UNC is working to resolve an eligibility issue with transfer forward Ty Claude, who joined the Tar Heels in August after playing at Georgia Tech, Western Carolina, and Morehead State.
Sources have confirmed that North Carolina is addressing this eligibility concern for the fall semester. Claude traveled with the Tar Heels for their charity exhibition game last week against Memphis, but he was not in uniform, making him unavailable to play during the victory.
Multiple sources indicate that Claude is facing an eligibility issue as he enters his sixth season of college basketball, with UNC being his fourth institution.
On Friday, a source close to the situation at UNC stated, “at some point he will play, it’s just a matter of when” this season. Coach Hubert Davis‘ team will have one final exhibition tune-up on Sunday against Johnson C. Smith. The preseason No. 9 Tar Heels are set to open the upcoming season on Nov. 4 against Elon, followed by a matchup against preseason No. 1 Kansas four nights later.
The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Claude, hailing from Goldsboro, N.C., entered the transfer portal in April, received an NCAA waiver for 2024-25 eligibility four months later, and committed to Carolina on Aug. 14, just days before fall classes began on Aug. 19.
“It was quick,” he told Inside Carolina earlier this month, about his transition to Chapel Hill. “I committed in August on, I think, a Monday, and I was here Thursday. Obviously everybody was here, so I had to hurry up and get down here. Get admitted into school, into the classes, get used to the conditioning program and weights, practice. It was just a crazy week or two. I’ve only been here a month or two, but it feels like a long time.”
Claude’s veteran experience in the post made him an appealing transfer target for the Tar Heels. Known for his physical presence, he is willing to rebound and do the dirty work. With all-time leading rebounder Armando Bacot having exhausted his eligibility, UNC’s frontline has been significantly remade. In the charity exhibition at Memphis, Carolina started 6-foot-10 Jalen Washington and 6-9 Jae’Lyn Withers, bringing 6-8 transfer Ven-Allen Lubin off the bench.
“I knew I was going to try to get a waiver,” Claude mentioned earlier this month regarding his transfer process. “I didn’t end up getting it until the end of July. So it was like a four-month process. … It was slow, trying to get the waiver, and I would hear from different schools. But when I got the waiver, I heard from Carolina maybe a day or two after.”
Last season at Georgia Tech, Claude averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game, shooting 49.5 percent from the field. He ranked eighth in the ACC in offensive rebounds with 2.4 per game and was 10th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. Claude scored in double digits three times, with a high of 19 points against Howard. He recorded eight or more rebounds on ten occasions, including games against Duke, Clemson, Florida State, UNC, and NC State. He contributed nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots in Georgia Tech’s 74-73 upset of the Tar Heels at the end of January.
“They needed rebounding and toughness, somebody to come in and do those things,” Claude said earlier this month, referring to his discussions with Davis during the transfer. “He felt like I could help. The feeling was mutual. I think I’m pretty good at those things, so I decided to come.”
About two weeks after Claude’s arrival, the Tar Heels experienced a setback in post depth. In late August, the program announced that 6-9 forward Zayden High would no longer be enrolled in school. Multiple sources indicated that High’s status had been uncertain for much of the offseason due to an off-the-court matter. The resolution confirmed that he would essentially serve a suspension from school and sit out the season.
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