By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTE — The ever-changing sports calendar keeps shifting, and Carolina basketball will make history this week.
Two days after his appearance Wednesday during ACC Tipoff at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, Coach Michael Malone’s first Tar Heels team will play an exhibition game against Southern Cal at 7 p.m. Friday in Greensboro (ACC Network). The interval between the league’s annual press gathering is usually at least a couple of weeks or more.
The bad news is that South Dakota transfer center Cameron Fens won’t play against the Trojans because he’s still ineligible as he waits for a favorable court ruling.
Malone said Fens has been a full participant in practice every day, and he made clear the center will be on the sideline Friday night. The coach said the staff is willing to let the process play out, but he hopes the wait does not last much longer. Malone noted that Fens is not the only player in college basketball dealing with this uncertainty.
“[Fens is a] big part of what we’ve been doing, and we’re going to let this process play out,” Malone said.
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— Video, transcript of press conference for UNC at ACC Tipoff, plus long Malone breakout room interviews
“We [hope to] get some clarity, we get some closure as soon as possible, so everybody can move forward,” said Malone, who spoke warmly about the player and his family. “Cam’s an outstanding player, great young man. Love him and his family, and obviously hoping we get good news.”
The exhibition against USC is the first of three before Carolina opens the regular season Nov. 2 against Western Carolina, and Malone said the games will serve as a laboratory for a roster that includes 11 newcomers and five returning players, including two non-scholarship players.
The Tar Heels will also play exhibitions against Indiana in Indianapolis on Oct. 18 and Charlotte at home on Oct. 27.
In exhibitions, Malone said he wants to see different combinations on the floor.
“Obviously you want to win every time you go out there, but more importantly, it’s going to be an opportunity for us to see where we’re at,” Malone said. “This is an early exhibition game when you consider we don’t have our season opener until November 2nd against Western Carolina.”
He said the team is ready for a new opponent after weeks of competing against itself in practice.
“I’m sure our players are so tired of playing against just their teammates every single day, so finally a chance to play against Coach Eric Musselman, his team coming into town, will be a great test to see where we’re at and what we need to work on,” Malone said.
Malone said the exhibitions also will help the team begin to define its identity. He said each game gives the coaches a chance to see what works, get the results on video, and improve in the next game, and that a win would make the drive home more pleasant but is not the most important outcome.
“Each one of those games will allow us an opportunity to look within, try some things, get it on film, clean things up, and hopefully we’ll make positive strides and improvements from one game to the other,” Malone said. “More importantly, I want to see us go out there and understand that this is an opportunity for us to build our culture and our identity.”
Malone also acknowledged the adjustment from the NBA, where he coached for 25 years, to a college program where the head coach must also recruit, fundraise and build relationships across campus. He said the best part of the job is the time he gets to spend on the practice floor.
“In the NBA all you do is coach. It’s all basketball,” Malone said. “In college the last thing you get to do is coach.”
That is why a Friday night game against USC will feel significant to him, even in October.
“When you finally get a chance to do what you love and teach and develop and help pour into these guys,” Malone said, “that is my happy place.”
| 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 |
Photo by Nell Redmond/theACC.com
