The North Carolina Tar Heels had a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season, losing to Alabama in the Sweet 16 after having national championship aspirations. The Tar Heels have a solid roster for this year, but they have a bright future as well. North Carolina and head coach Hubert Davis landed a big commitment from Isaiah Denis, a local star player, as per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

Isaiah Denis’ commitment to North Carolina gives Hubert Davis his second recruit from the class of 2025. Denis’ will join fellow guard Derek Dixon from Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C. on the Tar Heels’ roster for the 2025-26 season.

Denis chose North Carolina over offers from Ohio State, Tennessee, Wake Forest and Miami. He has the ability to play both point guard and shooting guard and is considered top overall high school prospect in the state of North Carolina.

UNC has continued interest and offers out to several other top players in the class of 2025 including AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat, Caleb Wilson, Nate Ament and Niko Bundalo.

Denis will be completing his senior year at nearby Davidson Day School.

North Carolina looking for strong 2024-25 season

North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) and forward Nick Pringle (23) in the second half in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into this season, the Tar Heels are going to feel the loss of a few key contributors from last year’s team. Gone is Armando Bacot who exhausted his college basketball eligibility. Harrison Ingram declared for the NBA Draft and will begin his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs. Cormac Ryan also used up his remaining college basketball eligibility.

But North Carolina received good news when Seth Trimble withdrew his name from the transfer portal and opted to return to the team. Trimble was the Tar Heels’ leading scorer off the bench last season and finished third in the ACC Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Star guard RJ Davis also opted to return to North Carolina after testing the NBA Draft waters. A few other key players decided to return as well including sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau and junior forward Jalen Washington and graduate student Jae’Lyn Withers.

The Tar Heels will also be boosted by three transfer portal additions in former Georgia Tech forward Ty Claude, former Belmont forward Cade Tyson and former Vanderbilt forward Ven-Allen Lubin.

For most of last season, the Tar Heels were one of the top ranked teams in the country and were looking like a contender for the national championship. But they lost in a close game to Alabama in the Sweet 16.