UNC Basketball: How Did Some Former Tar Heels Perform?

The UNC Basketball program saw several players from the 2022-2023 roster enter the transfer portal. How did those players perform in their 2023-2024 debut?

As almost everyone knows at this point, the UNC Basketball program went through a roster overhaul during the 2023 off-season by utilizing the transfer portal. As a result, the program also lost several former players to the transfer portal as well.

Seven players from the 2022-2023 roster are playing college basketball in something other than Carolina Blue. So, how did those players perform in their season-opening debuts for their new schools?

Caleb Love

Caleb Love hit one of the biggest shots in UNC Basketball history in the 2022 Final Four. Now, he’s with the Arizona Wildcats. In his season debut on Monday night, Love played 21 minutes, was 3-8 shooting from the field, and 2-6 from three-point range. He also connected on all four of his free throw attempts to score 12 points in the game. Love also pulled in three rebounds while racking up four assists.

Arizona beat Morgan State 122-59. Next up for Love will be a trip back to a familiar place. The No. 12 Wildcats travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday, November 10th, to face Duke at 7:00 PM.

Dontrez Styles

Dontrez Styles is the one transfer from the 2022-2023 UNC Basketball team that arguably had the most impact on his new team in their opening game. Styles is now with the Georgetown Hoyas, and they played a new Division One opponent, LeMoyne, on Tuesday evening.

The Hoyas won the game 94-57 while Styles started and played the most minutes of anyone on the team with 31. He was 6-13 from the field, 2-5 from three, and 1-2 at the free throw line. Styles recorded a double-double in his first game with Georgetown, scoring 15 points and pulling in 10 rebounds.

Georgetown’s next game will be on Saturday, November 11, at 8:00 PM, when they host Holy Cross on Fox Sports 2.

D’Marco Dunn

D’Marco Dunn transferred to Penn State during the off-season and saw 15 minutes of playing time off the bench in the season opener against Delaware State on Monday night. During his time on the court, Styles was 1-4 from the field, including 1-3 from three-point range, and scored three points while getting two rebounds and two assists.

Penn State will host UNC Basketball’s next opponent, Lehigh, on Friday, November 10th at 7:30 PM before Mountain Hawks travel to Chapel Hill on Sunday, November 12th.

Tyler Nickel

Tyler Nickel, like Dontrez Styles, had a successful first game with his new team. Nickel, a member of the Virginia Tech Hokies this season, played 20 minutes and scored 12 points on 4-9 shooting from the field and 2-6 from three-point range. He also had seven rebounds and was 2-2 from the free-throw line.

Nickel will get the opportunity to face his former team later this season when the Hokies travel to Chapel Hill on February 17th. Next up for Virginia Tech will be a game with South Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is part of the Hall of Fame Series. The Hokies and Gamecocks will play on November 10th at 9:30 PM.

Justin McKoy

Justin McKoy is now a member of the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors. Their season is not set to begin until Tuesday, November 14th, when they will play NCAA Division II opponent Hawai’i Hilo. The first Division I matchup for the Rainbow Warriors will come on Tuesday, November 21st when they host Northern Arizona.

In their only exhibition of the preseason, Hawai’i faced Saint Mary’s. McKoy played 20 minutes and scored seven points while bringing in three rebounds in a 92-58 loss for the Rainbow Warriors.

Puff Johnson

Puff Johnson joined former UNC Basketball teammate D’Marco Dunn in State College, Pennsylvania with Penn State. Johnson missed the season opener against Delaware State while recovering from a previous injury.

Johnson is listed as day-to-day and went through pregame warmups before Monday’s game, but head coach Mike Rhoades said he wasn’t quite 100%.

Will Shaver

An addition to the UAB Basketball program, Will Shaver didn’t see playing time in the season-opening, 73-71 loss for the Blazers. Shaver received seven minutes of playing time in the team’s preseason exhibition against Morehouse on October 29th. In the exhibition, Shaver had one foul and one turnover.

UAB’s next game is on Friday, November 10th, at 8:30 PM against Clemson in the Asheville Championship.

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