Report: Zayden High Expected to Return to UNC Men’s Basketball Team Next Season

Editor’s Note: An article from the Raleigh News & Observer published Thursday, May 1 reports High was suspended from the university in the fall of 2024 for sexual misconduct and exploitation. He has since re-enrolled. You can read that report in full here.

Zayden High, who spent his freshman year with the UNC men’s basketball program during the 2023-24 season but was not a member of the team in 2024-25, is expected to return to the Tar Heels for what will be his junior year in 2025-26, according to a report from Inside Carolina.

High, a forward originally from San Antonio, TX, came to UNC as a four-star prospect. He appeared in 23 games during the 2023-24 season and averaged 4.4 minutes per game. The following offseason, UNC announced in a short statement that High was no longer enrolled at the university. He did not play college basketball during the 2024-25 season.

According to the Inside Carolina report, High quietly re-enrolled at UNC in January. The report also stated High retained access to the Dean Smith Center and other UNC basketball facilities, working out away from the team. A program spokesman declined to comment on High’s status.

High’s return would make him one of the only members of the team next season with experience playing for the Tar Heels. Guard Seth Trimble and forward James Brown are the only other returners, as UNC is expected to lose its entire starting lineup of R.J. Davis, Elliot Cadeau, Drake Powell, Jae’Lyn Withers and Ven-Allen Lubin. Davis and Withers are out of collegiate eligibility, while Cadeau has transferred to Michigan. Powell declared for the NBA Draft and Lubin has entered the transfer portal, though he has expressed his “full intent” to return to UNC.

Featured image via Todd Melet

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