Neoklis Avdalas Commits to UNC; Michael Malone Lands First Big Portal Commitment

North Carolina’s first portal commitment of the Michael Malone era is a big one, and a familiar face. Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas made his decision to play in Chapel Hill on Monday, On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed.

Listed at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, Avdalas averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 assists in his first college season, after playing professionally in Greece.

“Sheer basketball talent, the best I’ve ever coached,” Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young said last October in an interview with the Field of 68. “And I’ve coached a bunch of great ones.”

In his second collegiate game, Avdalas had a 33-point outburst against Providence, where he a season-high five threes. He scored in double figures 19 times last season and had at least six assists 13 times. In his game at UNC last season, Avdalas posted 19 points and five assists.

“He’s really long, moves well with the ball with his hands in transition,” Young continued. “And gosh, he’s got great vision of the floor.”

Avdalas is ranked the No. 10 overall player and top combo guard in the transfer portal by On3. Avdalas’ abilities draw comparisons to a couple recent Tar Heels.

“While Harrison Ingram was the most recent playmaking wing at UNC, Theo Pinson comes to mind with his passing acumen,” Inside Carolina analyst Sean Moran wrote. “At 6-9 and with a distinct style of play, Avdalas could fit next to a more scoring focused point guard or a high scoring wing while playing at an all-ACC level.”

North Carolina is still in the early stages of rebuilding its roster — and program — one week after Malone was hired.

“When I look at players, what am I looking for?” Malone asked and answered at his intro press conference in Chapel Hill. “And before you get into percentages and stats, I love guys that have a motor, that play hard, that you don’t have to wind up and motivate. Toughness – you can’t put a dollar sign on toughness. And then IQ. Those are things that jump out, regardless of position, one through five. If you have a motor, you’re tough enough, you have the IQ, you have a chance to be a hell of a player.”