What Is Next For The Tar Heels?
Hiring a new coach is the top priority for UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham. Here is what is known thus far. While Wilson and Trimble won’t return, the Tar Heels project to get everyone else back as it stands now.
Veesaar, who took a redshirt with Arizona in 2023-24, has a year of eligibility left, though he could follow Wilson to the NBA as a potential second-round draft pick, per ESPN. Veesaar had a career year with 17.0 points — as he shot 60.8% from the field and 1.3 threes at a 42.6% clip — 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks.
Junior guard Luka Bogavac showed some promise in his first season in college basketball. Bogavac, who had an up-and-down shooting campaign, scored in double figures in 19 of 33 appearances, including five games of at least 15 points. His best scoring game came against Clemson in the ACC Tournament, where he tallied 20 points on 6 of 14 shooting, including 6 of 10 from deep. He finished the season with 9.2 points a game and 1.6 threes at a 34.9% clip.
Derek Dixon, a consensus top-50 recruit in 2025, played some of his best basketball down the stretch. Known for his 3-point shooting ability, Dixon scored in double figures in each of his last three games. Overall, Dixon averaged 13.2 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. and 1.2 steals in four March appearances. March was also his best shooting month as he connected on 48.6% of his shots and 15 of 25 from deep (60%).
Jarin Stevenson is also in his first season at UNC after transferring from Alabama. Stevenson continued to improve and had the best season of his career. The 6-11 forward was one of the Tar Heels’ top defensive players and rebounders. He finished the season with 8.1 points on 47% shooting from the field and 4.4 rebounds (1.4 offensive). Additionally, he scored in double figures 10 times, including each of his last three games, and grabbed double-digit rebounds once.
