Men's basketball roster movement: Roach returns to Duke; Guard commits to NC State
Posted March 30, 2023 2:23 p.m. EDT
Updated May 15, 2023 11:44 a.m. EDT
It's the season for roster changes.
The men's basketball rosters at Duke, NC State and North Carolina are no exception. Between the transfer portal and early entry into the NBA Draft, players are coming, going and, in some cases, sticking around.
A look at the roster moves for Duke, NC State and UNC:
Duke
Returning: Duke guard Jeremy Roach announced April 10 that he would declare for the NBA Draft, but retain his college eligibility. On May 15, Roach announced he would return to Duke for his senior season.
As a junior, Roach averaged 13.6 points and 3.1 assists per game in 32 games (30 starts) for Duke. As a sophomore, Roach's steady play at point guard helped Duke reach the Final Four. In 95 games (75 starts) for the Blue Devils, Roach has averaged 10.3 points and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 32.8% from 3-point range.
Roach's return, coupled with other key players coming back to Duke, could push the Blue Devils to a No. 1 preseason ranking.
Prospects are allowed to go through the NBA Draft process to gauge interest, but must withdraw by June 1, per the NCAA. Roach is not typically being selected in the two-round draft in most mock drafts. (April 10, Updated; May 15)
Transfer in: Neal Begovich, a Stanford transfer, committed to Duke, he announced on social media. Begovich, a 6-foot-9 forward, sepnt four seasons at Stanford, including a redshirt season. He played in just 15 games (two starts) over the last three season, averaging 1.1 points per game. (May 10)
Not coming: Duke signee Mackenzie Mgbako, a five-star recruit, has requested a release from his letter of intent and will reopen his recruiting, he announced on social media. The decision comes after center Kyle Filipowski, a second-team All-ACC selection, decided to return for his sophomore season. Mgbako, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward out of New Jersey, signed with Duke in November.
Returning: Center Kyle Filipowski, the ACC Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-ACC selection, announced April 11 that he would return for another season in Durham. Filipowski was projected as a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. He averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as a freshman. The 7-footer's return, given Duke's other returning players, could make the Blue Devils one of the top teams in the NCAA next season. (April 11)
NBA Draft: Center Dereck Lively II announced that he would declare for the NBA Draft. As a freshman, the 7-foot-1 Lively was a defensive stalwart for the Blue Devils, blocking 82 shots in 34 games (27 starts). He averaged 5.4 rebounds per game and 5.2 points per game. He had eight blocks and 14 rebounds in Duke's home victory against UNC. Lively is expected to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. (April 4)
Returning: Forward Mark Mitchell announced that he would return for his sophomore season. Mitchell averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 35 games, all starts, for the Blue Devils. Mitchell missed Duke's second-round NCAA Tournament loss against Tennessee. (March 30)
NBA Draft: Guard Dariq Whitehead announced that he would declare for the NBA Draft. Whitehead, who battled injuries as a freshman, played in 28 games (seven starts) in his lone season for the Blue Devils, averaging 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He shot 42.4 percent from 3-point range. (March 29)
Returning: Guard Tyrese Proctor announced that he would return for his sophomore season. Proctor, who emerged as a vital player for Duke, averaged 9.4 points and 4.7 assists in 36 games (34 starts) for the Blue Devils. (March 27)
NC State
Transfer in: Stanford guard Michael O'Connell committed to NC State, he announced on social media. O'Connell averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 assists per game as a junior. In three seasons at Stanford, O'Connell averaged 6.3 points and 3.2 assists per game. He played in 89 games (76 starts).
Transfer out: Isaiah Miranda, who joined the Wolfpack in the middle of the season but did not play, has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports. Miranda, at 7-foot-1, was a consensus four-star recruit and top-60 prospect in the Class of 2022.
Returning: Center DJ Burns announced April 27 that he would return for a final season with the Wolfpack. Burns, a 6-foot-9, 275-pounder who quickly became a fan favorite after arriving on campus in 2022, averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 34 games. He was the Big South player of the year for Winthrop in 2021-22. (April 27)
Transfer in: Mohammed Diarra, a 6-foot-10 forward from France, has committed to NC State, according to his Twitter account. Diarra played last season at Missouri, where he averaged 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 25 games (six starts). Diarra played two seasons at Garden City CC and was the No. 1-rated junior college recruit in the nation after averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in 2021-22. (April 24)
Transfer out: Dusan Mahorcic, a 6-foot-10 center who received a medial redshirt season last year, entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports. Mahorcic, a transfer from Utah, played in 10 games for the Wolfpack, averaging 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Transfer in: MJ Rice, a former 5-star guard from Henderson, NC, has committed to NC State, according to his Instagram account. Rice, a 2022 McDonald's All-American, committed to Kansas out of high school. He averaged just over seven minutes per game. At 6-foot-5, Rice brings size and play making ability to the NC State backcourt. He finished his high school career as a top-30 player in the country according to Rivals.com, 247Sports.com and ESPN100. (April 19)
Transfer in: Ben Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-10 forward from Clemson, has committed to NC State, according to multiple reports. Middlebrooks played in 60 games (11 starts) over two seasons for the Tigers, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He was a four-star recruit out of high school. (April 18)
Transfer in: DJ Horne, a Raleigh native who played at Leesville Road High and Cary High, is transferring to NC State, he announced on Twitter. Horne played two seasons at Arizona State and two seasons at Illinois State. In two years at Arizona State, Horne, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. At Illinois State, he averaged 15.1 points per game as a sophomore. Horne played at Leesville Road, Cary and Trinity Christian in high school. (April 17)
Transfer in: Jayden Taylor, a 6-foot-4 Butler guard, committed to NC State, according to multiple reports. Taylor played two seasons at Baylor and averaged a team-high 12.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23. Taylor, who is from Indianapolis, also led the team in steals.
