The University of North Carolina’s basketball team lost six players to the transfer portal, along with Drake Powell, who is expected to be a second-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Recovering from these losses hasn’t been easy for head coach Hubert Davis and his team.
However, their efforts are beginning to pay off, and at least one of the newcomers has already impressed the coaching staff.
Jarin Stevenson Surprises Everyone at UNC
During the most recent edition of the “Tar Heels Illustrated” podcast, renowned college basketball analyst Andrew Jones reported that UNC coaches had discovered an offensive ability in Stevenson they hadn’t initially expected.
“What I’m hearing is that there is a drive, there is a slash in his game that nobody saw at Alabama,” Jones said.
“Which is interesting, because the [Alabama head coach] ‘Nate Oats way’ is threes and layups, threes and layups. But we didn’t see a lot of that from Jarin.”
Turning that skill into an asset in Stevenson’s everyday game would be a huge win for the Tar Heels, and Jones was quick to point out its importance:
“So I think that’s a big-time positive. If this is more than just a: ‘I just arrived, I’m going to show these guys,’ and then it sort of dissipates, sometimes that happens in human nature with anything whether it’s athletics or anything else, we’ll see if it continues, but there are pleasant surprise with what people have seen from Jarin Stevenson so far.”
Jarin Stevenson brought a strong pedigree to UNC as a basketball forward, a position he is expected to play in Davis’s scheme:
“They [the Tar Heels] might not be as good next season as they were this past year but I will say right now they got better defensively,” Jones said.
“That is an absolute, and unless they screw it up, they got better defensively, and Jarin’s a huge part of that. Jarin is going to be an asset in that respect.”
Standing at 6-foot-11 and weighing 215 pounds, Stevenson has showcased his skills across two seasons of college basketball, both of them with Alabama, steadily improving his contributions to the team.
During his freshman season in 2023-24, Stevenson played in all 37 games, starting in five of them. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game while shooting 41.8% from the field and 31.7% from three-point range.
His defensive contributions included 0.4 blocks and 0.2 steals per game. Despite limited playing time, he demonstrated efficiency and promise, setting the stage for his sophomore season.
In the 2024-25 season, Stevenson took on a larger role with the Crimson Tide, starting in 22 of 37 games and increasing his minutes per game to 18.7. He improved his scoring average slightly to 5.4 points per game, with an enhanced rebounding presence at 3.4 per game.
His shooting percentages remained similar, with 42.9% from the field and 30.7% from beyond the arc. His free-throw percentage, however, dipped from 68.9% to 59.7%. He also doubled his assists per game to 0.8, showing growth in his playmaking abilities.
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His skill set as a tall, versatile forward continues to develop, making him a valuable asset for UNC. With continued refinement, Stevenson has the potential to further elevate his performance and make a more significant impact in the near future.
