Luka and Ivan Arrive, More Basketball Official Visits, UNC Football Puts on the Pads
Welcome to the new subscribers who joined us this week, and thanks to those of you already on board! UNC men’s basketball received a couple of new members as well Wednesday night with the long-awaited arrival of Montenegrin guard Luka Bogavac and High Point transfer center Ivan Matlekovic. Now, on to the updates…
Basketball
The big news of the week so far is the arrival Wednesday night of Montenegrin guard Luka Bogavac and center Ivan Matlekovic. Bogavac, a projected starter, recently received approval for his student visa and will attend classes and practice with the Tar Heels as he awaits NCAA clearance. Hopefully that’s sooner rather than later.
We’ve heard this before: Hyperbolic Hubert Davis was at it again this week with the over-the-top praise of incoming Tar Heel freshman. We saw this in recent years with former UNC center Jalen Washington. Said Davis of freshmen guards Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis:
“You can see it in the way they compete and play. It wouldn’t surprise me that by the time they leave Carolina, it wouldn’t surprise me to see both of their jersey numbers up in the rafters.“
Unfortunately, I lost the source from that Davis quote, so if anyone knows the proper attribution, please let me know in the comments section.
John Henson has joined 247Sports as a content creator, and his first piece was a fun sit-down conversation with Harrison Barnes, and Justin Watts as they swap stories on their Carolina days and discuss this season’s team:
In other news involving other former UNC basketball players, Brady Manek is averaging 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game with Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico this summer. Bang, bang!
And Sterling Manley is also feeling tropical after signing with San Carlos in the Dominican Republic.
Former UNC forward and 2009 national champion Marcus Ginyard is serving on the Board of Directors for the Make a Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina. They raised over $700,000(!) this week to grant wishes for children:
Basketball Recruiting
On the basketball recruiting front, Goodyear (Ariz.) Millennium 5-star small forward Cameron Holmes has scheduled six official visits, per Dushawn London of 247Sports, and UNC is among them. Here’s Holmes’ list:
Illinois (Sept. 12)
North Carolina (Sept. 19)
Oklahoma (Oct. 3)
Texas (Oct. 31)
Gonzaga (Nov. 7)
Arizona (Dec. 5)
And 4-star wing Maximo Adams will be taking an official visit to UNC beginning Oct. 31:
And while we wait out this recruiting “Dead Period,” here’s the updated list of official UNC basketball recruiting visits. The calendar is filling up:
Aug. 1 - Sayon Keita (5-star C)
Aug. 22 - Anthony Thompson (5-star SF)
Aug. 31 - Deron Rippey Jr. (5-star PG)
Aug. 31 - Toni Bryant (5-star PF)
Sept. 5 - Bryson Howard (4-star SF)
Sept. 12 - Tajh Ariza (5-star SF)
Sept. 19 - Cameron Holmes (5-star SF)
Oct. 4 - LJ Smith (4-star CG, unofficial visit)
Oct. 10 - Cole Cloer (4-star SF)
Oct. 31 - Maximo Adams (4-star SF)
Football
Tar Heel Football is in full swing. The team put on pads for the first time this week, and held its second “open” practice of the preseason on Wednesday. The media was only allowed to see warm-ups and position drills. But three-time World Series winning manager Tony La Russa was on hand (not sure why) and got the VIP treatment.
The UNC Football office put out a great video on Carolina’s Jordan Shipp, Will Hardy, and Thaddeus Dixon. It’s wonderfully done if you have some time to set aside for it:
Quarterback Max Johnson’s remarkable (and inspirational) comeback from last season’s broken leg is drawing national attention from the writers at ESPN.
Here’s even more great ESPN content (David Hale) on what it’s like to be coached by Bill Belichick. It’s not like most people think.
And while UNC landing Bill Belichick was a major coup in the college football world, 99.9 The Fan’s Tim Donnelly & Max Goren wonder if the real win was bringing his son Steve Belichick over from Washington as new defensive coordinator. Steve improved the Huskies from 96th nationally in total defense to 28th nationally in one season:
In the NFL ranks, former UNC “undersized” offensive lineman Willie Lampkin looked dominant for the Los Angeles Rams during their first exhibition game.
Quarterback Sam Howell was 11-of-13 for 105 yards passing and led one of two touchdown drives for Minnesota, while Vikings teammate and fellow Tar Heel Bryson Nesbit caught two passes for 14 yards in his first NFL action.
But my favorite quarterback/receiver combo in the NFL this season will be Drake Maye throwing bombs to Mack Hollins in New England. It’s like the Tar Heel version of Tom Brady to Randy Moss.
One former UNC football player who’s gone pro in something (many things) other than sports, country music singer/songwriter/linebacker/Survivor contestant/NASCAR pit crew member Chase Rice will be the featured performer at the new “Chapel Thrill” concert series before the Tar Heels’ season opener against TCU.
Football Recruiting
On the recruiting front, Detroit, Michigan 4-star Athlete CJ Sadler is scheduled to announce his commitment on Friday, Aug. 15. I don’t try to predict commitments, but if Rivals analyst Steve Wiltfong thinks Sadler is coming to UNC, then it seems like a good bet.
UNC’s 2026 football recruiting class is currently ranked No. 20 nationally, and that will surely rise if Sadler commits to the Tar Heels. Here’s the updated 2026 football recruiting board.
Women’s Basketball
It’s been a quiet news week for UNC Women’s Basketball, but UNC freshman guard and Brazil native Taissa Queiroz will be competing for her country’s U-23 team at the 2025 GloblJam in Toronto, Canada from Aug. 13-17.
Baseball
UNC Baseball is adding Carter Hicks as the program’s first General Manager to handle NIL and roster management. Bryant Gaines also was promoted to Associate Head Coach.
Baltimore Orioles’ 2024 first-round draft pick Vance Honeycutt is continuing to search for his swing at the professional level. He’s currently batting .177 with 11 doubles, 35 runs, 20 RBIs, 45 walks, and 24 steals for the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds. But he’s starting to heat up after missing two weeks with a sprained ankle.
Olympic Sports
After going 2-0 in preseason exhibitions against UNC-Wilmington and Wake Forest, defending national champs and No. 1-ranked UNC Women’s Soccer plays for real this week, kicking off Thursday at Tennessee and Sunday at home vs. Siena.
And to absolutely no one’s surprise UNC forward, 2024 All-American, and MAC Hermann Trophy Winner Kate Faasse was named to the United Soccer Coaches Forwards Watchlist.
Tar Heel Tidbits
It’s move-in week at Carolina, and the UNC Archives Instagram account has compiled two great photo galleries of dorm life (past and present) in Chapel Hill. Depending on your age, you’ll be very familiar with one of these two sets of photos. Click the images to view:
Final Thoughts
As a reminder, this newsletter will remain free through the end of August, giving you a chance to see what it’s all about while giving me time to dial in the content that’s most valuable to you. Starting Labor Day, it will switch to a paid model: $5/month or $50/year, with a 1-week free trial you can cancel anytime.
So, why the paid subscription model? It’s simple. Tar Heel Times will always remain a free website, but this newsletter is something new—more personal, more focused, and directly supported by readers like you. It’s a clean, ad-free UNC digest delivered straight to your inbox, without clutter or clickbait. Your support helps cover the time and effort it takes to put it all together.
Go Heels, and a sincere thank you to the many of our over 1,300 subscribers who have already become paid supporters.
James