Cormac Ryan versus UNC basketball (Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports)

Two UNC Basketball Newcomers Among 'Top 10 Impact Transfers' in ACC

Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan are likely instant UNC basketball starters.

Author:
Matt Giles
Oct 19, 2023 7:35 AM EDT

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There's no doubt what Cormac Ryan can do as an ACC player. After all, the new UNC basketball graduate wing was a proven 3-point weapon for three seasons at Notre Dame, shooting 36.4 percent beyond the arc as a 6-foot-5, 195-pound high-volume deep threat (with a quick release) while averaging 10.5 points per game.

Another projected starter for Hubert Davis' third batch of Tar Heels as head coach, junior forward Harrison Ingram, has breakout-star potential following his two productive seasons at future ACC school Stanford. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound former composite five-star recruit averaged 10.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game there.

This week, On3's Jamie Shaw ranked the top 10 "impact transfers" in the ACC this season, putting one UNC basketball newcomer at the top of that list (Ingram) and another at the bottom (Ryan):

Here's a snippet of Shaw's assessment of Harrison Ingram entering Year 1 in Chapel Hill:

"The luxury of Harrison Ingram is you can do a lot of things with him. As a three or a four, his best attribute might be his initiation. This could help alongside a young point guard (Elliot Cadeau) and an adept scoring guard (RJ Davis)...Ingram is an intriguing piece with versatility and unselfish play...Not necessarily the star piece but the piece that connects the stars together."

And here's some of what Shaw wrote about Cormac Ryan's potential impact:

"As a team, UNC shot 31.2 percent from three last season...This offseason, Hubert Davis went out and got shooting. That has been headlined by bringing in Cormac Ryan...He is very adept at shooting off movement, which should play well alongside noted passers like Elliot Cadeau and Harrison Ingram."

The 2023-24 UNC basketball squad, sitting at No. 19 (the same spot that the memorable 2021-22 Final Four team started) in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, tips off its regular season on Nov. 6 against visiting Radford in the Dean E. Smith Center. Before that, the Tar Heels host St. Augustine's for an exhibition contest on Oct. 27.