Tag: UNC Tar Heels

247Sports names Duke freshman best ACC player over UNC senior

This Duke sensation was labeled as the best player in the ACC over this UNC basketball senior and reigning ACC Player of the Year.

It is no secret that UNC basketball retaining RJ Davis for one final year is going to bolster the offensive efforts of the team going into next year. Davis is the reigning ACC Player of the Year and led the conference in scoring last year with 784 total points.

He was No. 4 in the entire country in scoring as well. Davis ranked top of the conference in several other categories as well including field goal percentage, field goals, attempts, three-point field goals, win shares, offensive plus/minus, and points produced.

He was nothing short of miraculous last season averaging 21.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game during the 2023-2024 season. However, all of that proven success wasn’t enough to put him above the incoming Duke sensation in the eyes of one analyst from 247sports.

Here is what Trotter had to say:

“I feel bad about this one because honestly, RJ Davis returning All-American, that should be this guy,” Trotter said. “I feel like Flagg has the chance to be a generational type of player this year for Duke. When you factor in the positional size and the two-way impact he will have, I give him a slight nod.”

During the talking segment, Isaac Trotter talks about how he might go on to regret this bold statement when RJ Davis is averaging 22 points per game, but he follows by doubling down on his statement that Flagg is “generational talent.”

Despite all he has proved, it looks like doubters are still reigning down on the fifth-year senior, and he will once again have to prove his worth to the ACC.

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Former UNC target attempting to recruit Jasper Johnson in final days

UK-commit Malachi Moreno attempted to sweet-talk Jasper Johnson into joining the blue-blood rival.

Over the past couple of weeks, UNC basketball has lost several four or five-star recruits to blue-blood rivals. One of those lost recruits was Malachi Moreno, one of the top center recruits in the class.

His hometown of Kentucky and their new coach were able to lure him in and away from North Carolina. What seemed like just days after that announcement, fellow star, Jasper Johnson, announced that his decision would come down next week.

The 6-foot-4, five-star guard has been dominant in high school, and it has shown from analysts’ views of him. 247sports Adam Finkelstein had this to say about the scoring ability of the Overtime Elite guard.

He has a super soft natural touch and is very crafty around the lane with a deep bag of runners, floaters, and other types of finishes, in addition to the jumpers and step-backs he’s capable of making from the perimeter.

While he is playing ball in Georgia right now, Johnson’s hometown is in Versailles, Kentucky. On top of that, Moreno has outspokenly tried to recruit Johnson to the Wildcats himself.

The cards might be stacked against UNC basketball, but we will see next week where the five-star wants to take his talents.

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UNC football star named to third preseason All-American first-team

Omarion Hampton has been named to the AP preseason All-American first-team joining SN and ESPN.

College football is not short of talented runnings. Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, California’s Jaydn Ott, and Ohio State‘s TreVeyon Henderson all join UNC football‘s Omarion Hampton in the top of the positional rankings.

However, Hampton has now joined just Gordon as the two running backs to be selected to three preseason first-team All-Americans after the most recent selection of the Associated Press.

For a team that found most of their success through the air last season with now New England quarterback Drake Maye, the emphasis will be on the running game this season.

The need for stability and success could not come at a better time as Mack Brown still isn’t sure who is going to take the field for the first snap of the game against Minnesota next week.

After just 400 yards in his freshman season, Hampton broke out last year eclipsing the 1,500-yard mark on the ground plus another 200 yards through the air and a total of 16 touchdowns combined.

He ranked No. 1 in the entire conference last season in rushes, yards, and touchdowns. He was also No. 5 in the entire NCAA in yards from scrimmage behind just Gordon, Jeanty, Kimani Vidal, and Cody Schrader.

What can Hampton do next?

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Can this UNC basketball transfer be the Breakout Player of the Year?

Can this UNC basketball transfer be the next Breakout Player of the Year?

Sparks started flying this offseason when Hubert Davis and UNC basketball landed Belmont transfer Cade Tyson. It made it especially sweet with the departures of Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram, and Cormac Ryan.

