UNC PF James Brown plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

UNC power forward James Brown plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, per On3’s Joe Tipton. He spent two seasons with the program.

North Carolina is about to undergo quite the facelift with new head coach Michael Malone taking the reins. So for now, Brown plans to explore his options elsewhere.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound sophomore from Aurora, Ill. appeared in nine games this season, totaling 11 points and 13 rebounds. His season highs were four points and three rebounds in eight minutes against Radford on Nov. 11.

As a member of the Class of 2024, Brown was a four-star recruit out of Chicago (Ill.) Link Academy (Mo.), according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 4 overall prospect in Missouri, the No. 11 center in the class and the No. 91 overall prospect in the class.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves. Check it out!

Malone spent this season away from coaching after his departure from the Denver Nuggets, instead working for ESPN as part of its NBA coverage. That means North Carolina did not have to pay a buyout to get him, which the school would have had to do for other targets such as Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington or Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland. UNC was also pursuing Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and would have also had to pay a buyout.

By hiring Malone, North Carolina saved money. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein pointed out that Byington and McCasland notably have sizable figures in their contracts.

“Another thing I want to point out right now: A major factor in this hire was the fact that North Carolina did not have to pay a buyout to get Michael Malone,” Rothstein said. “You have to remember … other candidates down the list – like Mark Byington from Vanderbilt, like Grant McCasland from Texas Tech – had buyouts in excess of $10 million.

“Michael Malone also spent a lot of time at North Carolina because his daughter is a volleyball player there, and I was told attended practice last season four or five times. So there’s familiarity there with Mike Malone, obviously the first hire, though, in a very, very long time to not have a tie to the North Carolina family.”