UNC Basketball got a welcome answer to one of its biggest roster questions when Cameron Fens decided to join the Tar Heels.
With a federal judge allowing players to use all five years, UNC simply took advantage of the opening. That matters because Michael Malone’s first roster in Chapel Hill was taking shape as a group with upside, but not much proven size.
The Tar Heels listed three players at center, yet only one of them - Cade Bennerman - is from the United States, and he hasn’t played a meaningful college minute after redshirting his first year. The other two, Sayon Keita and Alexandros Samodurov, are still adjusting to the pace and style of the college game.
UNC did have Jarin Stevenson as a taller option who could slide to the five when needed, but his best fit is still closer to a free-flowing four than a back-to-the-basket anchor who rebounds and protects the rim every trip down.
That left room for another center, and Fens fills it with a real body of work. He played all 32 games for South Dakota last season, and he was one of only two players on the roster to appear in every game.
He averaged 25.2 minutes per night, which would have put him right in the mix with Carolina’s regulars. The production was there too: 14 points and nearly nine rebounds a game, the kind of line that looks about right for a steady college center.
The fit goes beyond just the box score. Fens gives the Tar Heels someone the younger bigs can watch and learn from in practice, especially with Sean May still in the building and Malone able to lean on his past success with Nikola Jokić when he wants players to buy into his teaching. That combination should help UNC build more confidence on the interior.
There’s also the pace factor. From the videos the program has posted on social media, the new staff seems intent on playing fast, and that makes depth even more valuable. A center who can stay on the floor and hold up physically only adds to that plan.
Still, the jump from South Dakota to the ACC is no small thing. Fens saw just three high-major opponents last season - Missouri, Creighton, and Kansas State - and in two of those games he finished in single digits.
Against Kansas State, though, he put up 17 points in a 30-point loss. The bigger-picture concern is obvious too: it took a court-ordered fifth year for him to get from the Summit League to this level.
Even with that in mind, UNC should view the addition as a win. Fens may not be the loudest or flashiest answer to the Tar Heels’ frontcourt needs, but he removes a major question mark and raises the ceiling for what this team can become.
And if one of the younger centers eventually passes him, that may be the best sign of all. It would mean Fens helped them learn how to play better before they were ready to do it in games.
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Michael Malones First UNC Roster Is Already Sparking A Tar Heels Debate
The early read on North Carolinas next basketball roster is already dividing people, which is hardly a surprise when a new coach walks into Chapel Hill late in the offseason and inherits the pressure that comes with the job. Michael Malone has barely had time to settle in, but the conversation around his first UNC group is moving quickly, with some seeing a team that could be better than the outside perception suggests and capable of making a real push.
Former Tar Heel John Henson is not dismissing the roster, but he also is not handing out top-tier praise, calling it a B-minus and pointing to the reality of how much ground Malone has to make up. It is the kind of judgment that puts the spotlight right back on the coach, because the next couple of years will be measured not just by talent on paper, but by how fast North Carolina starts looking like a team that belongs in the upper tier of the sport again. [Read more 🡒]
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Petrino has also made it plain that this years approach should look more balanced, with the running game expected to carry a bigger share of the load. For a team trying to move past last seasons collapse, that shift is about more than scheme. It is about finding a steadier identity, and the early days of camp are offering the first clues about whether North Carolina can finally build one. [Read more 🡒]
UNC's Deep Receiver Room Could Rescue A Messy Must-Win Season
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Bobby Petrino is expected to lean into a run-first approach, with Demon June and Benjamin Hall set to carry much of the load on the ground. Still, in a season where the margin for mistake is thin, having legitimate options outside can matter just as much as any rushing plan or quarterback answer, and it gives North Carolina at least one obvious place to lean if the offense needs rescuing. [Read more 🡒]