Sayon Keita, a 5-star center from Mali who played for F.C. Barcelona in Spain, committed to North Carolina men’s basketball on Tuesday.
The 7-footer, who was originally part of the 2027 class, is expected to play this season for UNC after reclassifying, per On3 and Inside Carolina.
Keita played in six games for F.C. Barcelona during the 2025-26 season, starting in three of them. He averaged 2.5 points per game, scoring 15 all season. His commitment comes after former UNC center Henri Veesaar announced he would be declaring for the NBA Draft and would not maintain his college eligibility late last week. Keita will be a major piece for new head coach Michael Malone, whose roster is starting to fully take shape.
