UNC has its 2026-27 roster on the books, and while the personnel picture came in without any real shockers, the jersey numbers and eligibility notes made the reveal more interesting than your standard rollout.
Michael Malone’s first North Carolina team will carry 16 players, including five holdovers from last season and 11 newcomers. That group breaks down into four freshmen, six college transfers and one international addition, Alexandros Samodurov.
One of the cleanest storylines sits with freshman guard Malloy Smith, who will wear No. 30.
That number carries real family weight at Carolina. His father, Kenny Smith, wore it while becoming an All-American point guard for Dean Smith in the 1980s, and Malloy’s older brother, K.J.
Smith, also had No. 30 during his UNC run from 2017-21. With this move, Malloy becomes the third Smith to wear that number for the Tar Heels.
There’s also some movement among the returners. Sophomore Isaiah Denis is switching from No. 5, which he used as a freshman, to No.
- John Holbrook made the loudest change of all, going from No. 25 to No.
And yes, that really is No. 99.
Carolina says Holbrook is the first Tar Heel ever to wear it, and the first UNC basketball player to go above No. 55.
Before Holbrook, the program’s highest number had been No. 55, worn by Matt Wenstrom, Wade Moody, Christian Keeling and Harrison Ingram.
A couple of other number notes stand out too. Virginia Tech transfer Neo Avdalas will wear No. 17, making him the first Tar Heel to do so since Bill White wore it at home during the 1949-50 season. South Dakota transfer Cameron Fens will take No. 54, a number not seen at Carolina since Vasco Evtimov in 1996-97.
The roster size itself is notable as well. The House Settlement set a 15-player roster limit in Division I men’s basketball, but UNC will again have 16 players for the second straight season. NCAA rules allow that when a player qualifies as a Designated Student-Athlete, an exemption created for players whose roster chances were affected by the new limits.
The official classifications for two international additions also add another layer. Sayon Keita, from Mali, is listed as a freshman, while Samodurov, who arrives after playing professionally with Panathinaikos in Greece, is a junior.
That second label matters because of the changing NCAA eligibility setup. Under the coming five-seasons-in-five-years framework, Samodurov could potentially have three seasons of college eligibility available if he uses all of them.
Keita’s arrival is also historically significant. He becomes just the second Tar Heel from Africa and the first since Senegal native Makhtar Ndiaye played at UNC from 1996-98. Avdalas and Samodurov are the first two Tar Heels from Greece.
All told, the roster release didn’t change the outlook much for Malone’s first team. But Smith’s number choice, Holbrook’s jump into record-book territory and the eligibility details around UNC’s international newcomers gave Friday’s reveal a few details worth circling.
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