By R.L. Bynum
Isaiah Denis battled a nagging finger injury and never got much of a chance to show his ability during his freshman season at North Carolina.
After entering the transfer portal, talking to Coach Michael Malone and praying about it, the talented 6–4 guard decided that his best option was to return to the Tar Heels.
The choice looks simple. In reality, it was a decision Denis said he arrived at slowly, one conversation at a time, as he tried to make sense of a season that never really unfolded the way most freshmen imagine.
Denis was learning the program’s day-to-day grind without the reward that usually comes with it: the chance to play through mistakes, build a rhythm and show why he was recruited.
Denis, who played 33 minutes over 10 games and scored 19 points, said the biggest factor in coming back was faith, and he framed the decision as something he felt called to, rather than talked into.
“I say really, just God, just praying it over with my family, talking to God,” Denis said during an interview on the “Carolina Insider” podcast. “I’m a big faith-believer. My relationship with Jesus is very strong, so I definitely wanted to keep Him at the forefront of everything and my decisions. I felt like Carolina was home, and this is where He wants me to be, and He wants me to be able to show the community and everybody what they were missing out on last year.”
That last line, “missing out,” speaks directly to what his freshman season became. Denis arrived needing what most newcomers need: time. He needed time to adjust to the speed, the physicality, the terminology and the everyday expectation that practice is competition, not preparation. He also needed time to be available, because an injury at the wrong moment can turn the early months into a chase instead of a build.
Denis said he was doing what he needed to do before the setback hit. He believed he was earning trust and gaining traction. Then the injury wiped out the developmental runway that is so critical for a freshman.
“Last year, that definitely set me back,” Denis said. “As a freshman, you’re trying to come in and earn the coaches’ trust, earn minutes and things of that nature, which I felt like I was doing. Some of the coaches told me I was right on track to being one of those rotational guys, but the injury sent me back.”
He estimated the time lost was significant, and the timing made it even harder to absorb what college basketball demands.
“I was out for about two, three months, so that really hurts,” Denis said. “I was dealt a bad hand, just kept working at it, and then got into a groove in practice around November. I started getting my confidence back, getting back into my game. That’s when I really started to feel like I was getting better each and every day.”
That “groove” mattered, even if the box score did not reflect it. Denis acknowledged that tension, but he also emphasized that he was determined not to let it change who he was inside the team.
He described his approach as a choice, one he made daily, to be present and positive rather than pulled inward by disappointment.
“I say God, once again, that’s the person I go to outside of my family,” Denis said. “I never wanted anything to deter me from being a great teammate, or my situation of not necessarily playing a lot, let it affect me and my teammates.”
He said if he could not control the rotation, he could control the energy he brought to practice and the bench, and he could keep himself ready for whenever the chance came.
“I definitely wanted to go out there and bring energy every day,” Denis said. “It can’t always rain. You’re going to get an opportunity someday. That was my hope, continue to work, continue to wait until I get the opportunity, so that when I get the opportunity, my head’s in the right space.”
When the transfer portal opened, Denis stepped into the uncertainty and new possibilities. He described the experience as a second recruiting cycle, with a similar rush of attention, but with a different set of priorities. This time, he said, he tried to approach it with a clearer idea of what he wanted and what he did not.
“I’d say I knew what I was looking for,” Denis said. “Talking with my agent, my parents, my mentors, I knew what I wanted out of this next year and out of my career. So, when schools contacted me, I asked, what do they have that checks my box?”
There was also a different emotion attached to being wanted again, especially after a season in which he rarely appeared in games. Denis said it meant something that people still believed in him without seeing much evidence at the college level.
“In my shoes, I didn’t play much last year,” Denis said. “So having people that still believed in me and still believe I could play at this level, reaching out to me, that meant a lot for sure.”
Even with that validation, Denis’ process kept pulling him back toward Chapel Hill. Part of it was familiarity, and part of it was the chance to restart his story at the same place it began, but under a new voice. Denis said his meeting with Malone was important because it clarified what the new staff valued and how opportunities would be earned.
He also said the connection was immediate in a way he did not necessarily expect, built around competitiveness and the idea that effort should show up the same way every day.
“We connected on a competitive edge type of thing,” said Denis, who averaged 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as a senior at Davidson Day School when he missed two months with a broken finger.
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Denis explained that assistants who worked closely with him in practice, such as Pat Sullivan, could vouch for the player they saw daily, and that Malone followed up by watching video to understand Denis’ game beyond the limited minutes he played as a freshman. Denis said Malone’s feedback was specific and focused on traits that translate regardless of the system.
“He was really impressed,” Denis said. “He was like, ‘You have great tangibles. You’re athletic, can shoot it, got a nice touch, very fast.’ That was the first thing that stood out to him — very electric, very fast, and make the right plays.”
For Denis, the promise was not a guarantee of minutes, but a guarantee of a fair chance. After a year in which injury changed the timeline, that idea resonated.
“He said he just wants to see that in practice next year, and everybody will be given that equal opportunity,” Denis said. “That was one of the things that stood out to me, getting the opportunity to go out there and show what I have.”
That opportunity will come with expectations, and Denis spoke as someone who understands that returning to school is the start of a new one. He said he is fully healthy, and he said his confidence is in a different place than it was a year ago.
“Most definitely, I’m 100% healthy,” Denis said. “I think that’s been the biggest question a lot of people ask me.”
He also described his growth in ways that extend beyond rehab, highlighting strength, consistency and the ability to handle contact.
“I say getting a little bit stronger,” Denis said. “Working with [strength coach] Jonas [Sahratian], trying to get ready for that in-game contact, being physical. I want to be very consistent this year.”
He said he sees a similar path on the defensive end. Denis said he has the tools, length, size and versatility. Still, he wants to be better at the details that define college defense: the terminology, the reads, the precision on ball-screen coverages, and the discipline to do it possession after possession.
“I’m able to guard one through three, one through four,” Denis said. “For me, defense is more of a pride thing, and learning how to read out defense, offense, the plays that are coming, and watching more film.”
Those words undoubtedly resonate with Malone, who emphasizes that the game starts with defense.
Denis kept coming back to the same point: he believes last season does not define who he is as a player. He sees the year as a foundation, even if it was built mostly behind the scenes, and he believes the next version of him will be visible.
“What am I excited about?” Denis said. “To get out there and show the world what I’ve got. People in the community are like, we didn’t really see you last year, but we’re pumped to see you. I’m more pumped than y’all to get out there and be able to show what I got.”
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Luka Bogavac, Derek Dixon, Kyan Evans, Jonathan Powell, James Brown, Ivan Matlekovic and Zayden High return and the players in the incoming freshman class hold in their commitment (Dylan Mingo has reopened his recruitment), which would put UNC five 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 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–5 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 13 | RS senior | Henri Veesaar | 5 | 7–0 | 225 |
| 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 |
X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — Utah transfer
In 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 | |
| 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 |
Key offseason dates
April 7 — Transfer portal opened
April 16 — Was the deadline to request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee
11:59 p.m. Tuesday — Transfer portal closes
11:59 p.m. Friday — NBA early-entry deadline
Sunday — Deadline for UNC players on last season’s roster to enter the transfer portal
May 8–10 — G-League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
Week of June 22 (date to be determined) — NBA Draft
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski)
(10 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo by Joshua Lawton
