With Judge Charlotte Sweeney’s ruling that 2022 athletes who have exhausted their four years of eligibility are now eligible for a fifth season, there are a lot of athletes who are now looking for their next college destination. To be fair, the decision is one the NCAA should’ve made to begin with, it never made sense to not include the recruits of 2022. The NCAA will probably appeal the decision (though based on most of the recent rulings this will probably stand), but in the meantime this opens the door for UNC, specifically the basketball team to add another player or two to its vastly revamped roster.
Currently there are two players connected to the Tar Heels and it should be no surprise that both are big men. The first is former Florida backup center Micah Handlogten. Handlogten is a 7’1 center originally from Lake Norman, NC who started his career at Marshall before transferring to play his last three years for the Gators. Last season Handlogten averaged 4.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in just under 15 minutes per game last season for Florida. One of his signature games came in the National Championship game where he helped the Gators erase a 12-point deficit to win it all finishing with four rebounds and a block.
The other big being mentioned is Cameron Fens from South Dakota. Fens is also listed at 7 feet and averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 57.9% from the field. For his efforts, Fens was named first team All Summit League and All Defense team. Fens had 12 double-doubles last season including a season best 31 points and 15 rebounds in a win against the Kansas City Roos.
Neither player provides spacing. Fens has one three-point attempt in four college seasons, while Handlogten has 23 attempts (though he did hit 5 out of 10 his sophomore season). Handlogten comes from a Power 4 conference though as a backup, while Fens adds starting experience albeit from a mid-major conference.
If it were me I would love to add both, but would lean toward Fens, though I understand the fear of the mid-major curse, though I don’t think he would be expected to take on more than a back-up role. Handlogten would add depth with championship experience and there is a chance he has a Veesaar like jump, so again either is a fine addition.
So, which one would you add? Is there someone else you would rather add (non-Trimble answers as he is focused on his pro career)? Do you think the Tar Heels should be focused on a position other than center? Let us know in the comments below.