What UNC basketball’s Hubert Davis said about Tar Heels’ 4 transfers, incoming freshman

North Carolina basketball has officially announced the signing of four players from the transfer portal and an incoming freshman.

Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville) and Paxson Wojcik (Brown) are joining the Tar Heels for the 2023-24 season.

Simeon Wilcher and Zayden High are UNC’s incoming freshmen, along with Elliot Cadeau, who reclassified to join the 2023 class. Cadeau's signing was also announced Wednesday.

After missing the 2023 NCAA Tournament, UNC lost two players to graduation and seven more to the transfer portal. The Tar Heels are set to return starters RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. 

FUTURE POINT GUARD:UNC basketball's Elliott Cadeau reclassifying to join Tar Heels ahead of 2023-24 season

UNC RECRUITING:A look at UNC basketball's No. 1 ranked 2024 recruiting class, led by Ian Jackson

A day after Cadeau’s announcement, UNC coach Hubert Davis offered his thoughts on the Tar Heels’ four incoming transfers and its latest five-star freshman. Here’s what Davis had to say about what Cadeau, Ingram, Ryan, Withers and Wojcik can provide for Carolina. 

Elliot Cadeau

The 6-foot-2 point guard announced his plans to reclassify on Tuesday before making it official on Wednesday. He averaged 15.7 points, 9.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals through 17 games on the Nike EYBL circuit.

 "Elliot is an elite passer and playmaker," Hubert Davis said in a school-issued statement.

"He always wants his team to win and excels at making his teammates around him better. Elliot is a selfless teammate who consistently celebrates the success of others. He is a great addition to our team and program, and we are excited he is a Tar Heel."

Harrison Ingram 

A 6-foot-7 wing from Dallas, Ingram averaged 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds last season at Stanford. The 2022 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year started 62 of 65 games with the Cardinal. 

“I love Harrison’s elite versatility on both ends of the floor,” Davis said. 

“He’s a great passer, playmaker and scorer with size. He is a great leader and teammate who has a burning desire to win. We initially recruited him in high school and are glad he’s a Tar Heel.”

Cormac Ryan 

The 6-foot-5 guard has 1,173 points, including 212 three-pointers in 116 games. After starting his career at Stanford, Ryan made the move to Notre Dame. He’s a 35.2% shooter from 3-point range and knocked down a trey in 65 of 116 games. 

“Cormac is an accomplished college basketball player who has consistently performed at the highest level on the biggest stages,” Davis said. “He’s a great shooter, defender, leader and fierce competitor every time he steps on the floor. We are thrilled to have him here at UNC.”

Jae’Lyn Withers

The 6-foot-9 Charlotte native made 64 starts in 81 games in three seasons at Louisville, averaging 8.0 points and 5.6 rebounds. In his final season with the Cardinals, Withers averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds. He knocked down 41.7% of his 3-point attempts. 

“Jae’Lyn is a versatile big man who can do a number of things really well on both ends of the court,” Davis said. 

“He can consistently make three-pointers, run the floor, post up, attack the offense and create plays off the bounce. He is also an excellent defender and rebounder, exactly what we were looking for at that position. He is a North Carolina kid and we are glad he is back home.”

Paxson Wojcik 

The first player in the portal to commit to UNC, Wojick played two seasons at Loyola Chicago before two more years at Brown. The 6-foot-5 guard started all 54 games at Brown, averaging 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists last season. He made 38% of his 3-point attempts

“Paxson is a talented basketball player who excels at doing everything on the court at a high level,” Davis said. “He brings consistent perimeter shooting, rebounding and passing from the wing. He will be a great leader for us. We are excited to have Paxson as part of the Carolina Basketball family.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.