Caleb Wilson the star of UNC basketball show entering Tar Heels’ season premiere

Caleb Wilson talks UNC basketball, joining Tar Heels as freshman

UNC basketball freshman Caleb Wilson showed off his personality and discussed what he can bring the Tar Heels as a freshman.

• Caleb Wilson is considered a versatile, positionless player and a projected top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
• Wilson is known for his intense work ethic, which was fueled by being cut from the USA U18 team.
• Teammates and coaches describe him as a charismatic and funny person off the court.

CHAPEL HILL — Toward the end of his 18-minute introduction as a UNC basketball player, Caleb Wilson seemed like he was just warming up to continue the show. 

Delivering a steady stream of money-quote content at a factory-like pace inside the Smith Center media room, the 19-year-old freshman had to be brought to the finish line at the end of his first press conference. 

“I hate to stop this,” men’s basketball communications director Steve Kirschner said with a smile. “But we do have Jaydon (Young) behind him and then practice.” 

As a 6-foot-10, 215-pound force on and off the court, Wilson is a tough act to follow. But someone had to do it. Young, a Virginia Tech transfer, didn’t mind, describing his first-year teammate as a “freak athlete” before revealing his first impression of the rookie.

“My first impression was he’s just a good kid,” Young said. “. … His personality is the same at all times, so that’s what I respect about him. He doesn’t try to change himself for anyone.” 

The early episodes of Wilson’s time in Chapel Hill are drawing rave reviews from the Tar Heels. Covering a variety of genres with his unique personality, the Atlanta native is known as a comedian who “cracks jokes a lot,” Young said, “almost every day.” 

Fellow UNC freshman Derek Dixon added: “He’s a funny guy; he’s a social guy. Likes to troll.” 

Robert Swain, who trained Wilson for nearly a decade before the five-star recruit made his way to Chapel Hill, has collected endless laughs from the duo’s time together. 

“I think he’s an even better jokester than he is a basketball player,” Swain said with a laugh. “He’s real funny, man.” 

It didn’t take long for UNC coach Hubert Davis to see what kind of influence Wilson could have as a big man on campus. 

“He’s a confident … he’s a charismatic kid that enjoys being on this team, being a part of this program, but enjoys being in college, which is nice and refreshing,” Davis said. 

“I really believe if he ran for student body president, he might win. He knows everybody. His talent out there on the floor, obviously, is real. But in combination with the type of person and the type teammate he is, he lights up a room, whichever room he goes into. It’s been so much fun coaching him.” 

The son of Jerry and Sabrina Wilson and a projected top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Wilson thrives in front of cameras. But, he says, there’s a balance to the fun and work. Even as someone who doesn’t mind the bright lights, Wilson’s accomplishments have come from what he’s consistently done in the absence of cameras. 

“My dad’s always told me it’s gotta be a balance. I love to have fun off the court, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to make myself a legend here and win a bunch of games. I didn’t commit to Carolina to come in here and go to karaoke night,” Wilson said with a laugh. 

“I came here to be a great basketball player, so I do things that are kind of free mentally off the court, because I feel like it’s definitely a mental balance. You can’t put all your mental cards in one deck. I try to do things that kind of take my mind off basketball, but it’s hard for me to do. But it’s good for me, because the ball’s gonna stop bouncing one day. You want to have stuff you can fall back on, but I love basketball, I love the grind, I love seeing myself get better.” 

Caleb Wilson workouts and mindset after ‘furious’ letdown 

The love of the grind grew for Caleb Wilson following a letdown that fueled his high-octane workouts.

On May 25, 2024, Wilson was named a finalist for the 2024 USA men’s U18 national team. He didn’t make the team, which went on to win a gold medal at FIBA’s AmeriCup.

“When he got cut from the USA team, he was furious,” said Robert Swain, owner of Swain Basketball Academy in Hapeville, Ga.  

“He came to me and I had to slow him down, because he wanted to workout three, four, five times a day. He went into overdrive wanting to do extra work. He didn’t want to relax no more, because he said he didn’t want to feel that feeling no more.” 

A former player at UConn and Charleston who coaches and trains basketball players throughout the Atlanta area, Swain got to see Wilson transform into one the nation’s top prospects. 

“When we first started working out, he was tall, lanky, slow. He used to workout in a durag,” Swain said with a laugh. “He had a durag on his head. … He had the baby giraffe legs.” 

Swain had training sessions with Wilson at least four times a week, starting at 5 a.m. during weekdays. Even on game days, Wilson and Swain would get in that early-morning work before school. On Saturdays and Sundays, Swain would host group sessions in the morning at 5:45 and 8:45. 

Wilson would be there for both workouts, waiting for his dad to bring him McDonald’s between sessions before taking a quick nap ahead of the second workout. 

“What makes him different, from a basketball standpoint, his mindset, his work ethic,” Swain said. “He’s a perfectionist. He’s gonna keep trying and trying and trying. His will power, there’s no quit in him. He plays to the end.” 

