Category: Tar Heels in the pros

Former UNC wing Theo Pinson expected to re-sign with Mavericks

Former UNC basketball wing Theo Pinson is expected to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks and be on its 15-man NBA roster this coming season.

A week ahead of the NBA Draft and in the midst of offseason trades and contract talks, one former UNC wing is expected to return to his current team.

[autotag]Theo Pinson[/autotag], who was a reserve for the Dallas Mavericks this past season, is ‘strongly expected’ to stay in Dallas next season, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.

The Mavericks announced yesterday that it had agreed to a trade for versatile forward Christian Wood and part of that trade was sending Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss to the Houston Rockets.

With three extra players involved in the trade, it obviously cleared up roster room for the Mavericks.

Pinson played in 19 games with Dallas this past season, averaging 2.5 points per game. In his NBA career, he has played four seasons and appeared in 87 games for three different organizations.

The Mavericks brought Pinson in on a 10-day contract earlier this season as the team was dealing with a COVID outbreak on their roster.

Player with four or less years in the NBA are the players eligible for two-way contracts, thus bringing Pinson back would mean a spot on their 15-man roster.

Pinson played critical roles on every team during his four years for UNC. His Swiss-army knife skillset was extremely valuable for the Tar Heels in the 122 games he played in. Despite battling injuries throughout his career, he averaged 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 21.7 minutes a game during his time at North Carolina.

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Chase Claypool getting comfortable with Mitch Trubisky as QB

Former UNC football QB Mitch Trubisky is building a good relationship with WR Chase Claypool during OTAs with the Pittsburg Steelers.

After a season as a backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and in a locker room alongside star quarterback [autotag]Josh Allen[/autotag], former UNC football standout [autotag]Mitch Trubisky[/autotag] as ready for his second chance as a starting QB in the NFL.

Trubisky, who signed with the Pittsburg Steelers this offseason, is trending as the starting quarterback as OTAs and minicamps are going on.

It also doesn’t hurt to have good chemistry with the No. 1 wide receiver on the team in [autotag]Chase Claypool[/autotag].

Claypool talked about his relationship with the former UNC quarterback earlier this week.

“He’s an awesome guy. He’s easy to get along with, easy to talk to and he’s very forgiving if you make a mistake. He doesn’t care, just moves on to the next play,” Claypool said. “I think just because he always comes and talks to you after something doesn’t go perfectly, you know exactly what to do next time so you can build off it.”

Trubisky started 50 of 51 games during his four years in Chicago. He had 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions with the Bears while throwing for 10,609 yards.

His best season was in 2018, his second season, when he threw 28 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions while leading the Bears to an 11-3 record in 14 starts. He was also named to the Pro Bowl that season.

Time will tell if Trubisky will be able to revitalize his career as the once No. 2 overall draft pick, but though the first few months on the Steelers roster, he seems to be doing all of the right things.

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LOOK: UNC staff joins Brady Manek at NBA workout

Former UNC basketball forward Brady Manek was joined by a few former Tar Heels and current staff members at one of his NBA workouts.

The term ‘Carolina Family’ isn’t just a saying, it’s something the entire program lives by. Once you are part of that family, it sticks with you forever.

And, that is the case with former UNC basketball forward [autotag]Brady Manek[/autotag]. Manek played just one season for North Carolina but quickly become a fan-favorite.

On Friday, he took part in workouts for the Washington Wizards and he had some familiar faces by his side. Head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag], Director of Recruiting [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag] and former Tar Heel great and current Wizards Director of Pro Personnel [autotag]Antwan Jamison[/autotag] were in the house for Manek’s workout.

In his lone season with UNC, Manek averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. He also shot 40.3 percent from the three-point line.

Earlier this week, Manek worked out with the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks.

Manek is projected to go undrafted right now, but good showings in workouts can easily translate to late second-round picks or quick undrafted free-agent signings.

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Rasheed Wallace leading candidate for assistant job with Los Angeles Lakers

Former UNC basketball forward Rasheed Wallace is taking the next step in his career, joining the Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff.

Former UNC standout forward [autotag]Rasheed Wallace[/autotag] has found his next stop as an assistant coach. It was announced on Monday that Wallace would be joining the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant on new head coach Darvin Ham.

