TarHeel247 - A UNC Basketball podcast with John Henson

In this episode, John is joined by former Tar Heel big man Brendan Haywood for a look back at his time at Carolina and a look forward to this year's team. John and Brendan share never-before told stories about their recruitments, summer workouts against Tar Heel legends, expectations for this year's team and Brendan's time in the NBA. Follow on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2D9ADxjzj1W7E4Y2tEovej?si=1ad38aea147545f7 Follow on Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tarheel247-a-unc-basketball-podcast-with-john-henson/id1832321430 #UNC #UNCBasketball #TarHeels To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, John is joined by one of his former teammates at North Carolina, Memphis native Leslie McDonald, as they take a trip down memory lane and look back at their time at North Carolina and a look at the current state of college basketball. 00:00 - Intro00:15 - Welcome Leslie McDonald00:51 - Leslie's early life growing up in Memphis01:46 - How Leslie was introduced to basketball04:02 - How UNC got involved in his recruitment05:36 - Why going to Memphis wasn't appealing06:46 - UNC's recruiting pitch to him08:52 - Leslie's official visit to Chapel Hill09:47 - What happened on Leslie's visit to Duke10:58 - Leslie on what school he would've went to if not for UNC12:03 - Being a part of such a heralded recruiting class13:23 - Leslie on "optional" not being optional at UNC15:02 - Leslie's welcome to Carolina moment playing pickup17:00 - How Leslie knew Coach Williams was always watching18:26 - Recalling how hard conditioning was at Carolina20:35 - The part of his game Leslie developed the most at Carolina22:03 - Leslie's expectations for this year's team23:42 - How Leslie would've navigated NIL and the portal while he was at UNC24:59 - Leslie details his involvement with Iceberg Guards27:05 - John's story about there being no such thing as a free lunch29:14 - The collest experience Leslie had in his life due to the game of basketball30:46 - Leslie's advice to his younger self32:24 - The one thing Leslie wishes that the media would've asked him about his career #collegebasketball #northcarolina #tarheels #unc SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL:https://www.youtube.com/@tarheel247 FOLLOW US ON:Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/tarheel_247/X -  https://x.com/TarHeel_247 YouTubeNorth Carolina Tar Heels on 247Sports Follow on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2D9ADxjzj1W…  X (formerly Twitter)TarHeel247 (@TarHeel_247) on X The North Carolina Tar Heels site on the 247Sports network.https://t.co/c0AJzsBYDv To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, John is joined by Tar Heel legend Raymond Felton for a look back at his time in Chapel Hill and a look forward to this year's team.John and Raymond share never-before told stories about their recruitments, summer workouts against former Tar Heels, expectations for this year's team  and the one question Raymond wishes people would ask him about his basketball journey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John is joined by 247Sports National Basketball Director Eric Bossi as they revisit the first time John got on Bossi's radar as a prospect, scouting reports on each of the UNC freshmen, the investment UNC has made in its recruiting infrastructure and the latest recruiting intel on prospects UNC is after in the Class of 2026. [00:00] - Intro[00:36] - Welcome Eric Bossi[01:07] - The first time Bossi saw John play in high school[04:44] - Biggest differences between now and when John came along as a recruit[07:53] - A day in the life of a national recruiting analyst[10:25] - How John was initially discovered by Roy Williams[13:04] - 2025 5-star PF Caleb Wilson breakdown[15:33] - 2025 4-star CG Derek Dixon breakdown[17:24] - 2025 4-star CG Isaiah Denis breakdown[18:45] - The investments UNC has made in its recruiting infrastructure[22:36] - 2026 5-star SF Tajh Ariza intel[33:12] - 2026 5-star SF Anthony Thompson intel[28:03] - 2026 5-star PF Cameron Williams intel[30:58] - 2026 5-star PF Toni Bryant intel[33:06] - 2026 4-star PG Deron Rippey Jr. intel[36:59] - 2026 4-star SF Cameron Holmes intel[39:45] - 2026 4-star SF Cole Cloer intel[42:36] - 2026 4-star SF Bryson Howard intel[49:51] - 2026 4-star SF Maximo Adams intel[49:51] - The importance of finding the right fit as a recruit To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John is joined by 247Sports College Basketball Writer Isaac Trotter as they give detailed scouting reports on each addition to the Carolina basketball roster and what should be reasonable expectations for this year's team. [00:00] - Intro [00:33] - Welcome Isaac Trotter [01:23] - What to expect this season in College Basketball [02:24] - Impact of adding C Henri Veesaar to UNC [05:43] - CG Kyan Evans Transfer Expectations [09:02] - Impact of Montenegro CG Luka Bogavac [13:12] - 2025 5-star PF Recruit Caleb Wilson Intel [17:30] - Bama Transfer PF Jarin Stevenson Intel [21:34] - 4-star CG Derek Dixon Breakdown [24:51] - WVU 4-star SG transfer Jonathan Powell’s Potential [29:41] - 4-star CG recruit Isaiah Denis Intel [33:12] - UNC 2025 Season Expectations [35:12] - Roster Outlook Amongst ACC Contenders To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the inaugural episode, John is joined by his roommates at Carolina - Harrison Barnes and Justin Watts - for a look back at their time in Chapel Hill and a look forward to this year's Carolina team. John, Harrison and Justin share never-before told stories about summer workouts, how NIL would've impacted their Carolina teams and their thoughts on this year's Carolina team. 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Welcome Harrison Barnes & Justin Watts 02:10 - Why choose UNC? 06:08 - Early days at UNC 08:05 - Memorable moments at practice 10:29 - State of UNC Hoops in 2025 13:23 - How NIL would affect the team in the past 16:14 - Justin Watts’ title run 18:00 - Harrison Barnes’ leadership at UNC 21:20 - Harrison Barnes’ 40 point explosion vs Clemson 23:20 - Tournament memories To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carolina blue runs deep — and so do the stories. Hosted by John Henson, TarHeel247 - A UNC Basketball Podcast, takes you inside the heart of Carolina basketball with the voices who know it best. Each week, John sits down with legendary players, coaches and insiders for real, unfiltered conversations about the past, present and future of the program. Whether it’s behind-the-scenes moments from the locker room, deep dives into the state of the team, or candid reflections on what it means to wear that jersey — this is your all-access pass to one of the most iconic programs in sports. No fluff. No filters. Just hoop talk — the Tar Heel way. Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices