The incoming freshman class for UNC men’s basketball’s 2020-21 season is one of the largest and most talented for the program in years. On Tuesday, the program revealed how fans will begin to identify them: jersey numbers.
Carolina’s men’s basketball social media accounts shared the players’ chosen numbers on Tuesday night.
Combo-guard Caleb Love chose #2, which he wore his senior year at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He becomes the latest guard to choose the number, taking over the mantle after Cole Anthony wore it during the 2019-2020 season. Previously, point guards like Raymond Felton and Joel Berry II have also worn #2.
Guard R.J. Davis from White Plains, New York, is coming off being named the state’s top high school player his senior year. Davis will be taking #4, which was worn the last few years by Brandon Robinson. Prior to that, forward Isiah Hicks sported the number.
Forward Day’Ron Sharpe of Greenville, North Carolina, selected #11, which became possible with the graduation of reserve forward Shea Rush from the team. Honored Tar Heels like Larry Brown and Brice Johnson have worn it in the past.
Walker Kessler will be wearing #13 his first year. The Woodward Academy forward from Fairburn, Georgia, takes the number now available with Jeremiah Francis transferring from the program. Francis took it after Cameron Johnson wore it the previous two years and the only Tar Heel honored in the Dean E. Smith rafters who wore the number was John “Hook” Dillon from the 1940s.
Forward Puff Johnson chose to one-up his brother, Cameron, and selected #14 for his first year. The wing from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, chose a number unworn by any of last year’s team. It was last worn by Robinson in his freshman season, 2016-2017. Before then, reserve Desmond Hubert wore the number in 2014-2015. No Tar Heels honored in the rafters have worn #14.
Lastly, guard Kerwin Walton from Hopkins, Minnesota, selected #24. Tar Heel fans will remember Kenny Williams most recently wearing the number through his four years at UNC. In the past, Marvin Williams and Carolina great Walter Davis donned the number.
Photo via Todd Melet.
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