Is it possible that Tyson could fill all of those shoes in his first year at the program?

In his freshman and sophomore seasons with Belmont, Tyson averaged 13.6 and 16.2 points per game. He also added a career average of 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and almost one steal per game.

He also shot 49% from the field and 46.5% from behind the arc. He has the body to bully down low like Bacot, the versatility of Ingram, and the shooting ability of Ryan. A recipe for success if used right.

Not only can Tyson shoot, but the threat he brings will also open up more opportunities for reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis and facilitator Elliot Cadeau amongst others.

Tyson will battle for time with current Tar Heels Ja’Lynn Withers and Jalen Washington as well as transfer Ven-Allen Lubin. However, with his upside, he should be able to carve that time out.

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Former UNC basketball transfer Pete Nance impressing Cavaliers

Former UNC basketball transfer Pete Nance has been on the coach’s radar this season. What are the chances he makes the Cleveland Cavaliers roster?

Pete Nance transferred into UNC basketball from Northwestern in the offseason three years ago for his last year of college basketball. During that season, Nance averaged 10.0 points per game coming off the bench.

He also added 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game as well. He ended up going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2023 NBA Summer League.

He ended up signing with the Cleveland Charge of the G-League after being released. Early this year, he signed a two-way contract with Cleveland. During a 10-day contract with Cleveland last year, he played in eight games averaging 3.4 minutes per game.

He once again took part in the 2024 NBA Summer League with the Cavaliers. This time, he averaged 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 assists per game. He also shot almost 35% from behind the arc.

Commenting on his performance, Nance said, “I have made a lot of strides, but I am nowhere near where I want to be. I have to continue to get better and keep working hard.”

Cleveland also added Jaylon Tyson in the first round of the NBA Draft this offseason with the 20th overall pick out of California. He averaged 19.6 points per game in college.

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Four-star UNC basketball recruit reveals list of upcoming visits

This four-star center has set his official visits and UNC basketball made the list.

UNC basketball recruiting has been a buzz around the internet recently. Malachi Moreno announced a date to make his decision, the Tar Heels are in the running for the No. 1 overall player of the class, and the future is bright.

Another bright light put on the recruiting list is Eric Reibe, a 7-foot-0 center from Potomac, Maryland, who released his official visit schedule and UNC basketball made the cut among five other schools.

According to 247sports, Reibe is “warm” with 11 different schools including his current crystal ball location, Creighton. Reibe’s visit tour starts with Kansas before heading to UConn and Kentucky ahead of North Carolina.

After Carolina, he will round it out with Indiana and Oregon.

Depending on the outcome of Moreno’s decision within a short time, Reibe might be a bigger target for UNC needing a center.

Reibe’s ranking has skyrocketed in recent months on Rivals. He wasn’t a top recruit his sophomore year off everyone’s radar. After rising as far as No. 94 in his sophomore season, he ended that year at 109.

Heading into his senior year, he has since risen to his highest rank overall of his life at No. 66. The senior has a plethora of schools to choose from; hopefully, he will become a Tar Heel.

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Armando Bacot named this coach as attractive candidate with Hubert Davis

Armando Bacot named this coach a potential and attractive candidate if Hubert Davis didn’t get the job.

The end of the Roy Williams era in Chapel Hill had every UNC basketball fan trembling at what the future was going to hold for the blue blood. The man who eventually won the job, and rightfully so, was Williams’ assistant coach, Hubert Davis.

Davis had been with the Tar Heels since 2012 as an assistant coach under Williams. During that tenure, he won the 2017 NCAA Tournament and made it to two Final Fours in nine years.

Armando Bacot, a former center for UNC, was a junior when the switch was made and became one of Davis’s captains alongside R.J. Davis. That season North Carolina went on to lose in the National Championship game.