Ham and Wallace were former teammates in Detroit during the Pistons’ Championship season in 2004.

There were previous rumors about this move for Wallace and it has now been made all but official.

Wallace spent time last season on staff at Memphis under Penny Hardaway before stepping away towards the end of the season.

Before Memphis, Wallace got his coaching career started in 2013 as an assistant for the Pistons. He later two years as the head coach at Jordan High School in North Carolina.

Wallace played 18 seasons in the NBA for six different organizations. He retired in 2013.

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Reggie Bullock sets Mavericks playoff record

Former UNC basketball wing Reggie Bullock set a Mavericks franchise playoff record for most threes in a postseason run.

Former UNC basketball wing [autotag]Reggie Bullock[/autotag] made Mavericks franchise history this week during the Conference Finals series against the Golden State Warriors.

Bullock has now made 50 3s in a single postseason run which is the most in Mavericks playoff history. This is coming on the heels of an 18-point performance where he went 6-of-10 from three.

So far this postseason, he is shooting 39.4 percent from three (50-of-127).

The Mavericks are currently down 3-1 to the Warriors. Bullock is averaging 12.8 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from three in the series. He has scored in double-figures in three of the four games.

Bullock has been known as a terrific 3-and-D player for the majority of his career and has kept that up during this playoff run.

During the playoffs, Bullock has scored in double figures 10 times and has made at least three 3s 11 times in 17 games.

Game five is Thursday night at 9 pm ET.

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UNC Basketball: Dante Calabria inks high school head coaching job

Former UNC basketball wing Dante Calabria is returning to the high school league he starred in and taking over as head coach of Bethel Park.

Former UNC basketball wing [autotag]Dante Calabria[/autotag] is returning back to his home state for the next step in his professional career. On Wednesday, it was announced that Calabria would be the newest men’s basketball coach at Bethel Park in Pennsylvania.

Calabria returns back to the WPIAL basketball league where he starred for Blackhawk back in the early 1990’s and was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2014.

Bethel Park moves on from Josh Bears who resigned after last season. Bethel Park went 16-7 overall last year and reached the first round of the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs.

Calabria arrives at Bethel after a professional playing career that stretched 16 years overseas. He most recently was an assistant coach at Barry University in Miami (Fla.).

“His resume speaks for itself,” Bethel Park athletic director Dan Sloan said. “It’s exciting to be able to show our kids a guy who came from around this area and made it to where he made it, played at a big-time Division I college under legendary coaches, played professionally and then moved up through the coaching ranks.”

Calabria played for North Carolina from 1992-96 under Dean Smith. He was on the 1993 NCAA Championship team and was a Third-Team All-ACC player his senior season.

Following his time at UNC, he went on to eventually be an assistant for Larry Brown in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A and also an assistant for Rollie Massimino at Keiser University. He also spent time at powerhouse prep school Montverde Academy and UNC Wilmington.

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Reggie Bullock wins 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award

Former UNC guard and current Dallas Mavericks wing Reggie Bullock was awarded the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award.

Former UNC basketball wing [autotag]Reggie Bullock[/autotag] was named the winner of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award, announced on Sunday.

Bullock is the second winner of the award after its inception in 2021. The winner of the award is given the option of which social justice organization to receive a $100,000 donation on their behalf.

The award is given to a player ‘for pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged.’

Bullock has been very active in the LGBTQ equity community over the past few years following the murder of his sister in 2014 who was an open transgender.

Bullock established an organization called RemarkaBull which is ‘a social enterprise providing revitalized spaces, housing and businesses developed based on the needs of the community. The Foundation portion focuses on LGBTQ support and the nonviolence movement.’

Jrue Holiday, Jaren Jackson Jr, Karl-Anthony Towns and Fred VanVleet were the other finalists for the award.

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Former UNC basketball great Rasheed Wallace receives great honor

Former UNC forward Rasheed Wallace is getting a street intersection names after him in his home city of Philadelphia.

Former UNC basketball great [autotag]Rasheed Wallace[/autotag] will be received a big honor later this summer in a place that means a great deal to him.

