Kanon Catchings entered the transfer portal a few days removed from his team's Sweet 16 exit to Alabama after a freshman season that dropped off a cliff upon the inception of conference play.
Unsurprisingly, when a highly-touted freshman prospect goes from a projected NBA Draft first-rounder to falling out of his college team's rotation entirely, his eyes may start to wander toward a program that can promise consistent playing time.
For Kanon, he may have found just that with the North Carolina Tar Heels.
On3’s @PeteNakos_ has logged a prediction for North Carolina to land BYU transfer SF Kanon Catchings🐏https://t.co/TJZ4QebnDZ pic.twitter.com/doj0yxBlDK
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) April 8, 2025
UNC may not be enjoying the same levels of success as we may be used to, but that program at Chapel Hill has been a basketball powerhouse for decades, and is looking to rebound and catch back up to the legacy they're finding themselves a few paces behind.
Injecting a high-upside former 4-star wing may just be the type of move to spark new life into an uncharacteristically dormant program.
Though a return to BYU still isn't out of the question until Kanon announces his commitment, I can't help but reflect on an unsteady but overall disappointing season in Provo. Head Coach Kevin Young was transparent about keeping him on a "short leash" regarding his on-floor minutes, and that was clear to anyone watching the second half of the season.
With the exception of his offensive outbursts against Baylor and Arizona, he didn't see much run with the team during the critical moments of the year.
The irritating concern that he may have been mismanaged regarding his usage with the team. Sure, the occasional injury stunted his momentum, but was Catchings' freshman failure thanks -- in large part -- to a misunderstanding of how to best take advantage of his skill set?
It's hard to tell, and we likely won't have any tangible indications whether Kanon's underwhelming season should be attributed to mismanagement from the coaching staff or his own failure to hit the benchmarks necessary to contribute at the highest level of college basketball.
In either case, a change of scenery is likely in the best interest of both parties. Hopefully, Kanon can launch with the Heels in 'NC.