Utah transfer guard Terrence Brown commits to North Carolina

Former Utah and Fairleigh Dickinson guard Terrence Brown is transferring to North Carolina, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

The 6-3 scorer is coming off a breakout season at the high-major level with the Utes, but opted to enter the transfer portal last month and quickly became one of the most sought-after players available. Both Kansas and Kentucky were among the early schools in contact with him, but it’s another blue blood in UNC that was able to close the deal.

As a junior, Brown poured in 19.9 points per game, finishing third in the Big 12 in scoring behind the likely top two picks in next month’s NBA Draft: AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. He also had career-best assist numbers (3.8 per game) to go along with 1.4 steals. Despite carrying a heavy offensive load and usage of 33.8, he shot 45% from the field and had another career-best in 3-point shooting at 32.7%.

Both of those numbers were a step up from his final year at Fairleigh Dickinson, where he was named to the All-NEC team and won the league’s most improved player award.

He’ll join a Carolina team rebuilding its roster after the firing of head coach Hubert Davis and the subsequent transfer of a handful of contributors. However, new coach Mike Malone has quickly gone to work in the portal himself.

Along with Brown, the Tar Heels have already landed Virginia Tech star freshman guard Neoklis Avdalas. He ranks as a top-20 player in the portal currently and the No. 1 combo guard available. Combined with Brown, he’ll give UNC a high-scoring backcourt heading into next year.

Brown will be a centerpiece of UNC’s rebuild next year

As a freshman this year, Avdalas averaged 12.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for the Hokies. His efficiency numbers will have to improve next year, but he is one of the country’s best playmaking guard to put alongside Brown.

In addition to their latest transfer portal adds, Malone and Co. have also retained part-time starting forward Jarin Stevenson, who is expected to man the ‘4’ spot. The Heels are still waiting on the decision of center Henri Veesaar, who could come back to Chapel Hill, enter the NBA Draft, or hit the portal himself.

UNC also recently hosted No. 1 overall portal player Juke Harris, a transfer from Wake Forest, for a visit to campus. More good news came over the weekend as well, with top-25 signee Maximo Adams choosing to honor his commitment to Carolina and join Malone’s first team. Five-Star Plus+ point guard Dylan Mingo, however, won’t be part of the team’s plans going forward. He decommitted from UNC on Monday after visiting with Malone and his staff.