By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina is in contention for one of the top big men in the Class of 2027.
Four-star 6–11 rising senior center Darius Wabbington, a standout at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, has included UNC in his final six schools, along with Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Texas, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.
Wabbington is one of the highest-rated frontcourt prospects in the country. ESPN ranks him No. 15 overall in the 2027 class and the No. 2 center, while the Rivals Industry Ranking lists him No. 14 overall and No. 1 among centers. Wabbington has already scheduled official visits to Louisville on Sept. 11, Arizona on Sept. 25 and Texas on Oct. 9.
Wabbington said that relationships with coaches and style of play will be two of the biggest factors in his decision.
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“I’ll probably just be looking at my relationship with the coaches, and then the style of play,” Wabbington told On3. “Those are the two main things that I want to see with a school. I really like the five-out style, but I also like playing with two bigs. Just bully ball. Where you’re bigger than everybody, and you’re just going to show everybody that you’re bigger than them, and just make them stop it. Those are the two styles I really like to see.”
For the Tar Heels, Wabbington represents the type of skilled, versatile big man who could fit multiple lineup styles. He has the size to play inside, the passing ability to operate as a hub in the half-court, and enough offensive range to make him more than a traditional post player.
During his junior season at Sunnyslope, he averaged 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 blocks and one steal per game while shooting 52.3% from the floor.
Wabbington played a major role in Sunnyslope’s strong season, helping the Vikings win an Open State Championship and finish 28–2.
His production continued into the spring and summer. Playing for Compton Magic on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, Wabbington averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists, while making 38% of his 3-point attempts.
He also was selected for USA Basketball’s U18 National Team that won the silver medal early last month at the U18 AmeriCup, scoring in double figures four times. He averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in five games.
For UNC, staying in the mix for Wabbington gives the Tar Heels a chance to pursue one of the premier centers in the 2027 class. The next indicator will be whether North Carolina can get him to Chapel Hill for a visit, where the staff would have an opportunity to show how his size, passing and scoring ability could translate in the Tar Heels’ system.
| 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 | Alex Samodurov (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.
Former players at other schools
| Player | Class | 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, ACCN | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | 7:30 Tuesday, ACCN Extra | 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, 5:30, ABC | 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 |
Photos courtesy of FIBA
