Our UNC Basketball 2023-2024 season in review begins with Elliot Cadeau, a very talented freshman who has plenty of room to grow.

The 2023-2024 UNC basketball season has come to a close, as it’s now time to take a closer look at the individual performances of the Tar Heels who could potentially be back for the 2024-2025 season.

We’ll start with freshman Elliot Cadeau, a five-star prospect who joined the Tar Heels a season earlier than anticipated. As is the case with most freshman who are tasked with a significant amount of responsibility on the court, the New Jersey native had his ups and downs, but there’s no question that he has the talent to be a very good player at North Carolina.

We all knew COVID was gonna be a game changer, and we’re still experiencing the ripple effects. One of those new norms is that players transferring in and out of college basketball programs is an ever-evolving labyrinth that coaches and fans will have to continue to navigate for the foreseeable future.

Hence, we give you the inaugural Transfer of the Year award.

First, the nominees.

James Okonkwo stayed buried deep on the bench all season, played very limited minutes, and recently entered the transfer portal.

Paxson Wojcik entering any game caused fans’ faces to cringe and teeth to grind, but he did manage a few moments of collective exhalation.

From the ashes of last season’s Louisville season rose the phoenix that is Jae’Lyn Withers. One of the biggest contributors from the refurbished and oft-utilized Tar Heel bench, Withers provided a spark and was more than just a guy. With the second-most bench minutes played behind Seth Trimble, he made multiple key and timely plays that led to or solidified UNC victories. Unfortunately he also made as many poor decisions and inconvenient turnovers that made fans groan (still too soon to mention that ill-advised three point attempt at the end of the Alabama game?). Every time you started to fall for Jae’Lyn, you became Nic Cage in Moonstruck.

Then there’s Cormac Ryan. Any other year, the fiery Irishman from New York would probably be your winner, averaging 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He went nuclear against Duke in part two of the Devil sweep with 31 points on 6-8 shooting from deep. An extremely streaky shooter, Cormac finished at 35.4% from behind the arc. When he was on he was really freaking good, but when he was off it was ugly. Still, look no further than Ryan’s comments supporting RJ after his disappointing performance in the Alabama postgame presser to see just what an outstanding teammate this guy is. A very close first runner-up.

The Transfer of the Year, however, must go to Harrison Ingram. Since the very start of the season, it was apparent that the junior transfer from Stanford was going to have a significant impact on this team. Harrison was less boom-or-bust than Cormac. That consistency was relied upon night in and night out and tips the scales in Harrison’s favor.

One game that stands out: in part one of the double-trouble-for-Duke domination, on a night where RJ, Cormac, and Cadeau all had shooting struggles in the Dean Dome, Ingram delivered 21 points and 13 rebounds. His season-high of 22 points also came against NC State in Chapel Hill.

Harrison’s positive attitude was infectious. His motor and intensity in defending and diving for loose balls and generally playing with maximum effort invigorated this team throughout the season; an intangible characteristic that was sorely missed last year.

Even in the games in which his shot wasn’t falling, Ingram persistently and repeatedly found ways to influence the contest in Carolina’s favor, to the extent that you never wanted to see him come out of the game. His energy was that valuable.

Harrison finished the season at 12.2 points per game, 8.8 rebounds (including a season high of 19 vs. the Wolfpack in Raleigh), 2.2 assists, and 1.4 steals, with a FG% of 43.0 and 3P% of 38.5. Too bad there’s no stat line for hustle and heart.