After North Carolina fired Hubert Davis, several players exited the program and entered the transfer portal. Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone has since taken over the program and he immediately went to work on both the transfer portal and high school recruitment. He has reportedly set his sights on a four-star high school senior who previously decommitted from LSU.
According to Inside Carolina and On3’s Joe Tipton, Malone has scheduled a visit with four-star small forward Kevin Thomas, who has proven his versatility in high school.
Considered a perimeter player, Thomas originally committed to LSU. However, after then-head coach Matt McMahon was fired, he immediately decommitted and opened up his recruitment once again. He is considered an athletic wing who can score from the perimeter and also defend.
He picked LSU over Auburn, Florida State and Miami, though Malone is confident he could secure the wing. Thomas played for the famous Florida powerhouse, Montverde Academy, which produced Cooper Flagg, during his senior year. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals, scoring 60 three-pointers.
He will be looking to land a spot for the FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in León, Mexico in June. To do that, Thomas will take part in the USA Basketball camp from May 21–23 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His recruitment could be a mark of things to come under Malone.
How Has Michael Malone Done So Far For UNC’s High School Recruitment?
Malone came in as the transfer portal was about to open, and when North Carolina was bleeding recruits. However, he did get Sierra Canyon small forward Maximo Adams to sign with the Tar Heels, the first big recruitment success of the Malone era.
He soon followed this up with a commitment from unstarred Malloy Smith and five-star Spanish center Sayon Keita. Currently, 247Sports ranks the program as the No. 22 recruiting class of the 2026 cycle. Should he land Thomas, this ranking could go up.
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