UNC Backup Guard Announces Return for 2026-27 Season

Replacing Davis is none other than former NBA champion Michael Malone, who is making his return to coaching after spending a year as a television analyst. Malone hasn’t coached in the NCAA since 2001, and has never held a head coaching position at that level, so the pressure will certainly be on to be competitive right away, especially at one of college basketball’s most prestigious programs. 

As for Denis, he averaged 1.9 points per game in just 10 appearances as a freshman this past season. With him returning for next season, he’ll be looking to have a much more significant impact on a team undergoing a significant makeover. A 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, Denis could be in line for an increased role as a sophomore given the amount of losses the team has suffered this offseason. 

Tar Heels Suffering Losses 

The Tar Heels are losing quite a bit of production this offseason. In the transfer portal, the Tar Heels are losing seven players from last season’s roster (Luka Bogavac, Ivan Matlekovic, James Brown, Zayden High, Kyan Evans, Jonathan Powell, Derek Dixon).

Additionally, guard Seth Trimble is out of eligibility, and star freshman forward Caleb Wilson is headed to the NBA Draft, where he is projected to be selected inside the top 5 later this summer. Big man Henri Veesaar hasn’t decided what his future plans are as of yet, and five-star incoming freshman Dylan Mingo reopened his recruitment in light of Malone’s hiring. 

So far, Malone has only brought in Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas. They’ve continued to show interest in other high-impact transfers and were able to keep incoming freshman Maximo Adams. Nonetheless, the Tar Heels have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason as they look to put forth a competitive roster in year one of Malone’s tenure as head coach.