Heel Tough Blog: Kyan Evans & Zayden High Set to Transfer
- Joshua Marlow
- 34 minutes ago
- 2 min read
After firing Hubert Davis, exactly two weeks ago, it was only a matter of time before Carolina’s roster headed to the transfer portal, after a disappointing finish to the season, highlighted by a 19-point loss to VCU in the NCAA Tournament. The process began on Sunday with freshman guard Isaiah Denis heading for the portal, and continued yesterday, as Jaydon Young, Derek Dixon, and Jonathan Powell all made it known they were transferring as well. The moves continued today, with James Brown the first to announce, followed by both Zayden High and Kyan Evans, bringing the total number of transfers up to seven for new head coach Michael Malone.
Kyan Evans arrived in Chapel Hill last summer, after a strong finish to the 2024-25 season at Colorado State, and after Elliot Cadeau transferred away to Michigan, was selected to be the next point guard for the UNC program. He also arrived with a hefty price tag, as he was believed to be paid $2 million dollars after transferring in, and he never lived up to the price tag. Evans averaged 4.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists across his 33 games while shooting 33% from the field and 31% from behind the arc. Evans was benched in the middle of the season, in favor of freshman Derek Dixon, and while he was an adequate backup point guard, he was never the player he was expected to be.
Not only did Evans announce his decision to transfer, but so did Zayden High, who took a major step forward over the final handful of games after Caleb Wilson was lost for the season. In totality, over his 29 games, High averaged 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds on 48% shooting from the field, and 18% from behind the arc. After the Caleb Wilson injury, High’s averages jumped up to 8.9 points and 6.6 rebounds, with big games against Pittsburgh and NC State. In a statement, he did leave the door open to potentially return to UNC, following suit with other Tar Heel transfers.
Many of these transfer decisions were expected after the VCU loss or the Hubert Davis firing. Now, the task at hand for Michael Malone, who was around the program plenty last year, is to determine how interested he is in bringing these guys back, as the 2026-27 roster will begin to take form over the next handful of days and weeks.
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