Anticipation continues to build for the start of college basketball season, which begins with gameplay in November.
A lot of that anticipation surrounds our North Carolina Tar Heels this week, who recently discovered their non-conference schedule. UNC opens its season against Elon on Monday, Nov. 4 at home, then heads to Kansas four days later for a 2022 National Championship rematch.
North Carolina’s 2024-2025 roster is headlined by the return of reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis, transfer additions of Cade Tyson and Ven-Allen Lubin, plus incoming 5-star McDonalds All-Americans in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. There are a few starting spots up for grabs, most notably center, but plenty of players who will compete for starting minutes.
UNC spent some valuable time at the Dean Dome on Tuesday afternoon, with offseason workouts allowing players the chance to shine in front of the coaching staff.
Also on Tuesday afternoon, there were a couple former Tar Heels you might recognize who showed up: Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Kenny Williams.
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If you haven’t already rewatched his clip thousands of times, Maye is best remembered for his shot against Kentucky in the 2017 Elite Eight. Maye became a starter the following year, averaging a career-high 16.7 points per game.
Kenny Williams was teammates with Maye from 2015-2019, breaking into a starting role during North Carolina’s title-winning season. Williams averaged a career-high 11.4 points per game in his junior year, then later played in the G-League for two seasons, before heading overseas.
Cam Johnson, one of the best transfers to ever play at North Carolina (2017-2019), averaged 16.9 points per game during his senior season. Johnson, now a starter for the Brooklyn Nets, is now a budding NBA star and one of the league’s best shooters (44.7 career field goal percentage).
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