It’s been busy in Chapel Hill this past week as students have been moving in on and off campus, and the First Day of Class is set for tomorrow. It looks like those classes will include a native of Mali who Michael Malone has high hopes for in terms of much-needed front court depth.
On Saturday, Inside Carolina’sSherrell McMillan had the major scoop that Sayon Keita had obtained his visa to come to the United States, and with that he should be on the ground in time to attend classes this week. That means he should be eligible to play when the 2026-27 basketball season tips off.
It will be interesting to see just how quickly Keita can get up to speed, as the rest of the the first team assembled by Malone — sans Cameron Fens — have been able to have informal practices together, allowing them to start to learn how to play together. Keita will be behind in that aspect, and fans will undoubtedly remember how much another late arrival in Luka Bogavac struggled. That Keita plays a different position and is younger might actually help him adjust quicker.
The news means that Malone will now have depth — albeit untested at a high-major college level — in the front court which was considered the major hole of the first assembled team. Another international transfer, Alex Samodurov, should also see minutes along with Fens — presuming Fens’ ability to play isn’t wiped out on appeal to higher courts.
With classes starting and the first public game for the Tar Heels less than two months away, the pressure will be on for Malone’s inaugural Tar Heel squad to gel quickly and cohesively. The team is already staring at an announced non-conference schedule of Georgia, Marshall, West Virginia, Arkansas, Butler, Georgetown, Kentucky, and Illinois. Rumors are also out that another major non-conference game will be announced this week, also to be played in Greensboro.
The addition of Keita to this team was a major grab for Malone, as Jonathan Givony pegs the big man to be a lottery pick in the 2027 NBA draft, and the depth that Malone now has means that he’ll be able to practice against talent the same size, hopefully broadening his skill. No doubt the success Malone has had in teaching international players in the NBA plus his success there were major factors for Keita selecting Carolina.
He’s a raw talent, but he has talent, and there’s little doubt that he’s looking to be able to refine that skill so he can take the next step to the NBA next year. Now with his visa in hand, he’ll be ready to do so.