Heel Tough Blog: UNC Makes Contact With All-Summit League Big Man

South Dakota Athletics

On Friday night, Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney, from Colorado, issued a preliminary injunction, paving the way for student-athletes who were seniors in the 2026 academic year to be eligible for another season, after the NCAA adopted the new five-for-five model earlier this summer. While this ruling is going to send both college football and college basketball into a frenzy, trying to add talent to their respective rosters, some schools, like UNC, stand to possibly benefit from this ruling, as now there’s an avenue to address needs that still exist on the current roster. 

As for Michael Malone and Carolina Basketball, it is believed to be the case that they still have one roster spot available after a summer filled with turning over a roster that got Hubert Davis fired after five seasons on the bench in Chapel Hill. With the way that Malone and his staff filled out the roster, it’s obvious that the strength lies in the backcourt, with a trio of transfers, Terrence Brown, Neo Avdalas, and Matt Able leading the way. While they landed two international big men, Sayon Keita and Alexandros Samodurov, the frontcourt is light in terms of depth, in addition to actual strength. 

During this process, Carolina has remained in contact with Florida transfer Micah Handlogten, who was seeking an extra year of eligibility after playing at both Marshall and the aforementioned Florida Gators. But shortly after last night’s ruling, a new name emerged, according to TarHeel247’s Andrew Jones and David Sisk. 

Cameron Fens has played 103 career games, making 63 total starts, during his time at Illinois-Chicago and South Dakota, where last year he played and started all 32 games, averaging over 14 points per game and 8 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 58% from the floor. For his career, Fens has averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds, and has shot 57% from the field and 57% from the foul line. Fens stands at 6-10, but more importantly, weighs 255 pounds and would give much-needed size and strength to a frontcourt that lacks both as it currently stands. Fens’s productive season, where he led the Summit League in rebounds and blocks, helped him earn All-Summit honors, and he was named to the All-Summit League defensive team as well. His best individual game came in a loss at Oral Roberts, where he recorded a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double in a 67-62 defeat, as he shot 8-17 from the field and 9-12 from the foul line. 

There could be an uptick in players that UNC expresses interest in over the next 48 hours or so, as the transfer portal is basically back open, as players that have now been granted an extra year of eligibility have to decide whether or not to return to college for one more season, or continue to chase their professional careers either in the NBA or somewhere overseas. 

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