Heel Tough Blog: Italian Big Man on Michael Malone's Radar

247Sports

The quest to rebuild UNC’s frontcourt is sill on going for first-year head coach Michael Malone, who has lost both Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar to the NBA Draft, along with multiple transfer portal entries from depth pieces. Last week was an uneven week in the rebuilding area of the roster, as UNC was able to land five-star big man, Sayon Keita from Barcelona over in Spain, and Northwestern transfer Cade Bennerman, while learning that FAU transfer, Maxim Logue, would not be enrolling at North Carolina. To make matters worse, UNC lost out on Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje to their rival, the Duke Blue Devils, and after pursuing Mohamed Faye from Paris Basketball, Malone returned to Chapel Hill without a deal in place. 

If there’s one thing you can say about Michael Maloen, as he’s learning on the fly, how to best navigate the transfer portal, whenever one door closes for him and his program, he’s quick to turn his attention elsewhere, which is a must in this current climate. After not securing a commitment from Faye, many wondered where UNC would turn to next, and that answer comes in the form of a 7-3 center from Italy, Luigi Suigo, according to TarHeel247 and other sources close to the program. Suigo, who is currently in the NBA Draft, averaged 8.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 16 games while playing for Mega in the ABA. In the previous two seasons, Suigo played for Olimpia Milano but saw limited playing time. 

Suigi currently has offers from Big 10 schools, Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana, having officially visited both West Lafayette and Champaign. 

Suigo has until May 27th to remove his name from NBA Draft consideration, and depending on what ultimately happens with Faye, Malone, and the Tar Heels may just have to play the waiting game before adding to their frontcourt for next season. 

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