Former Seaforth basketball star Jarin Stevenson is coming back home.
Stevenson, the Chapel Hill native who spent his first two college seasons at Alabama, committed to North Carolina, per a late Sunday night report from On3’s Joe Tipton.
The commitment comes days after reports announced the 6-foot-11 and 215-pound forward entered the transfer portal with a “do not contact tag” on April 9.
Stevenson is another frontcourt addition for the Tar Heels in this transfer portal window, joining former Arizona big Henri Veesaar who committed to UNC on April 4. Bigger bodies in the paint and on the perimeter were huge needs for UNC last season, especially after giving up 74.7 points per game (5th worst scoring defense in the ACC).
Stevenson had an up and down career at Alabama, averaging 5.4 points and three rebounds per game across the two seasons.
As a freshman, Stevenson played significant minutes and made five starts for the Crimson Tide, notching a few double-digit scoring performances off the bench and solid defensive play.
He became a valuable piece in Alabama’s fast-paced offense with his ability to run the floor and shoot threes at his size. Stevenson’s abilities came up huge in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as his 19-point performance (five made threes) in the Elite Eight against Clemson propelled Alabama to its first Final Four appearance.
During his sophomore season, Stevenson earned a larger role and started in 22 games. However, he struggled to improve from the three-point line as much as expected. Stevenson started the season 0-17 from beyond the arc, but he responded with back-to-back double-digit scoring nights and combined for seven made threes in the three games following the drought.
Stevenson didn’t have the most consistent offensive season, but he did provide some big games for the Crimson Tide, including a career-high 22 points (7-for-8 from the field) in a win over Texas and a stat line of 16 points, three steals, four rebounds and a block in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals against Kentucky.
Although Stevenson played more minutes as a sophomore, his opportunities to score remained about the same across the two seasons. Playing in the same number of games as he did as a freshman, Stevenson took five less shots and took the same number of threes (101) as a sophomore.
Stevenson’s latest commitment comes full circle after he was initially projected to land with the Tar Heels coming out of high school. He also has ties to the university through his mom, Nicole (Walker) Stevenson, who played basketball at UNC and won three ACC championships from 1995-98.
While at Seaforth, about a 30-minute drive south of UNC, Stevenson averaged 21.1 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game in two seasons. The five-star recruit recorded 19 double-doubles and a triple double (10 blocks) in his 2022-23 junior season. He led the Hawks to two playoff appearances.
Stevenson was named the 2023 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. Before reclassifying to the class of 2023, he was ranked as ESPN’s No. 1 power forward in the 2024 class.
Returning to Chapel Hill could also mean a reunion with UNC forward Drake Powell.
As high school freshmen, Stevenson and Powell, also a five-star recruit, played together at Northwood.
During the 2020-21 season, Stevenson averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while Powell poured in averages of 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds. The freshman duo helped the Chargers to a 14-3 overall record and a trip to the 3A state title game in which they fell to Weddington 57-46.
Stevenson and Powell have shared the court twice more following that season, but on different teams.
Powell and the Chargers opened the 2021-22 season with a 72-42 win over Stevenson’s Hawks. However, Stevenson evened things this winter when Alabama walked into the Dean Smith Center and dominated UNC 94-79 in the ACC-SEC Challenge on Dec. 4. Stevenson knocked down two threes in that win.
As of Monday, a reunion between the former Chatham County stars is yet to be final, though. The Tar Heels are still waiting on a decision from Powell on whether he will return to UNC or not.