By R.L. Bynum
Zayden High will continue his college career at South Florida.
The 6–10 former UNC center announced his decision in a Wednesday afternoon post on X (formerly Twitter).
High will play for former Louisville coach Chris Mack, who South Florida hired as head coach on March 25 after Bryan Hodgson left to take the Providence job. Mack was 63–36 in four seasons at Louisville, then was 45–20 the last two seasons at Charleston.
Under Hodgson last season, the Bulls went 25–9 and won the American Conference title before losing 83–79 to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
High is the fourth former UNC player to enter the transfer portal and commit to another school, with Luka Bogavac headed to Oklahoma State, Derek Dixon to Arizona and Jonathan Powell to Pittsburgh. Still in the portal with no commitment announced are James Brown, Isaiah Denis and Kyan Evans. Later on Wednesday, center Ivan Matlekovic entered the portal.
High, who has two seasons of remaining eligibility, arrived at North Carolina as a touted prospect and a long-term frontcourt piece, committing in October 2022 and enrolling the following summer. His freshman season (2023–24) mostly came in short bursts: 23 games, no starts and with limited minutes.
High was suspended from school and wasn’t part of the program two seasons ago. High returned to the program last season, when he played 29 games, including two starts, averaging 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 48.1% from the field.
With the frontcourt thinned at points down the stretch, High’s minutes climbed, and so did his comfort, turning him into an important part of the rotation. Over the final weeks of the regular season, he delivered consistent production and energy.
In a win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 15, he scored a career-best 15 points and added seven rebounds in a career-high 32 minutes. That was one of four career games scoring in double figures.
He registered his only career double-double in the 82–58 loss on Feb. 17 at N.C. State with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
On April 7, he announced he would enter the transfer portal, and he did so with a message that framed North Carolina as a lasting part of his life even as he explored options.
“The University of North Carolina is a special place for me and my family, and I am truly grateful for everything it has meant to us,” High wrote in a social-media post. He added, “I’ve been blessed to build strong bonds with my coaches and lifelong brotherhood with my teammates. These relationships I will always value. I am grateful for the journey so far and excited for what God has ahead for me.”
He leaves Carolina after playing 52 games, starting twice and scoring 100 points with 82 rebounds.
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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 by Joshua Lawton
