North Carolina loses transfer portal target to ACC rival
North Carolina loses transfer portal target to ACC rival
The transfer portal was not kind to North Carolina last year as Hubert Davis and staff watched player after player choose other schools. They did walk away with a few transfers, but none that lived up to the hype or were noteworthy. Unfortunately, we are watching the same movie play over again -- deja vue some would say.
Isaac McKneely, one of the Tar Heel's first interests in the portal, has committed next season to Pat Kelsey and Louisville.
After the Tar Heels were bounced from the NCAA Tournament and the transfer portal opened, Hubert Davis and Jim Tanner were some of the first to show interest in Isaac McKneely, a transfer guard from Virginia who put his name in the portal on the day it opened.
The ex-Cavalier averaged 14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game last season. However, he was known for his three-point shooting prowess. He averaged 42.1% last year from deep and 43.9% from the floor overall.
He was the stereotypical guard that Roy Williams would have gone after -- length, shooting, decision making.
However, the Tar Heels find themselves yet again on the wrong side of a transfer commitment. They have also shown interest and landed on the outside of Silas Demary (UConn), Dedan Thomas Jr (UCLA), Nick Davidson (Clemson). They are also projected to be on the wrong side of Nick Boyd, who has a 247Sports projection to Wisconsin, and Ja'Kobi Gillespie, who has a projection to Tennessee.
One has to start asking the hard question. Can Hubert Davis bring in top talent? Is Jim Tanner the right general manager? Does the team need more NIL money to compete? How can UNC basketball get back on the winning side of the blue blood programs?
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
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