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.
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 |
| Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — ZZ | 2 | 6–3 | 193 | |
| 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; ZZ — Buffalo 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)
(13 of 14 games)
Oct. 18 — exhibition game vs. Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
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. 6 — vs. Butler
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 15 (tentative date) — vs. N.C. State in a non-conference game in Greensboro
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
Jan. 30 — vs. Illinois in Nashville, Tenn.
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
Photos courtesy of FIBA
