Smiley Introduces Entire 2024 Recruiting Class

In his single season with Idaho, Denker started all 32 games while leading his team with 12.5 and 3.7 assists per game. He averaged 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 84.4% from the foul line.

Denker posted his 2023-24 season high against the Bears in Greeley, Feb. 22, totaling 23 points on 8 of 16 from the field, adding seven rebounds and four assists.

"We believe he is a perfect complement to our returning backcourt and brings a ton of talent and experience to next year's team," Smiley said.

He amassed 15 or more points in 10 games last season, finishing the season 14th overall in scoring in the Big Sky Conference and seventh in minutes played. Denker joined the Bears as a current junior, with one year of eligibility remaining.

Before playing his junior season in Moscow, Idaho, Denker attended Cal State San Marcos, averaging 14.5 ppg and garnered All-California Collegiate Athletic Association recognition, helping lead his team to an NCAA Division II national tournament appearance.

Denker began his college career at West Valley College, garnering California Community College Athletic Association All-State honors and led his team to an undefeated league record and league championship.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"We are excited to add a proven, talented player such as Quinn Denker to our roster for 24-25. Quinn was an elite player in our league last year, finishing Top-15 in points and seventh in assists per game. Most importantly, Quinn is an absolute winner who is hyper-focused on winning a championship. What he brings to any team is his leadership capabilities, his vocal presence on the court and his ability to connect with his teammates is impressive. We can't wait to start working with Quinn this summer." – Steve Smiley, UNC Head Coach

Isaiah Hawthorne | 6-8 | Forward | San Francisco | Tracy, Calif. | Highlight Video

Hawthorne spent the last five seasons at San Francisco, where he tallied 369 points, 178 rebounds, 46 assists, 41 steals and 22 blocks.

During the 2023-24 season, Hawthorne appeared in 29 games, starting eight, averaging 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds. He shot 43.3% from the field, including 30.8% from three-point range.

Hawthorne recorded a season-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 from 3-point range in 14 minutes of play against Mississippi Valley State Dec. 30.

He saw action in all 34 games during the 2022-23 campaign, starting the last 23 games; averaging 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"We're thrilled to announce the signing of Isaiah Hawthorne to our roster for the upcoming season. As we get closer to finishing the roster, we've been able to focus on what we still need after learning who is returning, and who we've already signed this spring. Isaiah has been a huge focus of our recruiting for a long time and he fits perfectly with his ability to play multiple positions as a big forward who is also highly skilled. He has been a part of a ton of winning at USF in one of the top leagues in the country, he's had awe-inspiring individual performances against some of the top teams in the country and he fits perfectly with how we want to play. Bears fans are going to enjoy watching Isaiah compete next year.

Taeshaud Jackson | 6-6 | Guard | VMI | Denver, Colo. | Highlight Video

In two seasons with Virginia Military Institute, Jackson averaged 8.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. He appeared in 64 games, including 44 starts over his time in Virginia. Jackson started 32 of the 33 games he played in during the 2023-24 campaign, tallying 344 points (10.4) and 344 rebounds (10.4), with 38 assists, 43 steals and 13 blocks.

He tallied 11 of his 15-career double-doubles last season and missed the first triple-double of his career by two assists. Jackson recorded 10 rebounds and eight assists against ETSU, in the opening round of the 2024 SoCon Championship.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"We could not be more thrilled to begin building our incoming recruiting class around the caliber of player and person that Taeshaud is as our first signee. Taeshaud is a local product who was a standout player at Dakota Ridge High School before he finished his prep career at the prestigious Southern California Academy. His proven production at VMI in the SoCon conference, averaging a double-double this past season and will help us replace the production that Saint Thomas and others had for the Bears. Taeshaud is a multi-positional wing, skilled enough to play guard spots and physical enough to play bigger forward and post positions if needed. "He is tough, skilled, and an explosive athlete who is enthusiastic; brings a ton of energy to the floor and is a great person! Bears fans will love cheering on Taeshaud!"

Luca Colceag | 6-9 | Forward | Eastern Florida State College | Bucharest, Romania | Highlight Video

Colceag spent last season at Eastern Florida State College. The Titans began the season ranked No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association national poll and remained in the top ten the entire season.

During his sophomore campaign, Colceag averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.8 rebounds per game. He knocked down 35% of his attempts behind the 3-point line. Colceag converted 14 of 25 (56%) attempts behind the arc in a four-game stretch during conference play. He represented Romania in the FIBA U20 European Challengers averaging 8.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg during the event.

Colceag began his collegiate career at Montana State in a reserve role. He appeared in 10 games for the Bobcats during the 2022-23 campaign and tallied a season-high 12 points against Northwest Indian.

Both of Luca's parents are former professional athletes. His father played soccer professionally for two decades. His mother played for the Romanian senior women's national team and helped them qualify for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket in 2001.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"As we focused on finishing out the final roster pieces for the upcoming season, one of our final focuses was getting a big wing-forward that can stretch the floor and shoot it, much like former Bears Bodie Hume and Riley Abercrombie. We believe that we have hit a home run with the signing of Luca. Luca proved his ability this year in one of the top junior college leagues in America, and we feel fortunate that he has chosen our program and university as the next step in his journey. Luca should have a tremendous final two years of college basketball here at UNC. We couldn't be happier! Luca fits perfectly into the roster that we already constructed and we believe that he will have a significant impact on our program. "He has great size, the ability to play multiple positions, shoots the ball well, great skills on the defensive end and can attack the rim for himself or to create for others."

