Key North Carolina forward sticking around under Michael Malone

Story by

Troy Finnegan, ClutchPoints

Mon, Apr 13, 2026 ·

2 min read

Key North Carolina forward sticking around under Michael Malone appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

North Carolina basketball is starting over after another disappointing NCAA Tournament exit, firing Hubert Davis and hiring Michael Malone as its new head coach. Malone is already hard at work building his new roster and coaching staff to get ready for his first season.

Monday was a big day for Malone and the Tar Heels. First, North Carolina secured its first transfer portal commitment of the Malone era when Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas committed to come to Chapel Hill. Then, Malone added former Providence head coach Kim English to his staff as an assistant.

North Carolina also retained one of its key players from last season on Monday. Forward Jarin Stevenson announced that he will be returning to the Tar Heels to play under Malone in 2026-27.

Stevenson has played in 107 games in three years with Alabama and North Carolina, but he was thrust into a bigger role in his first season in his hometown of Chapel Hill as a junior. He started 25 games and averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Tar Heels while shooting nearly 30% from the 3-point line.

Stevenson was able to be productive despite a fairly awkward fit in the front court alongside both Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson. Having two bigs who were great interior scorers relegated Stevenson to the perimeter at times, which is a bit uncomfortable for him. While he can make shots from the outside, that isn’t the ideal fit for him full-time.

It remains to be seen how Malone builds the roster out in his first season at UNC, but Stevenson will certainly be a big part of his plans. North Carolina will still have the chance to retain Veesaar in the middle, but Caleb Wilson will almost certainly be off to the NBA by then. Without the star freshman in the fold, North Carolina will need a lot more from Stevenson next season if it wants to see a big turnaround in Malone’s first season.