Tag: Jalen Washington

What Jonas Aidoo’s Arkansas commitment means for UNC

What will the Tar Heels do at center next season?

In just his three years as UNC’s head men’s basketball coach, Hubert Davis has shown Tar Heel Nation a strong ability to recruit.

Davis landed Elliot Cadeau, Pete Nance and Brady Manek in recent years, and he brings in five-star All-Americans Drake Powell and Ian Jackson this coming season.

One of North Carolina’s greatest needs in the coming season is an experienced center, something it doesn’t have on the roster right now.

Jalen Washington is the projected starting center. Though he has enjoyed some big moments in that role, he averaged just 7.4 minutes per game over his first two years in Chapel Hill. Zayden High will also see minutes at the 5 this season, while the Tar Heels also bring in four-star center James Brown.

UNC is looking to the transfer portal for an experienced big man. After striking out on Danny Wolf, Oumar Ballo, appeared to be among the favorites to land Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo.

However, Aidoo announced his commitment to Arkansas on Monday. If Aidoo had joined the Tar Heels, he would have been playing just 30 minutes down the road from his hometown.

With North Carolina missing three of the portal’s top available centers, what do they do now at the 5?

I like the idea of rolling with Washington, High and Brown. Though none have much collegiate experience, this trio gives Hubert Davis a great idea of which unit his centers fit best with.

The Tar Heels aren’t entirely out of the running for a transfer portal center yet, though. Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi is visiting Chapel Hill on Thursday.

If Hubert can get Omoruyi to commit, missing on Aidoo will not be such a big loss after all.

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Rutgers transfer center Cliff Omoruyi visiting UNC on Thursday

Can Hubert Davis convince Cliff Omoruyi to become a North Carolina Tar Heel on Thursday?

Since Armando Bacot exhausted his final year of eligibility, the UNC men’s basketball team has been searching for a center in the transfer portal.

North Carolina was linked to the likes of Danny Wolf, Aaron Bradshaw, Oumar Ballo and Jonas Aidoo, only for them to choose other programs.

The Tar Heels still have centers Jalen Washington and Zayden High on their roster, plus they bring in 4-star James Brown, but they’re looking to bolster a fairly inexperienced position by adding some experience.

Thursday could bring UNC the good news it needs in a wild transfer portal.

Cliff Omoruyi, the Rutgers transfer who is linked to North Carolina, is visiting campus on Thursday, May 2.

Omuruyi is the epitome of a reliable center, averaging double-digit points and over eight rebounds per game over the last three seasons. He was a part of two NCAA Tournament runs during his time in New Jersey, as Rutgers snapped a 38-year drought between Big Dance wins in Omoruyi’s freshman season (2020-2021).

With Chapel Hill being Omoruyi’s final visit, head UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis needs to lay all his cards out on the table.

If the Tar Heels make a strong enough impression, they could enter the weekend with a starting center for the upcoming season.

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UNC target Danny Wolf commits to Michigan

The UNC basketball team is no longer in the running for former Yale big man Danny Wolf.

The transfer portal is alive and well in college basketball.

We’ve seen plenty of big-name transfers commit already, with the latest being former Wisconsin guard AJ Storr to Kansas. There’s been several teams who’ve brought players in for visits, only for those players to choose other destinations.

One highly-touted player the North Carolina Tar Heels looked at was Danny Wolf, the 7-foot big man from Yale, who averaged 14.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game last year. UNC is in need of an experienced center for the coming season, as it only returns Jalen Washington and brings in 4-star James Brown.

Unfortunately, Wolf is now off the market, as he committed to Michigan on Saturday.

Michigan was arguably the worst Power 5 basketball school last year, compiling an 8-24 (3-17) record, which led to the recent firing of head coach Juwan Howard. After a shocking win against ranked Wisconsin on Feb. 7, the Wolverines lost nine straight to end the year.

Getting Wolf is a massive win for new head coach Dusty May, who is trying to restore Michigan to Big 10 prominence.

Missing out of Wolf isn’t the end of the world for North Carolina, which is still in the mix for Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo and Rutgers big man Cliff Omuruyi. I’d be fine with either guy, but nabbing Aidoo would allow him to play in his home state, as Aidoo grew up in Durham.

