After five seasons guiding fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school North Carolina, including a trip to the 2022 national championship game, Hubert Davis is out as the Tar Heels' head coach. The UNC vacancy immediately becomes the top job out there in this offseason's head coaching carousel.
We'll have to see how everything shakes out in Chapel Hill, but it's possible that current North Carolina players could enter the transfer portal, which will be open from April 7 to April 21. Additionally, if there is a head coaching change at a school, a 15-day transfer portal window will open five days after the new head coach is hired or publicly announced.
By extension, it's feasible that some UNC commits in the 2026 cycle may want to reopen their recruitments, with Davis no longer in charge.
Earlier this week, SU officials named Siena head coach Gerry McNamara as the new head coach of Syracuse basketball. McNamara has to fill out his assistant coaching staff, and we don't know at this point what players from the Orange's 2025-26 roster might return. GMac could also bring over some of his players from Siena.
There are a lot of moving parts right now, and things are fluid as McNamara starts to begin constructing his 2026-27 roster. But there are players with North Carolina ties whom the 'Cuse could potentially pursue.
Syracuse basketball may want to look at these UNC players and commits.
Derek Dixon
Dixon, who hails from the talent-rich DMV, is a freshman guard at North Carolina. In the 2025-26 season, he averaged 22.3 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while making 36.5 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from beyond the arc and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-5 Dixon was a four-star, top-50 national prospect in the 2025 class out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He took an official visit to Syracuse basketball and had SU in his top six before picking the Tar Heels. Dixon, it's important to note, was recruited heavily by former Orange head coach Adrian Autry and former assistant coach Brenden Straughn.
Dylan Mingo
In February of this year, the 6-foot-5 Mingo committed to North Carolina. He's a five-star guard in the 2026 class and ranked No. 2 nationally by Rivals. Syracuse basketball offered a scholarship to Mingo in June of 2025, although as far as I can tell, the Orange was never a major contender for him. Mingo competes for Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., the same program where 'Cuse freshman shooting guard Kiyan Anthony also played.
Maximo Adams
The 6-foot-8 Adams is a five-star small forward in the 2026 cycle who checks in at No. 21 nationally, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. He attends the Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, Calif. The former Orange coaching staff re-offered him last June, and there was talk of a visit to the Hill, but that never materialized.