Former Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone may be in for a fight as he experiences the college basketball transfer portal in the NIL era for the first time. With him about to take the reigns of the North Carolina Tar Heels, he is aiming for some stars and one of his targets just cut his list down to three. Now, the coach must step up as former five-star freshman Jalen Haralson has got two other big programs bidding for him.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein is reporting that North Carolina will be going against Tennessee and Ohio State for Haralson, who previously played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. With his list cut down to three, the combo guard may be making his decision very soon.
As a combo guard, Jalen Haralson could play both as shooting guard or small forward and can be seamless in slotting in for either position. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and he is very efficient, shooting at 51.5% per game as a freshman, making him a very good target for any team, especially ones that are rebuilding like North Carolina.
With a new coach comes a new system, and this has resulted in a mass exodus of North Carolina players entering the transfer portal. The Tar Heels are expected to lose seven players to the portal alone, with Mike Malone not yet being able to sign any new player yet in the portal’s opening.
Which Players Are Leaving Mike Malone’s North Carolina Tar Heels?
The biggest name leaving North Carolina is freshman guard CG Derek Dixon, rated a four-star transfer by On3 Rivals. They are also set to lose power forward Zayden High and sophomore power forward James Brown, both four-star transfers.
Also leaving via the transfer portal will be junior point guard Kyan Evans, sophomore shooting guard Jonathan Powell, junior combo guard Jaydon Young and four-star freshman combo guard Isaiah Denis. So far, none of them have been able to find a new team yet, but could go back to Chapel Hill if they do not find one.
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