With one international center, Henri Veesaar, heading out the door, Michael Malone has looked overseas to replace him. His first move was to add Sayon Keita from FC Barcelona, but the 18-year-old 215-pound seven-footer may not be ready to handle a massive workload in Year 1, and even if he is, North Carolina still needs to round out its roster with additional front-court depth.
One of the top targets that Malone and his staff honed in on was 6-foot-9, 21-year-old Senegalese center Mouhamed Faye, who plays for Paris basketball. However, St. John’s has emerged as the leader in his recruitment, and it seems that Rick Pitino has likely forced Michael Maloen to pivot.
If Faye does head to Queens instead of Chapel Hill, Malone isn’t entirely out of options. The Transfer Portal has mostly dried up, but Europe is full of talent, so UNC should be able to find a suitable backup plan. Here are a few options he should, and in some cases certainly has considered.
1. Brice Dessert, C, 23 years old, 6-11, 247 lbs
Dessert has been rumored to be a top UNC target and makes the most sense as the next pickup for the Tar Heels. Schematically, Michael Malone has clearly looked to fill the floor with big playmakers surrounding a lob-threat pogo stick center who can dunk everything. That’s who Keita is, and Dessert’s game is very similar.
The 6-foot-11 center is more physically advanced than Keita, but both would primarily sit in the dunker spot offensively or be used as a screener to take advantage of their gravity as legitimate lob threats in the pick-and-roll. That’s a valuable skillset, and doubling up on it would make a lot of sense. So would adding a 23-year-old to a center rotation with Keita and Cade Bennerman, who both desperately need to add weight to their lanky frames and will need time to do it.
2. Michael Ruzic, F, 19 years old, 6-10, 220 lbs
BYU appears to be the leader for Ruzic with Kentucky in the mix as well, but that’s not a race that should scare UNC off completely if Malone believes Ruzic can help play a role in the front court.
A bit of a different style than Dessert and Keita, Ruzic projects as a stretch five at the collegiate level. While he won’t be able to replicate Veesaar’s rim protection on the defensive end, adding a near 40 percent three-point shooter to work the pick-and-pop with Terrence Brown would be ideal. Plus, with his shooting ability, Ruzic would be able to play alongside Keita for significant minutes, adding to UNC’s lineup versatility.
3. Egor Ryzhov, F, 21 years old, 6-11, 190 lbs
There has been some rumored interest in Egor Ryzhov, who nearly went the collegiate route last summer, but balked at coming over after committing the Florida State. Now may be the time for him to make the jump, and with the Russian seven-footer expressing interest in a move to college basketball, UNC could emerge as a potential landing spot, especially if Dessert comes off the board.
Ryzhov would fit the Keita mold a bit more at the five-spot as an athletic rim-runner who does damage from the dunker spot, in transition, and as a lob threat off the pick-and-roll. He’s a potential pivot option for UNC, but, like Ruzic, is unlikely to end up in Chapel Hill.
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