Transfer out: Forward Greg Gantt will enter the transfer portal, according to reports. Gantt, from Fayetteville who transferred to NC State after two season at Providence, averaged 2.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 22 games (17 starts) for N.C. State in 2022-23. (March 29)
NBA Draft: Guard Terquavion Smith announced that he would declare for the NBA Draft after two seasons with the Wolfpack. Smith earned second-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore, averaging 17.9 points, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals. Smith, a Farmville Central High graduate, made 91 3-pointers, second in the ACC. (March 28)
Transfer out: Guard Jack Clark entered the transfer portal, transferred to NC State from LaSalle, played one season in Raleigh. He averaged 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds in 23 games (17 starts) for NC State. Clark has committed to Clemson, according to multiple reports. (March 24; Updated April 18)
Transfer out: Forward Ebenezer Dowuona entered the transfer portal. Dowuona averaged 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 30 games for the Wolfpack. Dowuona committed to Georgia Tech, according to reports on April 3. (March 23)
UNC
Transfer out: Guard D'Marco Dunn has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports. Dunn is the seventh UNC player from last year's team to go to the portal. In two seasons, the 6-foot-5 Dunn played 50 games (zero starts) for the Tar Heels, averaging 7.4 minutes per game. He averaged 1.9 points per game, including 2.7 as a sophomore in 2022-23. Dunn, who played high school in Fayetteville, scored a career-high 14 points in a career-high 25 minutes in January against Louisville. (May 11)
Transfer in: Harrison Ingram, a 6-foot-7 forward from Stanford, committed to UNC, he announced on social media. He played two seasons at Stanford, averaging 10.5 points per game as a freshman and as a sophomore. He averaged 6.2 rebounds per game in his Stanford career. (April 22)
Transfer in: Cormac Ryan, a 6-foot-5 guard from Notre Dame, committed to UNC, he announced on Instagram. Ryan played his first season at Stanford, then transferred to Notre Dame where he played three seasons. In 116 career games (87 starts), Ryan has averaged 10.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He has shot 35.2% from 3-point range in his career. Ryan shot 40.7% on 140 3-point attempts in 2021-22. But he shot 34.4% in 2020-21 and 2022-23. (April 20)
Transfer out: Will Shaver announced his commitment to UAB on social media. He had previously announced his commitment to Belmont. Shaver, a 6-foot-10 forward, played in just three games for UNC in 2022-23. He joined the team at midseason during the 2021-22 season, but did not season any game action. (Update: May 11)
Transfer in: Jaelyn Withers, a forward from Louisville, has committed to UNC, according to multiple reports. Withers, 6-foot-9 and from Charlotte, averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Cardinals. He played three seasons for Louisville.
Transfer in: Paxson Wojcik, a graduate transfer from Brown, announced his commitment to UNC. Wojcik averaged 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game for Brown, a member of the Ivy League.
Transfer out: Guard Caleb Love announced he will transfer to Michigan on his social media accounts on April 4. Love, a three-year starter, announced he would transfer from UNC.
Love averaged 16.7 points as a junior, but shot just 29.9% from 3-point range. Love, who played a starring role in the Tar Heels' run to the national title game in 2022, averaged 14.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 101 career games at UNC. (March 27)
Returning: Junior guard RJ Davis announced that he would return for a fourth season at UNC. Davis, who has started 81 games in three seasons, averaged a career-high 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a junior. (March 24)
Returning: Senior big man Armando Bacot announced that he would return to UNC for a fifth season. Bacot, the school's all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles, averaged 15.9 points and 13.1 rebounds per game for UNC, which missed the NCAA Tournament. (March 22)
Transfer out: Junior wing Puff Johnson announced that he would enter the transfer portal. Johnson averaged 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game as part of the Tar Heels' seldom-used bench. (March 22)
Transfer out: Guard Dontrez Styles entered the transfer portal, according to reports. Styles, from Kinston, played in 15 games for the Tar Heels as a sophomore, averaging 5.9 minutes per game. Styles, who had nine points in 25 minutes in UNC's upset of top-seeded Baylor in the 2022 NCAA Tournament as a freshman, averaged 1.4 points per game as a sophomore. (March 17)
Transfer out: Forward Justin McKoy, who transferred to UNC from Virginia, entered the transfer portal, according to reports. McKoy, part of that seldom-used UNC bench, played in 11 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. McKoy announced that he had committed to Hawaii on April 4. (March 13)
Transfer out: Tyler Nickel entered the transfer portal after one season with the Tar Heels. Nickel played in 25 games as a reserve, averaging just six minutes and 2.1 points. He scored a career-high 16 points in a December victory. Nickel committed to Virginia Tech, according to reports on March 30. (March 13)