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West Virginia junior 6–8 forward James Okonkwo has committed to North Carolina, giving the Tar Heels needed front-court depth. Okonkwo, who led the Mountaineers with 22 blocks last season while shooting 57.4% from the floor, announced his decision Thursday on social media.
Brady Manek will play for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Summer League with another chance to prove he belongs in the NBA. Manek, who played for the Charlotte Hornets in last season’s Summer League, will be part of a 15-team Atlanta roster that includes former Duke guard A.J. Griffin, former N.C. State guard Jarkel Joiner and former Florida State forward Mfiondu Kabengele.
Leaky Black and Pete Nance start play in the NBA Summer League this week, and every game will be televised. Black, who reportedly signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets, will play six games, while Nance, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, will play five. Both signed with their local teams, with Black growing up in Concord and Nance in Akron, Ohio.
Ian Jackson scored nine points and a pair of 3-pointers as the United States team turned back China 92–69 in the round of 16 at the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.
North Carolina’s women will play host to perennial power South Carolina and the UNC men’s team will be at home against Tennessee in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.
Ian Jackson didn’t get into the United States’ game until the second quarter and struggled with his shot but showed his versatility in a 122–70 victory Tuesday over Lebanon at Fönix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary. Jackson led the Americans with five assists, and collected eight points, five rebounds and two steals in 21½ minutes as the team finished FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup Group B pool play 3–0 and dropped Lebanon to 0–3.
With the United States using a tight rotation in a challenging game against Slovenia, five-star Class of 2024 UNC commitment Ian Jackson dealt with foul trouble and got little playing time. In the fourth quarter, the Americans rallied for a 77–72 victory at Fönix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary, in the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup by outscoring Slovenia 25–11.
Looking to follow his father’s path, Pete Nance reportedly has signed a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nance will join the Cavaliers under an Exhibit 10 contract, according to cleveland.com. His father, Larry Nance Jr., played the last seven seasons of his 13-year NBA career in Cleveland and his No. 22 retired is retired.
Five-star Class of 2024 UNC commit Ian Jackson scored nearly a point a minute and the United States looked impressive in their opener of the FIBA U19 World Cup. The 6–5 guard scored 17 points in just over 16 minutes as the Americans rolled to a 136–69 victory over Madagascar at Fönix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary, putting up a record point total by an American U19 team.
Matt Doherty will speak at the N.C. Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Salt and Light Conference in Marion at the Nebo Crossing Church on Sept. 22–23.
You’ll get a chance to watch the highest-ranked player in Carolina’s Class of 2024 starting Saturday morning when five-star 6–5 guard Ian Jackson goes for his third gold medal in as many summers. Jackson will play for the United States in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary, as he tries to follow up on gold medals he won in 2021 at the FIBA U16 Americas tournament and last summer at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.
Hubert Davis has made a point to hire a coaching staff of Carolina alums, figuring there are many advantages, particularly on the recruiting trail. Who better to convince an athlete to play and study at UNC than a coach who did just that? With recent hirings, more head coaches on campus will have that advantage.
Ian Jackson, a Carolina commitment who is the No. 3 player in the Class of 2024, is one of four rising high school seniors to earn a spot on the United States team that will play in the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.
Cam Johnson has gone from a tumultuous season to an offseason of uncertainty, but he’s not planning to sit around and see where his NBA career goes next. Johnson, a restricted free agent, has committed to play for the United States in the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reported that former UNC center Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz also has committed to play for the team.
When Carolina makes the national championship game, it used to be a good bet that a few key players from that team would be around two seasons later. That may have been the conventional wisdom in the past, but in an era when players can transfer and not sit out a year, you can’t assume much from year to year.
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