UNC basketball is adding another big man ahead of the 2025-26 season.
According to Joe Tipton of On3Sports, High Point transfer Ivan Matlekovic is set to join the Tar Heels as the 10th newcomer on the roster. A 7-footer from Croatia, Matlekovic will arrive in Chapel Hill as a sophomore for head coach Hubert Davis’ fifth team.
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Following a season in which it was undersized in the post, UNC added Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson and five-star recruit Caleb Wilson to surround sophomore returner James Brown in a revamped frontcourt.
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Ivan Matlekovic stats
Listed as a 7-foot, 245-pound freshman on High Point’s 2024-25 roster, Matlekovic was a part of a 29-win squad that raised a conference championship trophy and played in the NCAA Tournament. He appeared in five games for the Panthers, averaging 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per contest. Matlekovic scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds against Carolina University, an NAIA program, for his best performance as a freshman.
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Ivan Matlekovic role with UNC basketball, Tar Heels’ frontcourt
Given Matlekovic’s limited usage in the Big South, it’s hard to imagine he’ll come to Chapel Hill as a player expected to provide a post presence right away for the Tar Heels. But it never hurts to have an extra big body, particularly for a program that lacked frontcourt depth last season.
Matlekovic, a 20-year-old sophomore, had international experience playing for Croatia and Mladost, a professional team that competes in Serbia. He averaged 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in that league. With the national team, he competed in the FIBA U18 European Championship, averaging 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds across five games.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Ivan Matlekovic reportedly joining UNC basketball, Hubert Davis
