With over 1,400 players listed in the transfer portal, it’s no surprise as to why that’s the route Hubert Davis is taking to rebuild his roster for next season. He’s already landed Justin McKoy from Virginia, and Brady Manek from Oklahoma, while being involved with others. The latest transfer to hear from the Tar Heels is CJ Frederick, from Iowa. The 6-3 guard has spent the last two seasons with the Hawkeyes, having started all 52 games he’s played in. For his career with Iowa, Frederick was a 8.8 points per game scorer, while shooting 48% from behind the arc, and 47% overall from the field. Iowa beat the Tar Heels last season in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, a game where Frederick scored 21 points, on 5-7 shooting from distance. His career high of 23 came in a loss at Minnesota last season.
Despite losing four post players to the transfer portal, UNC is still recruiting for their backcourt, as the program will be more guard oriented under its new head coach. Like McKoy, Frederick will have three years of eligibility left, which is why he’ll be a hot commodity while in the transfer portal. Not to mention the fact that he’s a career 48% shooter from behind the three point line, and UNC is still in desperate need of perimeter shooters.
In addition to receiving interest from the Tar Heels, Frederick has also received interest from Gonzaga, Virginia, Kentucky and Kansas to name a few, meaning that Hubert Davis will have his work cut out for him in this particular recruitment. We’ve already seen the new head coach work tirelessly to persuade Walker Kessler to return, and while that didn’t work out, that type of effort and determination will pay off at some point. In some ways it already has with the transfers of McKoy and Manek, as well as keeping their two high school prospects signed during the coaching change.
Make sure to stay tuned to the Heel Tough Blog for the latest recruiting news around the Tar Heels.
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