North Carolina will look for players overseas with some of the top prospects in the transfer portal already having decided where they want to play college basketball.
This comes after the departure of center Henri Veesaar. Veesaar, who averaged 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, announced he was forgoing his final year of eligibility and entering his name in the NBA draft.
His exit leaves a huge hole in UNC’s roster, which does not have a bona fide center. James Brown (Howard) and Zayden High (South Florida) have both left for new schools, and Ivan Matlekovic is also unlikely to return.
With that in mind, North Carolina will use its connections to look for talent in Europe, a market it knows well. The Tar Heels brought over former key wing Luka Bogavac from Montenegro, and head coach Michael Malone and general manager Jim Tanner have long-standing ties in Europe.
Here are some names the Tar Heels have been in contact with.
Sayon Keita (7-0, 215)
Keita plays for FC Barcelona in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He has played 13 games this season. In the six EuroLeague games, Keita averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds while making 58.3% of his shots from the field. All of his attempts were two-pointers. Keita averaged 0.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in seven Liga ACB games.
At 18 years old, Keita is an elite defender with a rare combination of size, length and athleticism that allows him to impact both ends of the floor. He’s highly effective in pick-and-roll situations, often finishing plays with alley-oops set up by well-timed screens. His highlight tape features plenty of explosive finishes and rim protection.
He first gained attention at both the NBPA Top 100 Camp and NBA Academy Games, averaging 13.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and four blocks per game.
While Keita’s potential is undeniable, his game remains raw. He’s still learning how to fully utilize his 7-foot, 215-pound frame. He’s shown flashes of scoring ability with his back to the basket—most notably a developing right hook—and has intriguing upside as a vertical spacer and shot blocker.
Joakim Boumtje-Boumtje (6-11, 230)
The 6-11 Spaniard is considered one of the youngest high-level prospects in Europe. He will not turn 17 until late May and plays for the FC Barcelona youth team.
247Sports ranks him as the No. 117 prospect and the No. 17 center in the 2027 class. He has averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in four games this season, shooting 61.7% on 2-point attempts (29 of 47) and 28.6% from 3-point range (4 of 14).
His father is Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, who starred at Georgetown and later spent three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers before playing internationally through 2011.
The left-hander is also a United States citizen. He was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was invited to the 2025 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp.
Alexondros Samodurov (6-11, 212)
Samodurov, a 21-year-old, 6-foot-11 forward from Greece, has declared for the NBA draft but is also considering the college route.
He still plays for Panathinaikos in both the Greek Basketball League and the EuroLeague. In 29 combined games, he averaged 5.1 points and 1.7 rebounds, shooting 76.9% from 2-point range and 26.7% from 3-point range (8 of 30).
He played last summer in FIBA EuroBasket. In nine games for the Greek national team, he averaged 4.9 points and 4.6 blocked shots. Samodurov made 7 of 12 3-pointers (58.3%) in that event and also hit 5 of 19 from beyond the arc (26.3%).
He reportedly has indirect ties to the Tar Heel program as a longtime friend of Neoklis Avdalas, who recently joined North Carolina via the transfer portal. They both played for Panathinaikos during the 2022-23 season.
Mouhamed “Momo” Faye (6-10, 223)
Mouhamed “Momo” Faye (6-10, 223 pounds) has three seasons of high-level European experience and profiles primarily as a rim-running center whose production almost entirely comes around the basket. He is excellent on the offensive glass — posting a 15.6 offensive rebounding percentage in all competitions with Paris — and he excels at finishing alley-oops and dump-offs out of the pick-and-roll and running the floor.
Defensively, Faye is aggressive and stands out as a shot blocker, recording a 6.6 block percentage. For his size, he moves well, showing the agility to change direction, play drop coverage and occasionally switch onto the perimeter.
While playing for Pallacanestro Reggiana in the top flight of Italian basketball, Faye averaged 9.0 points and 6.8 rebounds against domestic competition while sharing the frontcourt with former NBA big man Kenneth Faried.
Across EuroLeague and French league play this season, he is averaging 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds for Paris Basketball.
Faye remains relatively new to basketball and is still raw offensively. He is still developing his post game and his free-throw shooting could be an issue.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Tar Heels target European big men