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Hubert Davis on Jalen Washington’s career night: ‘He gave us life’

Hubert Davis praises Jalen Washington after the sophomore delivers a career night for the UNC basketball program.

The UNC basketball program notched their ninth win of the season Friday night with a blowout victory over Charleston Southern.

It was a dominating win from start to finish, allowing [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] to utilize his bench more, resulting in a breakout game for [autotag]Jalen Washington[/autotag]. The sophomore logged the most minutes he’s had this season (16) and gave the home crowd a show with hustle plays, dunks, and key defensive rotations.

In the 16 minutes of action, Washington finished with a career-high 17 points, tacking on seven rebounds and two blocks. The most underrated aspect of the performance was Washington’s ability to stretch the floor, going 2 for 3 behind the arch.

Washington’s big performance off the bench had social media buzzing, as he was grabbing comparisons to prime AD (Anthony Davis). Following the win, Hubert Davis met with the media to discuss what went right for Washington.

“He gave us life. We’ve talked about how we’ve got to get better in terms of rebounding. He attacked the offensive glass, got second chance opportunities, kept the ball alive and was good defensively. In practice lately, we’ve been playing him and Armando together and we have him out there tonight. They’re two bigs but they’re different and give us a bigger and different look. It helps us in terms of rebounding, and I’m really happy that he had a great game tonight.”

Davis has echoed that minutes are earned, and those receiving them are getting them for that reason. Washington’s number should continue to be called, with his versatility impacting games.

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UNC Basketball 2023-24 player preview: Jalen Washington

One of the UNC basketball team’s most valuable bench players is Jalen Washington, the sophomore backup center from Gary, Indiana.

We’re just over a month away from the highly-anticipated start of UNC’s basketball season, which debuts on Monday, Nov. 6 against the Radford Highlanders.

The Tar Heels were expected to make noise last year. Despite squandering a 15-point halftime lead to Kansas in the 2022 National Championship, they instead missed the NCAA Tournament entirely. This was further disappointing by UNC being the first Preseason Number 1 to miss the Big Dance.

Carolina returned four-fifths of its starters – Armando Bacot, R.J. Davis, Leaky Black and Caleb Love. There was rumored friction between Love and Davis, but no confirmations that was ever true.

One of the main speculations UNC struggled in games was the lack of bench utilization. It seemed like every game, Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis would only play his starters. There were a few bench guys who saw court time, but not a significant amount.

A bench guy who did see a good bit of court was center Jalen Washington, the sophomore from Gary, Ind. He’ll be the focus of this player preview – read what we have to write about him!

UNC recruit James Brown showcases skill at both ends of court in Top 100 camp

UNC basketball 2024 commit James Brown showcases his all-around talent at this year’s NBPA Top 100 camp.

Losing Armando Bacot next year is going to be a tough blow for the UNC men’s basketball program, but the blow isn’t going to be as impactful as one might think.

If Jalen Washington sees sufficient court time during the upcoming campaign, he’ll be tempted to stick around for his junior year and beyond. Washington will likely be the starting center next season.

Carolina has another exciting recruit joining the program next season, 4-star center James Brown, the 6-9, 210-pound big man from Chicago Illinois. Brown. He’s playing his high school ball at Branson, Mo.-based Link Academy, just like current Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau.

Want to see what Brown’s doing to prepare for his final high school campaign? Watch these highlights from this year’s NBPA Top 100 Camp:

Brown can do a little bit of everything. He’ll spot up outside and knock down the 3-point shot, something UNC is in desperate need of. He shows a solid ability to finish through contact. He can block shots and pull down rebounds like Bacot.

According to MaxPreps, Brown carried career averages of 10.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in his first three high school years at St. Rita (Chicago, Ill.) High School.

Only a rising senior, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Brown grow a few more inches and developing into an even more imposing player.

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WATCH: Jalen Washington prepares for the upcoming season

Watch North Carolina power forward Jalen Washington prepare for the upcoming season.

North Carolina sophomore [autotag]Jalen Washington[/autotag] is hard at work on the court, seen training with Gary Westside’s basketball coach.

Thursday, a video surfaced on social of the sophomore getting extra work in at his old high school Gary West, as he prepares for the season. In the video, you catch the 6’10 power forward finishing breaks and stretching the floor with his three-point shooting ability.

