The UNC men’s basketball program has announced its full roster, complete with jersey numbers, for the 2026-27 season, the team’s first under head coach Michael Malone.

The roster features six players from the 2025-26 team: senior forward Jarin Stevenson, senior guard Jaydon Young, senior guard Evan Smith, junior forward John Holbrook and sophomore guard Isaiah Denis. Of those six players, four will wear the same jersey number from last season: Stevenson (No. 15), Young (No. 4) and Smith (No. 32). Denis will trade in his No. 5 jersey for No. 2, last worn by center James Brown in 2025-26. Brown has since transferred. Holbrook, meanwhile, will become the first Tar Heel ever to wear the No. 99 jersey.

UNC rosters four freshmen: forward Maximo Adams and wing Malloy Smith, both from California; guard Kevin Thomas from Florida and center Sayon Keita, who is originally from Mali and played professionally in Spain. Adams will wear No. 25, which was previously worn by Holbrook before he switched to No. 99. Smith will follow in the footsteps of both his father Kenny Smith and brother K.J. Smith by donning the No. 30 jersey for the Tar Heels. Keita will wear No. 21, most recently worn by Will Shaver during the 2022-23 season. Thomas, who signed with UNC after decommitting from LSU, will wear the No. 5 jersey vacated by Denis.

Several transfers join the Tar Heels in 2026-27. Angelo Brizzi from Buffalo and Cameron Fens from South Dakota are both graduates playing their final seasons, while Terrence Brown from Utah will enroll as a senior. Greek national Alexandros Samodurov, who played professionally for the Athenian club Panathinaikos, will be classified as a junior. Former NC State standout Matt Able and Virginia Tech star Neo Avdalas will be sophomores, and former Northwestern Wildcat Cade Bennerman will be a redshirt freshman. The jersey numbers for each are as follows: Brizzi will wear No. 14 (most recently worn by Russell Hawkins), Fens No. 54 (last worn by Vasco Evtimov in 1997), Samodurov No. 22 (Ven-Allen Lubin in 2025), Able No. 3 (Derek Dixon last season), Avdalas No. 17 (Bill White in 1950) and Bennerman No. 35 (Ryan McAdoo in 2022).

For a full look at UNC’s roster, including heights, weights and hometowns, click here.

 

Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Todd Melet

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

 

Related Stories
‹
The Morning News: Alert Carolina, Armed Robbery Arrest, Seth Jarvis Helping Kids
In today's news: UNC students raise concerns about Alert Carolina, and Chapel Hill police make an arrest in yesterday's armed robbery.
Tar Heel Athletes, Teams Volunteer Around Chapel Hill for Annual Montross Day of Service
To honor the birthday of the late Eric Montross, The Rams Club issued a call to action for UNC teams and fans to volunteer.
Are They Eligible? Keeping Up with UNC's Rece Verhoff, Cameron Fens and Others
Student-athletes across the country are currently embroiled in an eligibility fight against the NCAA. The athletes, who graduated high school in 2022, are seeking a fifth year of eligibility under the NCAA’s new rules. However, the NCAA is countering that the rule only applies to students currently in college from the 2026-27 academic year forward. […]
The Morning News: CHCCS Bus Issue, Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Search, UNC Men's Basketball Schedule
In today's news: UNC scholars study the impact of the CHCCS bus snafu on families, and Chapel Hill seeks a new poet laureate.
UNC Men's Basketball Releases 2026-27 ACC Schedule
The ACC revealed the men’s basketball league schedule for the 2026-27 season Wednesday afternoon. UNC’s league games begin Dec. 30 and end March 6. Mark your calendars 📅 pic.twitter.com/BXaZ7OHdJd — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) September 9, 2026 The Tar Heels will begin conference play by hosting Cal at the Smith Center Wednesday, Dec. 30. Carolina is […]
The Morning News: Orange County Honors Jamezetta Bedford, Michael Lombardi Resigns
In today's news: Orange County names its new crisis diversion facility after the late County Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford.
Michael Malone Announces Full UNC Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
Michael Malone and the UNC men’s basketball program have officially announced the full coaching staff for the 2026-27 season, Malone’s first as head coach of the Tar Heels. Official. pic.twitter.com/KmX5Ct793x — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) September 3, 2026 The staff features three holdovers from former head coach Hubert Davis’ staff: Sean May and Pat Sullivan will […]
'Something Much Bigger than Myself': Highlights from Michael Malone's Sep. 3 Press Conference
UNC men’s basketball head coach Michael Malone met with the media at the Dean Smith Center Thursday morning. In his comments, Malone addressed eligibility issues around center Cameron Fens, the shifting legal landscape around college sports, his coaching style and more. Read highlights from the press conference, which have been lightly edited for clarity, below: […]
UNC's Cameron Fens Now Ineligible After Tennessee Court Ruling
Cameron Fens, a seven-foot center who transferred to UNC from South Dakota earlier in August, is now ineligible to play for the Tar Heels in the 2026-27 season after ruling from the Tennessee Court of Appeals Wednesday. The court has issued a stay on the injunction granted to several athletes – Fens included – who […]
Full 2026-27 Roster, Jersey Numbers Announced for UNC Men's Basketball
The UNC men’s basketball program has announced its full roster, complete with jersey numbers, for the 2026-27 season, the team’s first under head coach Michael Malone. The squad is set 🔒 pic.twitter.com/oQ3cJfS4iH — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) August 21, 2026 The roster features six players from the 2025-26 team: senior forward Jarin Stevenson, senior guard Jaydon Young, senior […]
›