UNC Basketball: Will Tar Heels show interest in center transfer?

It’s been over a week since the UNC Basketball program saw their 2020-21 season end in disappointing fashion.

Since then, there have been rumors swirling of some exits for the program and while it hasn’t been as bad as many thought, UNC is still losing Walker Kessler and Sterling Manley as transfers plus Day’Ron Sharpe to the NBA.

Now as the team prepares for the offseason, Roy Williams and his staff have their work cut out for them in terms of filling the roster.

With a “Wild West” expected for the transfer portal, one that has already seen dozens of recruits enter, the Tar Heels could look there for some options. And one player that needs the attention of the UNC staff is Tre Mitchell.

The UMASS product is entering his junior season next year and will be one of the biggest names in the transfer portal. Following an impressive freshman season in which he averaged 17.7 points per game, Mitchell upped that average to 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season, playing in just 13 games as he dealt with a shoulder injury.

But in the two weeks that Mitchell has been in the portal, he’s already hearing from a number of programs. Per Adam Zagoria of Zag’s Blog, over 75 teams including Power Five programs have been in contact:

Zagoria didn’t list the teams, nor mention any big programs and at this point it’s unlikely UNC has reached out as they just completed player interviews. However, that doesn’t mean they wont in the future.

With the departure of Kessler, Manley, and Sharpe, likely Garrison Brooks too, the Tar Heels are going to need to address their frontcourt depth. It’s possible only Armando Bacot returns from last seasons’ team and if that’s the case it wouldn’t shock us to see the Tar Heels add a transfer.

Enter Mitchell, a player who has played VERY well at UMASS and has good size at 6-foot-9 and 240-pounds. He could instantly come in and start next season alongside Bacot, giving the Tar Heels two legit options in the paint.

Not only is he a legit rebounder, but he can also score the basketball. Mitchell shot 51 percent form the field last season including 37.5 percent from the field. He can score from a few different areas of the floor and is still getting better in that part of his game too.

He’s a guy to keep an eye on in the coming days as the transfer portal will start to heat up.

For more on the UNC Basketball program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.