However, Bacot recently came out in an interview dropping another coach’s name as a potential and attractive candidate for the UNC job if Davis didn’t win, and that coach was Wes Miller. Here is what he told Inside Carolina:

 “Wes Miller was an attractive candidate. It was probably a little too early for him to go from head coach of UNCG to Carolina. For us, it was either Coach Davis or Coach Miller. That’s what made the most sense. It got crazy, too. People said maybe Brad Stevens. There were some crazy names thrown out there. Carolina is probably the best coaching job in college basketball. Carolina or Kansas, one of the two. Carolina keeps it in-house, so it had to be [Davis or Miller].”

Miller, at the time, was the head coach of UNC Greensboro and had been since 2011 getting promoted after spending a season there as an assistant coach.

Miller was a two-time SoCon Coach of the Year and tournament winner losing both of his NCAA Tournament games. After Davis was selected as the next coach, Miller eventually went on to take the head coaching job at Cincinnati.

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UNC football star earns ESPN preseason All-American honors

In addition to SN, Hampton has also earned preseason first-team All-American honors with ESPN.

After a breakout season last year for UNC football with Drake Maye and company, Hampton is poised to be one of the best running backs in the nation this season. It has earned him a spot on numerous award watch lists as well as SN and ESPN preseason first-team All-American honors.

Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II was the other first-team All-American listed alongside Hampton. Tahj Brooks from Texas Tech and Quinshon Judkins from Ohio State were the two second-team members.

In his sophomore year last year, Hampton ran 253 times for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns including 29 receptions for 222 yards and another score.

According to ESPN’s Chris Low, “He led all FBS players with 1,072 yards after contact. Not only did Hampton average 5.9 yards per rush, but he also had five runs of 50 yards or longer.”

Hampton will look to not only be the lead back for the Tar Heels this year but the overall leader of the offensive side of the ball. It is not out of the question for Hampton to surpass those breakout numbers he had last season.

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CBS Sports predicts Tar Heels basketball starting lineup for 2024-25

CBS Sports sees these five guys getting the starting nod from Hubert Davis this season.

Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels will enter this season with a National Championship on their minds and in their sights. CBS Sports predicts that RJ Davis will go back-to-back on ACC Player of the Year awards. Is his presence alone enough to bolster this roster to a championship?

Jon Rothstein from CBS Sports has UNC as his No. 1 team coming out of the ACC followed by Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, and Miami rounding out the conference’s top five according to the analyst.

Rothstein projects the following as North Carolina’s starting lineup this year:

Guard: Elliot Cadeau

Guard: RJ Davis

Guard: Ian Jackson

Forward: Jae’Lyn Withers

Forward: Ven-Allen Lubin

Cadeau and Davis are the only two players staying in the starting five from last year. Jackson is a freshman and the No. 8 overall player in the Class of 2024. Withers served as a role player off the bench last season after transferring from Louisville the offseason prior, and Lubin transferred in from Vanderbilt this offseason.

Don’t forget that depth will be on Hubert Davis’ side as well with the No. 11 overall player in the 2024 class, Drake Powell, coming off the bench. The star power and young talent of this team could be the perfect championship mix.

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Two UNC freshmen get leadership opportunity at Lillard’s camp

Two UNC freshmen will get the opportunity to compete again and lead some of the nation’s top high school players this week.

Beginning today, James Brown and Ian Jackson will get an opportunity to be college counselors in Damian Lillard’s Formula Zero Elite Camp. The two UNC freshmen will look to use this opportunity and bring heightened skills back to Chapel Hill both on the court and in their leadership capabilities.

According to Lillard’s website, the camp’s purpose is to take the top 20 high school players in the nation and pair them with the top 20 college counselors in the country.

They will compete with and against each other for the next three days in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lillard also said, “The Formula is not fake or superficial, It is a catalyst for real change.” That is what Tar Heel fans should want to hear about two potential big-impact freshmen.

The opportunity to mentor and lead the next generation of young basketball stars should translate back to their leadership with their peers on the court this season.

Some other notable names joining them as counselors will be Kansas’ AJ Storr, Florida State‘s Jamir Watkins, and Kentucky’s Koby Brea.

There will be several influential high school stars there including Jasper Johnson, a player that UNC has been linked to and highly recruiting in the past couple of weeks among others.

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