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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
With no players left from last season's team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears. Only four of those players exhausted their college eligibility. Nine others left in the transfer portal and one-and-done guard VJ Edgecombe could become Baylor's highest pick ever in the NBA draft later this month. 'Guys you didn't want to lose and were valuable, we haven't had many that we've lost. Whenever you do, that just tears at a coach, because you feel like you didn't do your job,' Drew said this week. 'With the portal, I think we've all gotten used to a lot more turnover in a hurry, and not to take things necessarily personal." The Bears rebuilt their roster with eight transfers and a four-player signing class with a five-star prospect and the son of a NBA champion. Among the 14 players at the first practice was Cameron Carr, the former Tennessee guard who transferred to Baylor in the middle of last season long after that team photo session. One of the former Bears was guard Robert Wright, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists a game as a freshman last season and had reportedly agreed to a lucrative NIL deal to stay before transferring to BYU for an even bigger package. 'You know people are going to leave. Rob, obviously, was someone we had an agreement with. When you make an agreement, you think you're done,' Drew said, without getting into any specifics. 'Obviously that was a surprise to us, but again, the staff did a great job of putting together a roster and team. That's part of, hopefully, the House settlement, where you get to a point where you know who's on your team and when they're locked in, they're locked in." The eight incoming transfers have more than 500 of games played combined, including guards Dan Skillings, who played 100 games over three years for Cincinnati, and JJ White, who started 75 of 99 games at Omaha over the same period. Juslin Bodo Bodo is a 7-foot post from Cameroon, started all 71 of his games for NCAA Tournament team High Point the past two seasons. Obi Agbim, a 6-3 guard, was the Mountain West newcomer of the year after averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists in 29 games last season for Wyoming. Five-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou, a small forward from St. Joseph High School in California, leads the signing class that also includes Andre Iguodala II, whose father was a four-time champion over 19 NBA seasons with four teams; Italian forward Maikcol Perez and big man May Soyoye. Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston are the only teams to win at least one game in each of the past six NCAA Tournaments, though the Bears have lost in the second round the past four years since their national championship in 2021. Drew and his staff will get an early look at the new squad with Baylor representing the United States at the World University Games next month in Germany. 'Any year you get a foreign tour, it's huge. ... Since we're returning 0.0 (percent of our) scoring, this give us all an opportunity,' Drew said. 'The games will be good for those that can play in it. But the practices will be great for everyone. And then, the one thing everybody leaves out is you do these team-bonding activities. There's nothing better than being overseas, that really brings you together a lot more than when you have all the distractions you do in the United States.'
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Auburn football 2025 snapshot profile: Alex McPherson
Auburn football 2025 snapshot profile: Alex McPherson Alex McPherson is ready to return to action this season after experiencing a setback in 2024. The 2025 season is expected to be an exciting one for the Auburn Tigers. As we anticipate the start of the season, lets introduce you to a key member of the 2025 roster. Alex McPherson has been a solid special teams player since arriving on campus in 2022. However, he suffered a setback that severely limited his talents last season. McPherson battled through a gastrointestinal illness, which forced him to miss all but one game in 2024. Despite the roadblock, McPherson continued to regain strength during spring practice and is now cleared to return to action as Auburn's starting placekicker for the 2025 season. "Just being around the guys has been a blast, and just getting back for spring practice. All that hard work and time we spent trying to figure everything out... now it is finally paying off," McPherson said during the spring practice period. "Getting to see the fruit from everything that we have been going through... it is awesome to finally get back out there." McPherson's return should boost Auburn's field goal game this season. The 2024 Tigers connected on just 12-of-22 field goal attempts last season, which is a far cry from McPherson's 90% success rate. Before the season starts, here is a look at McPherson's player profile. Alex McPherson's personal profile Hometown: Fort Payne, Alabama Fort Payne, Alabama High school: Fort Payne High School Fort Payne High School Height: 5-9 5-9 Weight: 160 160 Class: Junior Alex McPherson as a recruit Recruiting class: 2022 2022 Position rank: No. 2 No. 2 State rank: No. 93 No. 93 Rating: Three-star Three-star Other schools of interest: Florida, Texas A&M Alex McPherson's career numbers YEAR FGM FGA LONG XPM XPA 2022 6 7 51 9 9 2023 13 13 53 40 40 2024 1 2 27 3 3 TOTALS 20 22 53 52 52 Alex McPherson's PFF report card 2022: 59.8 59.8 2023: 88.4 88.4 2024: 80.8 80.8 Strengths: 90.9 FG %, 100% on field goal tries between 30-39 yards, 66.7% (3-of-4) on field goals of 50+ yards The best photos of Alex McPherson's Auburn career Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ohio State football receives pledge from 2026 four-star edge rusher
Ohio State football receives pledge from 2026 four-star edge rusher Coming out of a big recruiting event last weekend, the Ohio State football team has a little momentum. The Buckeyes first received a pledge from 4-star in-state running back Favour Akih, and just on the heels of that news, OSU now has a commitment from 4-star defensive end Khary Wilder. Out of Gardena, California, Wilder is ranked as the No. 242 player and 32nd-ranked edge rusher in the 2026 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He chose Ohio State over Notre Dame, Alabama, UCLA, and Washington. He is the first defensive lineman in the class to commit to the Buckeyes. With the news, OSU's 2026 class has now grown to 15 total commitments and has jumped up to the No. 2 class in the country according to 247Sports. The Buckeyes still have plenty of room in the class it is putting together, and Larry Johnson would love to add more to the defensive line. We'll continue to cover all things Ohio State recruiting and bring you any noteworthy news as we continue to tread towards the Early Signing Period that begins in December. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
