UNC Announces 2026‑27 Men’s Basketball Roster
The University of North Carolina has unveiled the men’s basketball roster that will carry the Tar Heels into the 2026‑27 season, a list that blends five returning players with a wave of 11 newcomers.
The returning core features seniors Jarin Stevenson, Jaydon Young, Evan Smith and John Holbrook, alongside sophomore Isaiah Denis, who will sport a new jersey number after moving from 5 to 2.
Adding depth, six transfers join the squad: Angelo Brizzi from Buffalo, Cameron Fens from South Dakota, Terrence Brown from Utah, Matt Able from NC State, Neo Avdalas from Virginia Tech and Cade Bennerman from Northwestern.
The freshman class includes Maximo Adams of Los Angeles, Sayon Keita from Mali, Malloy Smith of Encino, Calif., and Kevin Thomas out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
International presence is highlighted by Alexandros Samodurov, a junior from Panathinaikos in Athens, Greece, marking the first Tar Heel from Greece, while Keita becomes only the second African player since Makhtar Ndiaye, bringing the total number of international players to 18.
The preseason schedule opens on October 9 with a matchup against Southern California at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, setting the stage for the new‑look team.
The roster also sets several jersey number milestones, including Holbrook’s historic use of number 99, Smith’s family tradition of number 30, Avdalas becoming the first to wear 17 since 1950, and Fens joining a short list of players to don number 54.