By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — With his size, court vision and a dazzling flair for playmaking, some have compared Neo Avdalas to a player the Virginia Tech guard looked up to as a kid in Greece: Luka Dončić.
One of the first players first-year Carolina coach Michael Malone targeted out of the portal was the 6–9 Avdalas, and he showed flashes of why in his first college season with the Hokies.
Avdalas’ favorite player growing up in Greece was Dončić, when he played for Real Madrid, long before he made a splash in the NBA.
“He’s been my role model,” he told HoopsHQ last December. “I believe that we kind of play the same. I want to play like him. I’ve studied him a lot. But I like to [bring] my own [style] to the game, too. I’m not Luka Dončić. I’m Neoklis Avdalas.”
Malone is fine with that. Avdalas’ dynamic game, combined with Terrence Brown and Matt Able, gives Carolina a versatile backcourt. Malone believes the trio, all added through the portal after he took the job, could be among the best in the country.
“I think those three guys combined for one of the more dynamic and exciting backcourts in all of college basketball,” Malone said at a Sept. 3 press conference.
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Of the three, Malone said Avdalas was the one he most needed, and the reasons go beyond his frame. The coach pointed to the way the guard sees the floor and the rare combination of tools he brings to the position.
“Neo is a guy that was such an important get because to me, his size, his positional size, but also his vision, his playmaking, are what separate Neo from a lot of other players,” Malone said.
At a Monday press conference in the Smith Center, Avdalas said Carolina’s pull was immediate. The Tar Heels were the first program to contact him when he entered the portal, and Malone’s résumé sealed the decision for a player who hopes to reach the NBA.
“He won at the biggest stage,” said Avdalas (pronounced ahv-DOLL-lus) of the NBA title Malone won in Denver, “so it was a no-brainer for me.”
The connection to Malone’s work with Nikola Jokić in Denver carries over into how Avdalas talks about his approach. He said the coach often tells the team about the Nuggets star’s selflessness, and the message resonates with a guard who considers passing his calling card.
“He plays the game the right way. He wants to win,” Avdalas said. “That’s what he always tells us in practice: that Nikola [Jokić] didn’t care about his stats, just to win. That’s what I care about too.”
On the court, Avdalas described a role that looks a lot like the one he had at Virginia Tech, with the ball in his hands and a lot of pick-and-roll. He said he prefers to play point guard, though he quickly noted that Carolina has several players who can initiate the offense.
“What I do best is handle the pick and roll and find my teammates in the best possible situation to score,” he said.
Avdalas said he is not worried about who brings the ball up the floor. He deferred to Malone on how minutes and responsibilities will be sorted out, and he made clear he would gladly hand the offense to Brown, who he said is “also elite at handling the ball.”
“Coach Malone will decide that,” Avdalas said. “If CB is hot, I’m gonna give him the ball.”
Avdalas said he has had a feel for passing that set him apart as a kid in Greece. He kept his ball-handling as he grew, which allowed him to keep playing the position as he got taller.
“I always had this vision when I was a kid and the passing ability,” he said. “Thank God, I didn’t lose my handles.”
The high point of his season came in the Hokies’ 107–101 overtime victory over Providence on Nov. 8: season-highs of 33 points, 13 field goals and five 3-pointers, in addition to collecting five rebounds and six assists for an impressive 25.9 game score. For perspective, Caleb Wilson’s best game score last season was 26.2 against Kansas (24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals).
Avdalas, 20, scored 30 points in a 96–74 home win over Western Carolina on Dec. 11, but his ACC-high was 21 points in the 69–68 home loss to Stanford on Jan. 7. In his only meeting with Carolina, an 89–82 UNC win on Feb. 28 in Chapel Hill, he collected 19 points and three 3-pointers.
Avdalas acknowledged that his first season in Blacksburg did not go the way he wanted. He arrived late after playing for Greece’s national team, and the jump to the ACC left him little time to work on his game before the season began. He pointed specifically to his shooting inside the arc.
“I think my numbers didn’t represent me that well; 40% from two wasn’t really me,” Avdalas said.
Being in Chapel Hill since May, he said, has changed that. He spent the summer working with the Carolina staff, and he said the results are visible in how he feels heading into the season.
“I feel really good about the next season,” Avdalas said. “I feel really confident.”
Malone said the work has not gone unnoticed. Avdalas committed and came straight to campus, and the coach said the improvement in strength and skill is obvious to everyone around the program.
“He was here the whole summer,” Malone said. “You want to talk about a guy that put the time in, the work in, got stronger, his game has improved.”
The coach added that his teammates have embraced him, and that Avdalas has already shown the unselfishness Malone wants from his playmakers.
“I think Neo is about to have an incredible season, and the guys love playing with him because he’s such a dynamic and willing facilitator and makes everyone around him better,” Malone said.
For Avdalas, the opportunity carries extra meaning because of where he started. He grew up in Kalamata, Greece, and did not follow college basketball closely as a kid because of the time difference, but the name North Carolina reached him anyway.
“Everybody knows North Carolina,” Avdalas said, adding that reaching that stage was far from guaranteed for a player from a small city. “It was a really tough journey, starting from Kalamata, a small city, around 60,000 people, and coming here in the U.S. to play basketball is surreal.”
Malone, who has coached players from around the world, said language and cultural differences can be an issue, but it hasn’t been a major obstacle with Avdalas and the other international players on the roster. In his view, the desire to be coached is universal.
“Players want to be coached,” Malone said. “They want to be held accountable. They want to be taught.”
And all of the other Tar Heels are eager to be on the other end of the amazing Avdalas passes.
| 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 | 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 |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