William Humer | 6-8 | Forward | San Jose State | Sollentuna, Sweden | Highlight Video

Humer appeared in 25 games – starting two - for the Spartans during the 2023-24 campaign. He established a career-high 11 points and four assists against Bethesda (Calif.) and at Montana. Against the Grizzlies, Humer hit 5 of 9 from the field in 25 minutes, establishing highs in all three categories.

He began his career at McCook Community College, averaging 7.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 1.8 apg in 28 games. Humer knocked down 49.4% from the field, including 34.3% from 3-point range.

Humer recorded double-digit points in nine games and tallied a season-high 18 points on 7 of 8 from the field in a win over Otero College. He knocked down a season-high four 3-pointers against Northeastern Junior College.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"We're excited to announce that Will has committed to play for the Bears next season. Will is a skilled and physical post presence that completes this part of our roster build. Knowing that Will still has two years left to play is exciting. We believe Will complements our current roster, especially our post players, Brock Wisne and Egan Shields. His skill level, ability to stretch the floor, shoot from 3-point range and his ability to post up will be a matchup nightmare for the opposition. Will has an extremely high basketball IQ and fits perfectly with how we want to play!

Ariik Mawien | 6-4 | Guard | Link Year Prep Academy | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Highlight Video

Mawien averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during the 2023-24 campaign with Link Year Prep Academy. He shot 47% from the field, including 38% from 3-point range.

At Capistrano Valley Christian High School, he tallied 1,050 points and set the single-season school record with 2.5 blocks per contest.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"We're ecstatic to finish up for the 2024 recruiting class with the signing of Ariik. He fit perfectly into what we were searching for in this last spot. With a roster already top-heavy with 10 juniors and seniors, our goal was to get one more incoming freshman that we felt was talented and fit a couple of needs that we wanted to address, getting one more perimeter player who could really shoot the ball and help us athletically. Ariik checks those boxes, and after playing a post-graduate year at one of the top prep programs in the country at Link Year, we believe he will be able to contribute if needed, but also have the long-term vision to develop his game and body early in his career. Ariik is a tremendous kid and a great student, and we believe he will fit into our roster perfectly.

Viktor Lukic-Gavric | 6-2 | Shooting Guard | Get Better Academy | Stockholm, Sweden | Highlight Video

Lukic-Gavric, signed a National Letter of Intent, after posting 18.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists at the 2023 FIBA U18 A Division last summer.

Lukic-Gavric played prep basketball at the Get Better Academy in Prague, Czech Republic.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"We feel fortunate to get a commitment from Viktor. He is a proven player at the highest levels of European basketball, proving his ability this past summer with the Swedish National Team, as he was the second-leading scorer in the FIBA U-18 A Division for the Swedish team, playing against the best competition in Europe. Viktor is tough, explosive, can score, but also will be a great fit as a facilitator in our ball screen offense. We see Viktor as a big guard who can play both on and off the ball, comparable to recent Bear standouts like Matt Johnson, Daylen Kountz, and Dejour Reaves. We can't wait to get Viktor on campus to start working with him!"

Hunter Caldwell | 6-10 | Center | Lutheran High School | Parker, Colo. | Highlight Video

Caldwell averaged 10.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and one block during his three seasons at Lutheran High School. In his senior campaign, he scored 16.0 points and grabbed 7.4 rebounds, with 1.1 blocks per game.

After his final high school season, Caldwell collected Colorado All-State 4A First Team, Pikes Peak All-Conference First Team and Colorado All-State Academic Honorable Mention honors. He led the Centennial State with a 56% shooting percentage from 3-point range.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"Hunter was the first recruit to commit to the Bears this spring, and we couldn't have been more thrilled. Hunter has tremendous upside as a skilled post player at 6'10 already, shot over 50% from 3-point range this year and has a legitimate back-to-the-basket post-game. We believe with Hunter's work ethic, he will blossom in our program as he continues to develop his body and his skill level," Smiley said. "Hunter has the chance to be a special player in our program for a long time!"

Walker Asp | 6-8 | Wing | Palmer High School | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Highlight Video

Asp played an integral part in Palmer High School advancing to the Colorado High School Activities Association 5A Sweet 16 in his junior and senior campaigns.

In his senior season, Asp led the Terrors in scoring 14.0 ppg and rebounding 5.4 rpg, averaging 1.7 steals and almost one block per game. After his junior year, Asp earned an All-Colorado Springs Metro League Second Team Selection. He elevated his game during his final campaign, capturing All-Colorado Springs Metro League First Team and Colorado All-State 5A Honorable Mention accolades.

What Head Coach Steve Smiley Said
"We are excited to get the commitment of Walker Asp to join the Bears as a freshman this upcoming fall. Walker is regarded as one of the top players in Colorado, but what is most exciting about Walker is his tremendous upside as a prospect. Walker has great positional size as a big wing, he is an explosive athlete with a great skill set, and he's focused on continually building his body at the collegiate level. We can't wait for Walker to get to campus and get to work!"