Jarin Stevenson is not wired to be the guy filling every pause or barking through every drill. That much is clear before he even says a word. The senior forward from Chapel Hill is quiet by nature, and even stepping to a preseason microphone at the Smith Center on Thursday felt like a stretch.
Still, he showed up wearing a shirt that read: "And I took that personally."
That message fits the moment around Stevenson. North Carolina wants more from him this season - more voice, more edge, more command.
Coach Michael Malone and teammates have been pushing him to be tougher, more aggressive and more willing to lead, both in games and in practice. And because Stevenson grew up 15 minutes from the Smith Center, he also understands the assignment better than most.
He is one of only three returning scholarship players on a roster that has 11 newcomers in Chapel Hill.
Stevenson admitted the leadership part does not come naturally.
"I'm a shy, reserved type of guy usually," Stevenson said. "Just pushing out of that shell and doing different things as a leader.
Sometimes it's not even talking a bunch, sometimes it's showing different things or going over different things. Just pushing out of that shell and being able to showcase and talk and do different things with the people I want to teach."
UNC is also asking for more on the floor, where Stevenson’s value is obvious. At 6-foot-10, he gives the Tar Heels a versatile defender who can guard one-through-five.
He can stretch the floor, score and rebound, too. In his first season at UNC, he averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Stevenson called himself a Swiss Army knife in Malone’s system.
The signs of a more forceful version of Stevenson have already started to show. Senior guard Jaydon Young said he has noticed more trash-talking from Stevenson during summer workouts and the early days of practice, which he sees as a step forward.
"We're bringing it out of him," Young said. "Jarin doesn't really understand how good he is I don't think. So, feeding him positive energy, giving him confidence every single day and just throwing him the ball [and telling him to] go do your thing."
Malone’s practice setup is helping, too. UNC tracks wins and losses in every scrimmage and drill, and Stevenson said losing brings out his best side. When his team falls behind, the edge shows up.
"When my team is losing in practice, especially if we don't get off to a good start, I find that fire and try to ignite my team," Stevenson said. "There's been a couple of practices where our team wasn't doing well, so I have a little fiery edge and try to get our team going."
The challenge now is making that response more routine. UNC does not just need Stevenson to spark when things go sideways in practice. It needs that urgency to show up every day, in every setting.
That does not mean he has to become the loudest player in the gym. It means knowing when to speak, when to lean on his physicality and when to simply make the play that changes a possession.
North Carolina already knows what Stevenson can be. As he heads into his senior season, the task is getting that version of him to show up consistently.
Maybe that starts with taking things personally.
In Other News...
UNC May Not Have To Wait Long On Five-Star Guard Nasir Anderson
Nasir Andersons official visit to Chapel Hill gave North Carolina another chance to make its case with one of the top guards in the class. The highly rated recruit shared photos from the trip on social media, including shots from inside the Dean Smith Center, while UNC coach Michael Malone has already spent multiple visits at Andersons high school trying to keep the Tar Heels near the front of the line.
The trip may have done more than just reinforce UNCs interest. Andersons recruitment timeline could be moving faster after seeing campus, which is a good sign for a program hoping not to let the chase drag on too long. No commitment has been announced yet, but the visit gave the Tar Heels another reason to feel like this one might not linger deep into the cycle. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Women Face Rising Pressure At ITA All-Americans
Carolinas women were still alive in key draws at the ITA All-American Championships, with Nicole Khirin moving into the singles round of 16 after beating Anastasiia Grechkina. The Tar Heels also kept one doubles pairing in the main bracket, as Zampardo and Maltby advanced to the quarterfinals and remained the only Carolina duo left there.
Elsewhere in the event, Rabman and Manning stayed busy in consolation play with a win over Wichita State, a useful result in a tournament that quickly starts separating contenders from the rest. For Carolina, the early returns have been strong enough to keep the pressure pointed forward, with the next rounds now carrying the weight of how far this group can push in Stillwater. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Fans Have Two Bye Week Games That Could Change Everything
For UNC fans, the bye week is doing more than just providing a breather. It is also a chance to keep an eye on a couple of college football games that can say a lot about the Tar Heels own path, especially when it comes to measuring teams UNC has already seen or could see again. TCU at UCF and Clemson at Cal stand out as the kind of barometer games that help put recent Tar Heels matchups into better perspective.
Those games carry real value because they offer a cleaner read on how those programs are trending, and by extension how UNCs results may age as the season goes on. There is also a future Notre Dame-Purdue matchup on the radar, another reminder that the schedule around UNC is full of contests that can shape the broader picture, even when the Tar Heels themselves are not on the field. [Read more 🡒]