The transfer portal officially ‘closed’ over the weekend meaning any player who were to enter their name in the transfer portal moving forward would not be eligible to play this upcoming season unless a waiver was granted.
The UNC basketball program has one open scholarship following the announcement that Kerwin Walton would be entering the portal on the final day of the open transfer window.
One name that has become a key target and top priority for the Tar Heels is Baylor hybrid forward Matthew Mayer. The 6-foot-9 forward is going through the NBA Draft process but did become one of the final players to enter his name in the portal over the weekend.
According to 247Sports’ released their updated transfer portal rankings-with Mayer sitting inside the top-15 of best available.
Mayer is currently No. 14 on the list.
The ex-Baylor forward played in 126 games for the Bears and was a key cog in the 2021 National Championship team they had. He averaged 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and shot 39.5 percent from three as the sixth man during that season.
This past year was his first year ever starting, in which he started all 33 games for Baylor. In turn, he had a career-year with 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. His shooting did dip to just 40.9 percent overall and 32.4 percent from three.
Mayer had 10 points, three rebounds and was 2-of-5 from three in Baylor’s Round of 32 loss to the Tar Heels.
The main pitch that should be intriguing to Mayer? Brady Manek. While not identical games, Mayer would fill the same role Manek had as the stretch 4 in the North Carolina offense. With his size and shooting ability, he would be the exact piece that Hubert Davis has now shown to want in his offense.
Manek had career highs in points (15.1 ppg), assists (1.8 apg), field goal percentage (49.3 percent) and three-point percentage (40.3 percent) in his lone season for UNC. He was also named the most impactful transfer of the season.
Sine Mayer is going through the NBA Draft process, he does have until June 1 to officially withdraw his name and return to college. If he does, the Tar Heels should be the team to beat in his transfer portal recruitment.
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