On June 24, the intersection of 18th street and Hunting Park Ave in Philadelphia will be renamed ‘Rasheed Wallace Road’. Wallace great up in Philadelphia and attended Simon Gratz High School where he was named a two-time All-American, McDonalds All-American and USA Today High School Player of the Year as a senior in 1993.

Despite playing just 19 minutes per game his senior season, Wallace averaged 16 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks per game.

Here is a look at the announcement.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdekT_KDWpt/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=418d8276-23ef-4030-8da4-aa5e3f07f43c

Wallace played two seasons at North Carolina (1993-95) where he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1993 Final Four. As a freshman, Wallace averaged 9.5 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. During his sophomore year, he was named an All-American and First Team All-ACC player while averaging 16.6 points on 65.4 percent shooting and grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game. At the time, his shooting percentage was the second-highest mark in UNC basketball history.

Wallace was then selected No. 4 in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. After one season in Washington he was traded to the Portland Trailblazers where he made his big splash to get his NBA career started.

In eight season with the Trailblazers, Wallace was a two-time All-Star while averaging 16.8 points and 7.0 rebonds per game.

He then was traded to the Detroit Pistons where he won an NBA Championship in 2004 while playing for fellow Tar Heel Larry Brown. The Pistons would also make it back to the NBA Finals in 2005 before falling in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs. He was a two-time All-Star with the Pistons as well.

After six seasons in Detroit, Wallace then played one season in 2009-10 for the Boston Celtics before retiring for two seasons. He then came back and played one final season in 2012-13 for the New York Knicks.

In 1109 career NBA games, Wallace averaged 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

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“It taught me a lot”: Former Tar Heels running back Ty Chandler discusses transfer to UNC

Former UNC running back Ty Chandler discusses the lessons he learned in his career, including what he learned from the transfer portal.

The transfer portal has been a long and windy road for multiple prospects in multiple sports. Over the past two years, however, it has become the main recruiting area for most college coaches looking for impact players.

Look no further than former UNC football running back [autotag]Ty Chandler[/autotag]. The Tennessee running back transferred to North Carolina for the 2021 season and had a breakout year.

Chandler rushed for 1,092 yards with 13 touchdowns in his lone season at UNC and put himself in line for a selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

And with hard work comes reward as he was taken in the fifth round by the Minnesota Vikings.

Chandler discussed his decision to transfer and the lessons he learned along the way with Vikings.com.

“It has taught me a lot,” Chandler said. “It has taught me the beauty of hard work and just speaking stuff into existence and watching stuff come to fruition. It has been a grind, it has been a process, but I feel like with every step I’ve just gotten better along the way and met great people along the way that are willing to help and continue to push me toward that success. So I’m grateful for everybody I’ve crossed paths with and everybody who has helped me benefit and gain success on the field. So it has truly been a blessing, making transitions and like I said meeting new people and getting a chance to play with new people and learn from other individuals.”

Prior to his lone season at UNC, Chandler had totaled just 2,046 yards in four seasons at Tennessee. He also had 13 combined touchdowns in his Tennessee career — the same total he had in his one season in Chapel Hill.

Chandler heads to the Vikings with the opportunity to learn after one of the best young running backs in the game, Dalvin Cook. There is also potential for early playing time due to the injury history Cook has seen in his early career.

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Former UNC basketball guard Danny Green suffers torn ACL

UNC basketball guard Danny Green suffered a torn ACL during the Philadelphia 76ers season-finale.

The Philadelphia 76ers saw their season come to a close on Thursday night but that wasn’t the only negative news to come from the game as former UNC guard [autotag]Danny Green[/autotag] left the game with a knee injury.

On Friday, it was announced that Green had torn his ACL. The injury came when 76ers center Joel Embiid drove under the basket on the baseline and slipped, falling into Green’s planted leg.

Green turns 35 in June and with a normal rehab process of nearly a year before getting back to feeling like yourself following an ACL injury, Green could go into free agency in 2023 without much time to prove himself.

Green averaged 5.9 points per game this season while shooting 38 percent from the three. He had 21 points in the 76ers Game 3 win.

The former Tar Heels guard is a three-time NBA champion (2014, 2019, 2020) and has career averages of 8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He is also a 39.9 percent shooter from three during his career.

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