UNC Earning Credit After Successful Malone Offseason Haul

The North Carolina Tar Heels have been largely overlooked this offseason, but they are finally starting to earn some respect from the national media.

A lot has changed in Chapel Hill over the last few months. Firstly, a major change has been made at the top of the food chain, as head coach Michael Malone has been brought in to replace Hubert Davis, who held the position for five seasons, but also saw his team be upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons.

Apr 1, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Malone hasn’t held a position in the NCAA in quite some time, 25 years to be exact. The 2023 NBA champion will now attempt to reshape one of college basketball’s most prestigious programs at one of the most challenging times to do so as a head coach, given the amount of activity in the transfer portal that is commonplace today, thanks to the emergence of NIL.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) goes to the basket against VCU Rams forward Lazar Djokovic (17) in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC’s Losses

Also, most of the team’s stars from last season won’t be back next season. Most notably, both Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar — the team’s two best players last season — are both headed for the NBA Draft, where they both project to be first-round selections later this summer.

Feb 14, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and center Henri Veesaar (13) on the bench in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Despite these losses, Malone has done a decent job at picking up the pieces left behind by all of the departures. In the transfer portal, he’s been able to land Terrence Brown and Matt Able, amongst other key pieces that should have an immediate impact next season. Able, in particular, had been considering entering the NBA Draft rather than coming to UNC after transferring from NC State, but ultimately decided to make his transfer to North Carolina official.

As such, the Tar Heels have been gaining traction from the rest of the college basketball world as a team to be taken seriously next season. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello recently bumped the Tar Heels into the top-25 of his latest way-too-early preseason rankings.

Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Borzello’s Thoughts

“After a drawn-out coaching search left Carolina slightly behind the curve when it came to the transfer portal, first-year coach Michael Malone has actually done a pretty impressive job building out the top of his roster. Jarin Stevenson is back as a starter, Matt Able (NC State) probably will be a first-round pick after next season, Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech) also probably will play at the next level and Terrence Brown (Utah) is an ultra-productive guard at multiple schools," Borzello said.

"Henri Veesaar's departure hurt, but the international tandem of Alex Samodurov and Sayon Keita offers a very high ceiling center."

Add us as a preferred source on Google