North Carolina head coach Michael Malone landed his first portal pickup, with Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas joining the Tar Heels, according to reports by On3 and ESPN on Monday.

Avdalas, a 6-foot-9 guard who hails from Greece, played professionally in his home country and tested the NBA draft waters last offseason before landing at Virginia Tech. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-high 4.6 assists in 31 games (all starts).

Avdalas shot 38.6% from the floor, including 35.7% in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

North Carolina also found out Monday that starting forward Jarin Stevenson will return for fourth season and his second with the Tar Heels. Stevenson announced the news on his social media account after he averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 33 games (25 starts) this past season for North Carolina.

Malone, a surprise coaching hire in Chapel Hill last week, was working as an ESPN analyst after leading the Denver Nuggets to an NBA championship in 2023.

–Field Level Media