Three North Carolina collegiate athletes get selected in NBA draft while several get signed

June 27 saw the NCA draft come to a close as three North Carolina collegiate athletes were selected in the two rounds.

Duke duo

The first round saw two players out of Duke University being selected.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Duke point guard Jared McCain as the No. 16 overall.

McCain made waves in his freshman year on and off the court in the season leading up to being drafted.

McCain had two 30+ point games in the NCAA tournament, the second freshman in the last 50 years to do so. He was on the ACC All-Rookie team, All-ACC Academic Team and All-ACC honorable mention.

His off-the-court controversies come as innocent enjoyments that have not been well received by some basketball fans, including painting his nails and his social media fame, with 3.8+ million combined followers on TikTok and Instagram. These, however, do not affect his impact on the court.

McCain’s teammate, center Kyle Filipowski was picked early in the second round and 16 picks later at No. 32 overall.

Filipowski was selected by the Utah Jazz who had him in for an individual workout and were likely gladdened to get him in the second round.

The 6’11 big man comes into the league with an onslaught of offensive talent, something the Jazz lacked in their previous season.

Filipowski joins two rookies, Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier, Utah selected in the first round as they rebuild after back-to-back No. 12 seed western finishes. These back-to-back season performances kept them out of the playoffs and play-ins, a poor look after a top-six finish in the six prior seasons including leading the entire league in 2020-21.

Tar Hell draftee

North Carolina University was the second North Carolina college to have a player selected in the draft, with the San Antonio Spurs selecting Harrison Ingram at the No. 48 overall slot, and No. 18 in the second round.

While not the most athletic player in the draft, his high basketball IQ, offensive versatility and high effort to make up for it and are characteristics the rebuilding Spurs team is in need of.

Ingram is an outstanding rebounder, especially for his size. If he can further develop his shooting, he can be the dangerous 3-and-D role-playing threat the Spurs need, filling in the young roster well.

Undrafted signings

NC State made history in 2024 with one of the biggest Cinderella runs in NCAA history, and while none of the Wolfpack were selected in the draft, it was not long before they had players getting signed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers only had one pick in the draft but shortly after, signed NC State hero DJ Burns who helped lead the Wolfpack to an ACC Tournament Championship win and the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wolfpack’s DJ Horne and Mohamed Diarra both earned summer league deals as they hope to work up to NBA rosters.

Honre signed with the Spurs while Diarra signed with the Lakers.

North Carolina had two Tar Heels earning contracts. Armando Bacot went undrafted but earned an Exhibit-10 contract with the Jazz, joining Filipowsi who was Bacot’s rival in the previous season. Tar Heel Cormac Ryan also earned an Exhibit-10 contract, signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that has been making countless moves all off-season.

University of Maryland star Jahmir Young earned an Exhibit-10 deal with the Denver Nuggets. While Young was a Terrapin for the last two years, he was the face of UNC Charlotte basketball in his first three years of college.

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