Belichick Staying Course, Meet Jarin Stevenson, Bryson Howard Watch, Major Football Recruiting Flip

Plus: Remembering Randy Wiel and Ricky Lanier, Basketball Polls, Diamond Heels vs. NC State at the DBAP, football decommitment

UNC Football Coach Bill Belichick | Photo: UNC Athletics, TarHeel247

Bill Belichick and his coaching staff are staying the course, Carolina Basketball fans were re-introduced to Jarin Stevenson, 5-star wing Bryson Howard is down to 3, and UNC Football pulled a major recruiting flip. We also remember Randy Wiel and Ricky Lanier, prepare for the Diamond Heels vs. NC State at the DBAP, and more. On to the updates…

Basketball

It was Jarin Stevenson week as UNC Basketball continues to introduce us to the new faces on this season’s roster. Stevenson isn’t a stranger to those who follow recruiting. He attended nearby Seaforth High School in Pittsboro, NC before surprising many by committing to Alabama. He’s back home now, and met with reporters Tuesday to discuss his offseason transfer, his role under Hubert Davis, and what it means to return to his home state.

Stevenson also covered a number of those same topics and more on this week’s Carolina Insider podcast with Jones Angell and Adam Lucas.

The Associated Press Top 25 Men’s College Basketball poll was released this week, and UNC is ranked for the 20th consecutive season, albeit sneaking in at No. 25. But as you know, rankings don’t mean much right now. Currently, 2 of the top 5 football teams in the AP Preseason Poll (Clemson, Penn State) are out of the Top 25 altogether.

Tuesday was the annual Carolina Basketball Pro Day at the Smith Center. Representatives from 24 NBA teams attended practice to take stock of the Tar Heels’ talent, particularly Caleb Wilson. Adam Lucas documented the event as only he can.

Congratulations to former UNC forward and 2009 national champion Marcus Ginyard, who was named Director of Special Projects at UNC this week.

And in the NBA, Cormac Ryan was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, while Leaky Black was waived by the Washington Wizards. Both are likely to end up in the G League where they spent the majority of last season.

Condolences to the friends and family of former UNC basketball player and assistant coach Randy Wiel, who passed away Tuesday at age 74.

“Incredible guy. We worked the same gym for years at UNC basketball school. Do some research on Coach Wiel. Olympics. Musician, policeman, spoke like seven languages and coached national teams. One of the best storytellers ever.” — Former UNC Basketball player Michael Norwood

On a personal note, I met Coach Wiel briefly while at UNC in the early ‘90s. He was the head JV Basketball coach at the time, and a couple of my football teammates and I decided to try out for the team on a whim. I (surprisingly) made it all the way to the final cut, but Coach Wiel apparently didn’t have a spot for a 6-foot guard who couldn’t shoot. RIP, Coach!