What UNC’s roster can look like next season after national championship loss
North Carolina’s surprising run through the NCAA tournament came to an end April 4.
The No. 8 seed Tar Heels fell to Kansas, 72-69, in the national title game.
UNC rode the backs of their stars all the way to New Orleans. Now, how many of those stars return for 2022-23?
Players are starting to announce their future plans, including Armando Bacot, who announced April 13 that he’ll return for his senior season.
In the meantime, it’s never too early to take a peek at what the roster could look like next season.
Did Caleb Love’s postseason run boost his NBA draft stock? Has Brady Manek shot his way onto some draft boards? And which freshman player will make an immediate impact?
What UNC players are entering the NBA draft?
The brightest stars for UNC late in the season were Love, Bacot and Manek. It’s no coincidence that the trio has popped up on a few mock drafts, though none of the three appear to be projected first-round picks.
Bacot, a junior, is the team’s leading scorer (16.3 points per game) and rebounder (13.1 per game). Before he announced he will return to UNC, he was showing up in the second round of a couple of mock drafts. NBADraft.net had Bacot going No. 48 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Another site, www.nbadraftroom.com, had the 6-foot-10 Bacot going in the second round to the Sacramento Kings.
Love (16.0 ppg) averaged 20 points per game in the NCAA tournament, heading into Monday’s contest against the Jayhawks. A sophomore combo guard, Love (6-4, 195 pounds) has thrived in March playing off the ball. NBADraft.net has Love going No. 33 overall to the Indiana Pacers.
Manek (15.2 ppg) scored in double figures in every NCAA tournament game. NBADraft.net has Manek going No. 46 overall to the Detroit Pistons.
Any seniors returning?
Leaky Black could return thanks to a COVID year. Black went through senior night activities against Syracuse on Feb. 28. Black hasn’t officially announced his plans for 2022-23, but his veteran leadership and stat sheet-filling ability would be welcomed by Hubert Davis. Black has started 96 games in his college career.
Manek also went through senior night activities at UNC’s Smith Center. After playing four seasons at Oklahoma, Manek can’t return to Chapel Hill for another season.
What UNC players are transferring?
On April 13, Garcia announced he was transferring from UNC.
Who’s coming in?
Davis has added three four-star recruits to his 2023 class: Point guard Seth Trimble, center Jalen Washington and forward Tyler Nickel make up the No. 3 recruiting class in the ACC, according to 247Sports. The trio has UNC’s class ranked No. 11 in the nation.
Trimble is the younger brother of former Tar Heels forward J.P. Tokoto. Trimble might have the opportunity to see the court sooner than later. If Love leaves, that would mean R.J. Davis would be the main returning ball handler. Davis and Love split point guard duties most of the season. Trimble could come in right away and contribute to the guard rotation.
In addition, Will Shaver, a 6-10 center who was part of the 2022 recruiting class but didn’t enroll until January, will help the team in the post. He’s not expected to be an immediate starter.
Who might see their minutes increase?
Dontrez Styles saw his roles increase later in the year. Davis started to go deeper into his bench during the NCAA tournament, playing sophomore Puff Johnson more once he returned from injury, and Styles, the freshman from Kinston.
The spot-duty Styles saw, especially with a season-high 25 minus against defending champion Baylor in the NCAA tournament’s second round, will only help his confidence heading into next season. He scored a season-high nine points in that game.
Speaking of Johnson, who recorded 11 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes against Kansas, a full offseason could spring him into the starting lineup a year from now, depending on who returns. He only played the last 15 games of his freshman season and didn’t play until January of this past season. Justin McKoy is the other reserve who played significant minutes in the postseason. The Virginia transfer might ride that momentum into next year and play a key role.
UNC basketball 2021-22 roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| 0 | Anthony Harris | G | 6-4 | 195 | R-So. | Woodbridge, Va. |
| 1 | Leaky Black | F | 6-8 | 200 | Sr. | Concord |
| 2 | Caleb Love | G | 6-4 | 195 | So. | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 3 | Dontrez Styles | G/F | 6-6 | 210 | Fr. | Kinston |
| 4 | RJ Davis | G | 6-0 | 175 | So. | White Plains, N.Y. |
| 5 | Armando Bacot | F/C | 6-10 | 240 | Jr. | Richmond, Va. |
| 11 | D’Marco Dunn | G | 6-4 | 185 | Fr. | Tucson, Ariz. |
| 13 | Dawson Garcia | F | 6-11 | 235 | So. | Prior Lake, Minn. |
| 14 | Puff Johnson | G | 6-8 | 205 | So. | Moon Township, Pa. |
| 15 | Rob Landry | G | 6-4 | 195 | So. | Greensboro |
| 21 | Will Shaver | F | 6-10 | 265 | Fr. | Birmingham, Ala. |
| 22 | Justin McKoy | F | 6-8 | 220 | Jr. | Raleigh |
| 24 | Kerwin Walton | G | 6-5 | 210 | So. | Hopkins, Minn. |
| 25 | Creighton Lebo | G | 6-1 | 170 | So. | Greenville |
| 30 | Jackson Watkins | G | 6-1 | 175 | Jr. | Richmond, Va. |
| 34 | Duwe Farris | F | 6-6 | 215 | Jr. | Charlotte |
| 35 | Ryan McAdoo | F | 6-5 | 210 | R-Sr. | Boca Raton, Fla. |
| 45 | Brady Manek | F | 6-9 | 230 | Gr. | Harrah, Okla. |
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 11:45 PM.
