Breaking: Former UNC Basketball Center Takes Expertise to Texas

August 26, 2024 Kerry Will College Basketball 0

There aren’t many instances in history where UNC basketball has advanced to the Final Four twice in a row. The only other time the program has accomplished this with a different head coach in the repeat season (Dean Smith before Bill Guthridge) was in 1997–1998 during Makhtar Ndiaye’s two seasons as a Tar Heel following his transfer from Michigan.

Twenty-one years later, Ndiaye, who is fifty, is a highly sought-after NBA scout.

He was with the New York Knicks for nine seasons, most recently in 2021 as director of pro and international scouting. Ndiaye announced on social media this past week that the Senegalese native will now be joining the Dallas Mavericks to play in the same position.

“Hey everyone, I just want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Knicks organization for an incredible nine years,” Ndiaye stated in a message. “I’m glad to know that I made a difference in the team’s current state as I go forward. I hope the Knicks and their incredible fan base have success.

“I’m eager to see what is ahead. It feels like I’m a Maverick right now, living in the Dallas area. It’s time for fresh challenges, new goals, and a new team! Now let’s go to work.

Makhtar Ndiaye signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1998 after being left undrafted, although he only appeared in four NBA games as a rookie. For the majority of the following ten years, he performed professionally abroad.

UNC Basketball Treasure Returns to Workout at Smith Center.

Armando Bacot, a former five-year standout for UNC basketball, looked happy as he hooped on Roy Williams Court in the Dean E. Smith Center on Thursday, joining graduate guard RJ Davis, other old teammates, and the program’s strong group of freshmen.

Bacot is starting construction on his first hotel, a Home2 Suites in Raleigh, this week. The 24-year-old Richmond native is obviously not having any trouble making his imprint as a professional by taking advantage of the opportunities that his UNC degree and notoriety have given him, even though he was not selected this summer.

Nevertheless, after playing for the Utah Jazz in last month’s Summer League action, he’ll probably carve out a career for himself in basketball someplace in the G League the following season.

Bacot, who is ranked second on the program’s all-time scoring chart and is the all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles in UNC basketball history, clearly enjoys being “back on the home court” based on the images that the Tar Heels’ social media team shared on Thursday.

The four-time All-ACC selection amassed 2,347 points, 1,715 rebounds, and 216 blocks in five seasons as a full-time starter in Chapel Hill, all while shooting 55.2 percent from the field. He has the most rebounds of any player in ACC history.

alumnus of UNC basketball heading abroad to start professional career.

In 8.3 minutes per game last season—his first UNC basketball season after transferring from Brown—Paxson Wojcik, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard, averaged just 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds.

However, Wojcik played in 32 games for the third group of Tar Heels led by Hubert Davis. It’s also important to remember that the Charleston, South Carolina, native played both early and late in the season. He started the team’s first three games of the regular season and was called upon frequently in the second half of the team’s season-ending Sweet 16 defeat to Alabama in Los Angeles.

The 24-year-old will now travel to Poland to start his professional career. This past week, the Polish Basketball League (PLK) team Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski (OBL) announced the signing.

He played two seasons as a reserve at Loyola before transferring to Brown, where he started all four seasons as a full-time player and had his highest point total of 14.9 points per game as a senior in 2022–2023. Then, Paxson Wojcik, the son of newly appointed associate head coach at Michigan State and three-year UNC basketball assistant, Doug Wojcik, announced his transfer to the Tar Heels.

UNC basketball player gets a lot of heat from the Smith Center logo.

All-ACC recognition is a possibility for sophomore basketball player Elliot Cadeau of UNC if he continues to develop from downtown. Furthermore, his ability to get respect from opponents by making a more potent outside jumper would undoubtedly help the Tar Heels’ offense open up more space on the court in 2024–25.

Put another way, a potent 3-ball would facilitate Cadeau’s work as he co-ordinates the performance with reigning ACC Player of the Year and 3-point expert RJ Davis.

Well, on Tuesday, in the Dean E. Smith Center, Cadeau worked out with basketball skills development coach Matt Irving. From somewhere near Cherokee on Roy Williams Court’s North Carolina halfcourt logo, a few feet past the NBA 3-point line, Cadeau recorded one 5-for-5 shooting stretch.

Yes, the attempts were made in a calm environment and without opposition. However, his mechanics seem a lot more refined.

With this effort combined with his 3-point ability during intrasquad scrimmage play earlier in the summer, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard from West Orange, New Jersey, seemed eager to forget about his 18.9 shooting percentage (10-for-53 clip) from beyond the arc as a freshman at Chapel Hill.

Elliot Cadeau joined the UNC basketball team as a full-time starter six games into the 2023–24 season. In his 23.8 minutes per game, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 turnovers while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 64.8 percent from the free throw line.

UNC Basketball: Top Prospects in a High-Profile Competition.

Jasper Johnson, a sharpshooting guard with Overtime Elite (Ga.), was raised in Kentucky. However, he did it out of respect for the Tar Heels. Additionally, the five-star senior visited the UNC basketball team twice during his recruitment process. Around this time last year, he earned an offer from Hubert Davis.

Before the initial 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction surfaced this week, most insiders hadn’t completely ruled out the Tar Heels winning over the 6-foot-4, 175-pound speedster, in anticipation of Johnson’s expected declaration one day next week.

Now, though, if Johnson winds up somewhere other than Kentucky, that would be shocking.

There are six forecasts from the 247Sports Crystal Ball, Rivals FutureCast, and On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, and they’re all pointing to Mark Pope’s Wildcats winning. Five of those selections have come to light in the last three days alone, including one from Travis Branham, the national recruiting insider for 247Sports, who is likely the foremost authority on Kentucky recruiting efforts.

People were vacillating between UNC, Kentucky, and Alabama during the summer, vying to be Jasper Johnson’s expected successor.

The Crimson Tide appeared to be the side to beat before the Wildcats’ advantage suddenly turned to their advantage. Branham said as much himself.

It’s possible to argue that Hubert Davis and his elite UNC basketball recruiting class have been the most reliable in maintaining their perceived second-place standing.

 

 

 

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