Basketball season is right around the corner, which means it’s almost time for the Tar Heels to take center stage at the annual ACC Tipoff event in Charlotte.
This year, for obvious reasons, UNC will look very different in terms of representation, giving the conference and its media members their first real opportunity to hear from the Tar Heels ahead of the highly anticipated first season of the Michael Malone era.
We know Malone will be in attendance, but which members of the team will be joining him?
UNC to be represented by two key pieces of Malone's first roster
In each of the last two seasons, Seth Trimble represented the program at the event. RJ Davis (2024) and Henri Veesaar (2025) joined Trimble in Charlotte, but, as we all know, all three players are no longer with the program.
That means, a pair of Tar Heels will get some national media exposure by attending the 2026 ACC Tipoff event for the first time.
When the Tar Heels roll into Charlotte, Neoklis Avdalas and Jarin Stevenson will be the student-athletes representing the UNC basketball program.
Neo Avdalas and Jarin Stevenson will represent UNC basketball at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte
— Rodd Baxley (@RoddBaxley) September 28, 2026
It's no surprise that Stevenson is one of the players representing the program at this event. One of the few returners from last year's squad, Stevenson is expected to play a major role on this year's team, as Malone and his staff have called upon him to lead this new-look group.
For the other player representative, there were some good options to choose from. Malone could've brought any of his transfer portal additions, including the likes of Matt Able and Terrence Brown, but went with Avdalas, one of the most intriguing additions of the offseason.
After his freshman season at Virginia Tech, Avdalas decided he needed at least another year at the collegiate level before going pro. He entered the transfer portal and quickly became Malone's top recruiting target, and his commitment set the tone for the rest of the offseason.
It's not every day you can add a 6-foot-9 presence with a guard's playmaking ability to your roster. Talk about versatility!
Ahead of the start of this new era of Carolina Basketball, it will be very interesting to hear what the trio have to say ahead of the 2026-2027 season. While they've all spoken to the media, this scenario is quite different, as each program gets their opportunity to shine in front of the media members who will be following their journey throughout the entire upcoming season.
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