Washington is expected to be a key contributor for the Tar Heels this season, with expectations that the big man sees an uptick in minutes on the court. Washington is coming off a promising rookie campaign, making the most of his time in Hubert Davis’s tight rotations.

Last season Washington appeared in 20 games, with his best game coming in the first meeting against Virginia, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.

It”s good to see Washington already putting in that work and giving fans a glimpse of what is to come.

This season, Washington could see a lot more time on the court with the departure of two key starters, Caleb Love and Leaky Black, not to mention the significant depth lost in the transfer portal, including Puff Johnson, who was likely to be a starter this season.

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Hubert Davis provides injury update for UNC basketball program

After taking care of business in their exhibition game against Johnson C. Smith, we get an update on the four players who were listed OUT.

The North Carolina men’s basketball program cranked up the season with an exhibition blowout win over Johnson C. Smith despite being down four significant players.

Those four players are forwards Puff Johnson, Justin Mckoy, Jalen Washington, and starting guard RJ Davis. The excellent news is that UNC will not be without these players for long, with all four of them expected to be back for the season opener in under 10 days.

Head coach Hubert Davis met the media following the Tar Heels exhibition game, and revealed that he does expect all four to be back for the opener:

 

UNC opens the season as the team to beat with their number one overall ranking. They are looking to repeat an appearance at the national championship game with just a different outcome.

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Four UNC basketball players to sit out Friday’s exhibition game

The UNC basketball program announced that four players will miss Friday night’s exhibition game in the Dean Dome.

The UNC basketball program will hit the court for the first time in the 2022-23 season as they host Johnson C. Smith in an exhibition game.

Hubert Davis and the squad enter this season as one of the favorites to win it all come April but they need to start strong this year. And looking good in the exhibition game will be a good start.

When UNC does hit the court, they will be without four players. The program announced that [autotag]R.J. Davis[/autotag] (sprained right hand), [autotag]Justin McKoy[/autotag] (Non-Covid illness), [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] (Knee soreness), and [autotag]Jalen Washington[/autotag] (rehabbing injured knee) will NOT play in the game.

We don’t know the extent of these injuries in terms of it being severe or not but the two that obviously stand out are Johnson and Davis right now. Davis is expected to be the starting point guard and this could just be precautionary for him.

As for Johnson, he’s expected to play a big role off the bench on the perimeter for UNC. The knee soreness doesn’t sound great and this could also be precautionary.

Still, these are something to monitor moving forward as the regular season begins in under two weeks.

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Armando Bacot on Jalen Washington: ‘He has a chance to be really special’

UNC basketball big man Armando Bacot discussed the role and potential of freshman forward Jalen Washington this season at ACC Media Days.

With the college basketball season under four weeks away, a lot of preseason conversations are beginning. Whether it’s about expectations, incoming players or rotations, its a conversation every fan base and program is talking about. For the UNC basketball program, that is the case as well.

One of the questions for the Tar Heels is how deep this team can be and how deep it really will be. Last year, Hubert Davis kept it right around seven guys. This year, the expectation is that will grow in large part to the jump Dontrez Styles will make as well as the incoming freshmen.

One freshmen that has been a question mark so far this offseason is [autotag]Jalen Washington[/autotag]. A four-star forward, Washington has dealt with a few knee injuries in his high school career. Still working his way back from one during his senior season, there hasn’t been a lot of true ‘live action’ five-on-five play.

But, he’s started to participate more in that setting and fellow big man [autotag]Armando Bacot[/autotag] sees the potential.

“I think he has a chance to be really special,” Bacot said of Washington at ACC Media Days last week. “I really couldn’t see him being here for longer than maybe two, three years, just because how good he is. He’s got the measurables, he’s got the long arms, he can really shoot the ball. He can defend. He can score.”

Washington is a 6-foot-9 forward who was ranked the No. 48 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2022 class.

Bacot, a preseason All-American by numerous outlets, went on to discuss what Washington’s role could be this year and if he’ll see a lot of minutes..

“Oh, definitely. I think he has the chance to be the sixth or seventh man. He’s really good.”

Last season, UNC didn’t have a lot of bodies in the front court, even for spot minutes for Bacot. Now, with the addition of Washington and the expected jump of Styles and extra depth with Justin McKoy, the UNC front court will once again have a lot of pieces.

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