What are UNC basketball’s transfer portal needs? Here are three
UNC basketball struck gold in the transfer portal last season when it landed guard Cormac Ryan and forward Harrison Ingram.
It was the first time head coach Hubert Davis got the chance to put together a team made up of mostly the players he wanted to have on the roster. The changes paid off with an ACC regular-season championship and a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels might not have as much turnover as last offseason – UNC saw seven players enter the portal and added five players via the portal – but Davis will likely need to add a few pieces to round out the 2024-25 roster.
Here are the top three needs for the Tar Heels in the transfer portal.
If RJ Davis leaves, UNC basketball needs a scorer, 3-point shooter
RJ Davis, the reigning ACC Player of the Year and the league’s top scorer at 21.2 points per game, still has a decision to make. Davis can return for a fifth season in Chapel Hill or he can go the professional route and try to snag an opportunity in the NBA.
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If Davis leaves, it’s clear UNC will need to add a veteran guard to aid sophomore Elliot Cadeau and incoming freshman Ian Jackson. Davis and Ryan accounted for 188 of UNC’s 270 three-pointers (69.6%), so the Heels have to get a knockdown shooter on the roster.
Harrison Ingram, versatility needed in Tar Heels’ frontcourt
Like Davis, Harrison Ingram could pursue a professional career. After two seasons at Stanford, Ingram arrived at UNC and became one of the Tar Heels’ most reliable and versatile players. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds and consistently challenged Armando Bacot as UNC’s top rebounder.
If Ingram returns, it takes some pressure off the rest of the roster, particularly incoming wing Drake Powell and junior forward Jalen Washington. If Ingram leaves, Hubert Davis needs to find a player with similar traits. In two of Davis’ first three seasons, the four spot was vital to the team’s success. It worked with Brady Manek, but not so much with Pete Nance.
With Armando Bacot gone, UNC needs a veteran post player
Armando Bacot finished his five-season career at UNC as the program’s all-time leader in rebounds and double-double performances. Bacot averaged 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds during his time with the Tar Heels, so Hubert Davis and the coaching staff have to find someone to try and fill the massive void left by Bacot. Over the last five seasons, Bacot has pulled down 1,715 of UNC’s 7,057 rebounds.
Junior forward Jalen Washington will need to take some major steps forward after averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this season. Even if Washington makes that jump as a player, the Tar Heels need to find a veteran post player that can come in, start, and produce right away.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball: What Tar Heels need in transfer portal for 2024-25
