What a stretch it has been for UNC and Michael Malone out on the recruiting trail.
After a bit of a quiet period, things took off in a major way, with Malone hauling in commitments from Matt Able, Terrence Brown AND Maxim Logue. There's now some needed excitement surrounding the program and something tells us Malone isn't done making a splash or two.
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With that said, things indeed feel like they are taking shape for the starting lineup next season. Yes, things are a bit unknown for Henri Veesaar (we'll have more on that below), but assuming he does return, North Carolina's starting five is loaded for Malone's debut campaign in Chapel Hill: Brown, Able, Neoklis Avdalas, Jarin Stevenson and Veesaar.
All eyes are on Henri Veesaar as he gets ready to make his NBA Draft decision
Yup, that projection sure has North Carolina looking like a Top 20 team heading into next campaign, and maybe even a Top 15 one. Avdalas, a former Virginia Tech playmaker, was the first transfer commit for Malone and he sure was a big one. He's got the versatility to play multiple positions for the Heels and he's a great shooter.
Next up, Brown scored nearly 20 points per game for Utah last season, while Able was a 4-star true freshman with NC State. Able's oozing with potential and who better to develop him for his sophomore season and beyond than Malone? Stevenson suited up for the Tar Heels last season and fans fell in love with his work ethic. He'll now be ready to be even more of a contributor moving forward.
That now leaves us with Veesaar. The expectation is that he'll likely enter his name into the NBA Draft and test the waters there. If he ends up getting a first-round grade, then he'll probably stay in the draft and no one will blame him for that.
However, several recent mocks have him listed as a mid second-round pick. If that's the feedback he ends up getting leading up to the deadline to pull himself out in May, he'll surely return to Carolina, right? That's what countless people are hoping for.
Getting Veesaar back is going to be massive for Malone, but things are a bit unclear there. If he does play one more year for UNC, then this team will be ready to make serious noise in the ACC next season and also wipe away the bad memories from the first-round loss to VCU in the NCAA Tournament. For now, assuming Veesaar does return, there's plenty to be excited about with what Malone's doing and he's not done just yet.
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