESPN |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 6 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. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photos by Joshua Lawton
tarheeltribune.com 