Isaiah Denis entered the transfer portal after a frustrating freshman season at UNC. Michael Malone wanted him back badly enough to enlist Chris Paul, helping give the talented sophomore a fresh start in Chapel Hill.
Isaiah Denis’ first season at North Carolina didn’t go according to plan. But if there was any question about how badly new head coach Michael Malone wanted him back for Year 2, Denis provided a pretty definitive answer Thursday.
Malone called Chris Paul.
Denis arrived in Chapel Hill as a highly regarded guard from Davidson Day, but an untimely finger injury derailed his freshman preseason. Denis had previously dislocated the finger during his senior year of high school, then broke it again just a few weeks into summer workouts at UNC. He acknowledged Thursday that missing that developmental time made it exceedingly difficult to carve out a place in the rotation as a freshman.
The result was a season spent almost entirely on the fringes. Denis appeared in only 10 games, averaging 3.4 minutes per appearance. He still showed glimpses of the talent that made him an intriguing prospect, shooting 7-for-14 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point range, but there simply wasn't enough opportunity to establish a meaningful role.
So when UNC underwent a coaching change and Denis entered the transfer portal, leaving Chapel Hill would have been understandable.
Then Malone arrived.
The former Denver Nuggets coach consulted members of the retained Carolina staff about which players from the previous roster he needed to keep. Denis quickly emerged as one of them. Malone learned that Denis had a relationship with future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul and decided to use it.
Denis recalled Malone essentially asking Paul to convince him to withdraw from the portal. It’s a remarkable detail because Malone was just beginning to construct his first college roster. He hadn't coached Denis. He didn't have a year of practices or games from which to evaluate him personally. Yet what he saw and heard was enough to make retaining Denis a priority.
Denis ultimately returned, and now he gets something he never really had as a freshman: a clean runway.
That may be one of the most fascinating elements of Carolina's first season under Malone. Nearly everything has reset. Eleven newcomers joined the roster, while Denis is among the small group of players who experienced last season firsthand.
And unlike a year ago, Denis enters preseason practice healthy and able to compete from Day 1.
Malone has brought what Denis describes as noticeably greater intensity to Carolina's practices, with the Tar Heels beginning official preseason work this week. For a player who lost so much valuable preparation time a year ago, simply being available for the entire process matters.
There are no guarantees about how large Denis’ role will become in a crowded and talented Carolina backcourt.
But there is no ambiguity about one thing:
When Michael Malone took the North Carolina job, Isaiah Denis was someone he wanted to keep.
Badly enough, apparently, to call Chris Paul.