Did Swain ever have to text Wilson and wake him up for those early-morning workouts? 

“Never,” Swain said. “Never. Never.” 

The individual workouts were roughly an hour and a half. Following a 10-minute stretching session, ballhandling was up first for Wilson before shifting to passing drills and situational shots in spots on the floor where Wilson is likely to do the most damage.

“He makes the workout. He don’t let the workout break him,” Swain said. “Every rep he’s going in, he’s going in hard. As talented as he is and skillful as he is, when I correct him, he listens and he has questions.” 

Following Wilson’s high school games, Swain would send 5- to 8-second clips of “negative plays,” with Wilson finding the problem and often correcting it in the next game because “it’s fresh on his mind.” 

Following the Team USA disappointment, Wilson averaged 21.6 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals per game for a state-title-winning team at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta. In August, he signed a multimillion-dollar deal with New Balance.

He’s continued the work since arriving in Chapel Hill, taking advantage of any and every opportunity to get in the gym and get better. Wilson and Derek Dixon tried to work out every morning during their freshmen orientation at UNC. 

“I feel like confidence is, first of all, you gotta work to get it. I feel like someone can’t give that to you. I’ve never worked as hard in my entire life like this past summer,” Wilson said. 

“I was working out at 10 p.m. at night by myself and doing a bunch of different things that I felt like separated me from everybody else in the country.” 

What Caleb Wilson brings to UNC basketball as player, person

If Wilson was to be UNC’s student body president, it would be a short term for the likely one-and-done freshman. As one of the top prospects listed on 2026 NBA mock draft boards, Wilson is the headliner for the Tar Heels this season. 

“From a basketball standpoint, I think you guys know he’s just uber talented. … As much as I can talk about how impressed I am of him on the court. I’m even more impressed of him as a kid and a teammate. Everything that he talks about is never about him,” Hubert Davis said. 

“And I mean that like everything that he talks about is about the team, and it’s about North Carolina. Everything. For someone highly ranked coming in here to not only talk about it, but only really be concerned about the welfare and the benefit of the team, is something that is rare, and it’s something that I really enjoy and love being around every day.”

Asked what he would tell UNC fans about the player they’re getting in Wilson, Swain didn’t hesitate as he provided an answer. 

“I would tell fans they’re getting a leader, they’re getting a first-class person and they’re getting a hard worker,” he said. 

Senior guard Seth Trimble and Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, a 7-foot center, rave about Wilson’s ability to affect a game in different areas. Veesaar knew Wilson came to UNC as a “great player,” but he was surprised by the youngster’s knack for making reads and willingness to pass. 

“I had no clue about it. The first couple practices I was in awe,” Veesaar said, referencing Wilson’s lobs and hit-ahead passes in fast-break situations as someone who “plays like a wing or guard” at times. 

Trimble added: “He’s just being such a force and such an impact, not only on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, as well. He’s gonna be an X-factor for us this year. He’s gonna be incredible. I just can’t wait to watch him grow.” 

Wilson says growing up as a multi-sport athlete contributed to his versatility. He played football and even spent some time at shortstop as a baseball player. But he’s always been a hooper. 

“Basketball to me is a sport that’s not predictable,” Wilson said. “It’s not like football, where if you’re running back, this is all you’re doing. I get a rebound, I push like a guard would. So, it’s hard to box myself in.” 

In discussing his view on being a positionless player, Wilson said he watches a lot of film. Kevin Durant, particularly Durant’s time as a one-and-done player at Texas, and Paul George are a few of the players at the top of that list. 

But even with those premier examples, Wilson doesn’t want to limit himself to modeling his game after someone else. 

“I watch a lot of NBA and professional players play, but I’ve never really seen anyone like me,” he said. “Really. Honestly.” 

As serious as he is about basketball, Wilson still taps into the human element as just another college kid on campus.

He reads Stoic philosophy every morning, loves 30-minute naps, builds LEGO sets — his most recent build being a Lamborghini Countach — listens to country music from artists like Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers, and tries to interact with every person in his path who wants a moment with him. 

“Throughout campus, I just make sure I try to speak to everybody,” Wilson said. 

“It’s always a feeling of uneasiness when you’re around a basketball player, because people think that we’re – I don’t even want to say not human – but that we think that we’re better than them. So I always try to make everyone feel like I’m personable, you can talk to me.” 

If people want a photo or to chop it up for a bit, Wilson said he’s “not gonna shun them away.” He wants everyone to feel included and important.

But there’s no question UNC’s leading man looks the part and plays it well. Even before averaging 22.5 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in two exhibition games, Wilson provided a preseason preview of his personality during his introductory press conference.

It only took 18 minutes inside the Smith Center media room for Wilson to show he’s ready to be the star of the show.

“I’m sure this won’t be the last time we have Caleb in here,” Kirschner said.

Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@gannett.com.