UNC Basketball targeting another ACC Transfer?

Could another ACC transfer potentially be staying in the conference and join the UNC Basketball team for the next season?

Remember the days of no intra-conference transfers where it was completely against some conference rules that prohibited players from transferring within their own conference? The transfer portal and the new shape of college basketball have made us completely forget that. Some of the names in the portal that Hubert Davis and his staff are targeting will sound really familiar to UNC basketball fans.

Jae’lyn Withers from Louisville has already committed to the Tar Heels. Just a few days ago former Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan has scheduled an official visit to Chapel Hill. And now, confirmed by InsideCarolina, the UNC coaching staff is in pursuit of another ACC transfer, this time Matthew Cleveland from Florida State.

Cleveland is a six-foot-seven wing player who, like most players the Tar Heels are targeting in the portal, can be a big help for a team that lost many players to the transfer portal themselves. Cleveland will be entering his junior season of college with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

During his freshman season, he won ACC Sixth Man of the Year. Playing in 29 games for the Seminoles and averaging 26.2 minutes per game, only starting in 8 of those contests. He averaged 11.5 points per game during that season and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Last year, he played and started in all 30 games for the Noles, averaging 33.7 minutes per game and scoring 13.8 points per game while bringing in 7.4 rebounds per game. He isn’t someone who is going to light it up from beyond the arc but can help do other things including scoring at the rim and rebounding the basketball.

The Tar Heels aren’t the only ones in the ACC targeting intra-conference transfers. Along with Withers committing to UNC, Notre Dame transfer JJ Starling has committed to Syracuse, Ben Middlebrooks from Clemson went to NC State, Jack Clark from NC State went to Clemson, and of course, our own Tyler Nickel committed to Virginia Tech.

How will UNC basketball fans feel if the Tar Heels do land multiple intra-conference transfers? Is this a move that will get the fanbase excited? Targeting a player who is familiar with the ACC and has playing experience can certainly be beneficial if the right pieces are put together.

Of course, just like with Ryan and others, contacting a player or scheduling official visits for a player does not mean commitments. It is just a step in the process that has to be taken in order to get to the commitment.

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