College basketball analyst says UNC involved with one of top players in transfer portal

North Carolina hasn’t been able to find a solution at the center position in the transfer portal just yet, missing out on a few big targets. It’s back to the drawing board for Hubert Davis and his program and the good news is that there are still some big targets out there.

Even missing out on some big players, there will be others that will withdraw from the NBA draft process and become available. And according to one college basketball analyst, UNC is already being connected to them.

Coleman Hawkins opted to enter the transfer portal and test the 2024 NBA Draft waters after four seasons at Illinois. As he’s going through the process, Matt Norlander CBS Sports connected Hawkins to the Tar Heels.

Coleman Hawkins, it sounds like that is Arkansas, North Carolina, Lousiville, Kansas State. There could be others. He will command a very, very high NIL price,” Norlander said on the “Eye On College Basketball” podcast . “He does want to go the NBA route but I’d say the buzz on Hawkins at this stage is more likely than not he would return to college. But no sure thing.”

The 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward may not be a solution at center but he would certainly be an upgrade at power forward for the Tar Heels. It would also allow UNC to switch the lineups a little bit as well.

Hawkins averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field for Illinois last season.

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Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire