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Seth Trimble and D’Marco Dunn have made their positions clear.
On the day before the transfer portal closed, Trimble said he was returning to Carolina next season, and if someone beats him out for playing time that only means the Tar Heels will be better. If he loses minutes, so be it.
Dunn, to the contrary, went into the portal on the last day, which is another sign that Elliot Cadeau is reclassifying and will be on campus this summer as the assumed new point guard for Hubert Davis in 2023-24.
Dunn’s game improved as a sophomore and he was expected to contend for a starting position as either a shooting guard or small forward. But if Cadeau does come, he and R.J. Davis will be the starting guards, with Trimble and incoming freshman Simeon Wilcher as their back-ups.
Carolina has added at least two new players in the suddenly crowded backcourt. Davis looks to have his eight-, nine- or ten-man rotation all set.
Could Dunn have beaten out sixth-year, 6-5 grad student Cormac Ryan, who is billed as the tough, smart player that Carolina lacked last season? Is Dunn better than grad student Paxson Wojcik, who’ll get minutes as a 2-3?
The front court is set with super senior Armando Bacot and sophomore Jalen Washington joined by transfers Harrison Ingram from Stanford and Jae’Lyn Withers from Louisville, both with two years remaining of college eligibility. Incoming 6-9 freshman big Zayden High has to show himself in practice to earn some minutes or perhaps face a red-shirt season.
Neither the Trimble nor Dunn decisions are a surprise.
Trimble does not project as a starter here or for most other Power 5 programs until he becomes a more reliable 3-point shooter and improves his assist to turnover ratio (21-20).
Dunn would have competed to start as a 2-3 man, but competition at both positions is already fierce. And if Cadeau surprises all and stays in high school, Dunn is still eligible to return to Chapel Hill.
The latest moves leave only four returning scholarship players and, if Cadeau comes early, 11 overall, which gives Davis some roster flexibility with two scholarships still open.
But, as it stands, we are looking at the revamped roster, and with its experience there is no reason why the Tar Heels should not play their bench for more of the 200 minutes per game than they have the last two seasons and truly become one of the deepest teams in the ACC.
Should be exciting to watch them coalesce.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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