Michael Malone flew to Europe with one clear goal in mind: to find a starting center. With Henri Veesaar poised for the NBA, UNC needed an answer at the five spot, and Malone delivered with the signing of Sayon Keita. However, he may not be done, and Keita may not be the only big man leaving FC Barcelona for Chapel Hill.
While Keita was the obvious top target for Malone, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, a 16-year-old on FC Barcelona’s developmental team, is also on UNC’s radar. Boumtje Boumtje will turn 17 in May and could reclassify to the 2026 class, as the 18-year-old Keita did to join the Tar Heels for the 2026-27 season.
Another seven-footer, Boumtje Boumtje, would be a major developmental piece for the Tar Heels, who could play some right away while providing major upside for the future. The issue is that the Tar Heels aren’t the only team interested in bringing the Cameroonian prospect to college basketball.
UNC can still close the deal with Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje with Duke in hot pursuit
With a seven-foot, 230-pound frame, Boumtje Boumtje is more physically advanced than Keita, who weighs in at just 215 pounds and needs to add serious weight to handle the physicality of college basketball. His game still has a way to go, but Boumtje Boumtje is an excellent rim-runner, an instinctive rebounder, and has a soft touch around the rim.
UNC needs more depth in the front court, along with Keita, Cade Bennerman, Jarin Stevenson, and Maxim Logue, but directing Boumtje Boumtje to Chapel Hill rather than Durham won’t be easy. Last offseason, Duke plucked Dame Sarr out of FC Barcelona’s developmental pipeline, and Jon Scheyer has reportedly taken an interest in filling out his final roster spot with Boumtje Boumtje.
With Patrick Ngongba II returning to fill the starting center role, and incoming Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski expected to play significant front-court minutes with incoming five-star Cameron Williams, Boumtje Boumtje wouldn’t have a clear path to playing time as a 17-year-old with the Blue Devils. That may be best for his long-term development, but if he wants to see the floor more next season, his better option is likely to join the Tar Heels.
Malone has done a nice job recovering from the Veesaar departure with his international additions and portal pickups, but his roster is still incomplete. Boumtje Boumtje could play a meaningful role off the bench next year and provide important insurance for Keita, so Malone should push to bring a package deal back from Barcelona.
Add us as a preferred source on Google