Sayon Keita, a seven-foot center currently playing with FC Barcelona in Spain, has committed to the UNC men’s basketball program for the 2026-27 season.

Keita, originally from Bamako, Mali, is currently 18 years old and will arrive in Chapel Hill with multiple years of eligibility. But the belief is he won’t need four years to go pro: DraftExpress describes Keita as “a projected 2027 lottery pick, oozing talent as a finisher, passer, offensive rebounder and shot-blocker.”

With Barcelona, Keita has played sparingly for the club’s senior team but has shown more with its youth squad, averaging 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Inside Carolina reports Keita first came to the attention of American scouts during the summer of 2025, when he earned Defensive MVP honors at a camp featuring top U.S. high schoolers. Keita averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and a whopping 3.2 blocks per game. He continued to play well at the NBA Academy Games, averaging a double-double.

Following that productive summer, Keita drew the interest of college basketball’s elite programs. He visited Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Duke, UNC and UConn all in the span of less than a week, stopping in Chapel Hill on Aug. 1 of last year — when Hubert Davis was still the Tar Heels’ head coach.

Keita’s commitment appears to fill the void on UNC’s roster left by the departing Henri Veesaar, who recently declared for the NBA Draft. Keita is the first international recruit to join the Tar Heels during the 2026 offseason, and he is one more piece in a roster overhaul engineered by new head coach Michael Malone and general manager Jim Tanner. For a full list of Carolina’s newcomers for the 2026-27 season, click here.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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