Our class grades continue with the junior class. The junior class was the biggest group for the Tar Heels at six — one more than the sophomore class, and one more than the freshman and senior class combined. On the whole, it was a bit of a mixed bag and consisted almost entirely of transfer players.
Henri Veesaar
Veesaar put his name in as one of the best UNC transfers during the UNC transfer period (Brady Manek, Cam Johnson, and Harrison Ingram would also be on the short list) finishing the season with a team-leading
15 double-doubles. He also led the team in three-point percentage, field goal percentage, total points, total rebounds, and total blocks while finishing second in points, rebounds, and blocks per game. Veesaar took advantage of his increased role from his time with Arizona and saw an increase in every stat except free throw shooting.
Grade: A. Not quite as good as Wilson, but to be fair who is? Veesaar gave us way more than anyone expected, and stayed the course even when Wilson was lost for the season.
Jarin Stevenson
Stevenson handled whatever the season threw at him. Going from starter at the three to start the season, to bench player half way through, to back to starting at the three after the West Coast disaster, to moving up to the four after Caleb got injured. Whatever the Tar Heels needed Stevenson to do, he did, and for the most part his numbers stayed consistent throughout the year.
Grade: A-. Much like Veesaar, Stevenson saw an increase in minutes and saw improvements in numbers, while also providing steady post play down the stretch when that became an area of concern for UNC.
Luka Bogavac
The hype around Bogavac never matched the production as the international transfer had a rough start with all the eligibility issues. Despite leading the team in three pointers made, Bogavac never really seemed to find his groove as — like Stevenson — he too moved in and out of the starting lineup. Bogavac hit double figures in points 18 times, but scored just 19 total points during the three-game losing streak that ended the North Carolina season.
Grade: B-. Bogavac was brought in as a deep ball specialist, and though he hit at least three threes eight times, he finished the season 3 of 12 from beyond the arc.
Jayden Young
Young was brought in from Virginia Tech to provide bench depth. However, despite starting a few games this year, for the most part the guard was a non-factor on the season. Young saw his minutes cut by a third from last season and with it his production, as he never really seemed to find a spot in Coach Davis’s rotation. Despite being from North Carolina, this may be the former Hokie’s only season at UNC.
Grade: D+. Never getting the trust of the coach makes it hard to get in a consistent rhythm. At least he was brought in for depth and not to start like the next guy on the list.
Kyan Evans
Evans came in to be the Tar Heels starting point guard, however, it was clear from the start that he did not have the skills to lead the team in that fashion. Not only did he lose his starting spot to freshman Derek Dixon, but he also saw all his stats plummet from the previous season. Losing 11 minutes per game would hurt any player, but he was not nearly as efficient from the three point line or the free throw line, where he shot career low percentages. Both were at least 15 percentage points lower than the previous season at Colorado State.
Grade: F. Evans proved to be the Gio Lopez of the basketball team, though unlike Lopez, Hubert Davis acknowledged his mistake and made a change for the better of the team.
Evan Smith
A former member of the now defunct JV team, Smith gave John Holbrook a friend to talk to during the season. Smith played a grand total of eight minutes in five games this season and should gain the honor of getting a start next season on Senior Night, assuming the new coach doesn’t end that tradition.
Grade: Blue Steel. Same grade as Holbrook, as they both represent what that title used to mean in college basketball before NIL and transfer portals changed everything.
What do you think of the junior class grades? Let us know in the comments below.
