Neoklis Avdalas, who spent his first season in college basketball playing at Virginia Tech, reportedly committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal Monday.

Originally from Athens, Greece, Avdalas played professionally in the Greek HEBA A1 league for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, averaging 7.7 points per game. The 6-foot-9 guard has also played internationally, representing Greece at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament in 2025.

Avdalas decided to open his recruitment to American college teams in 2025 and was ranked as the No. 2 international newcomer in his class by 247Sports. He eventually landed at Virginia Tech, where he started all 31 contests for the Hokies and averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the Hokies in 2025-26. He ranked eighth in the ACC in assists per game and was one of five players in the league with multiple games of 30 or more points.

Avdalas earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors twice and was named Co-Player of the Week with UNC’s Caleb Wilson on Nov. 10. That honor came after Avdalas scored 33 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists in an overtime win against Providence. Avdalas shot 5-8 on three-pointers in the game, though for the season his three-point percentage sat at just 31.4 percent. In Virginia Tech’s 89-82 loss in Chapel Hill on Feb. 28, Avdalas finished as the Hokies’ leading scorer with 19 points, while also adding five assists and three rebounds. He shot 3-6 on threes.

Avdalas is the first player to commit to UNC out of the transfer portal in the 2026 cycle.

 

Featured image via Virginia Tech Athletics

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