Best Heels From Abroad

With today July 4th and the nation celebrating our birthday, it seemed like a good time to do something a bit different. Instead of posting something classicly red, white and blue, it seemed like a good time to go outside our borders and have fun listing the 10 best basketball players in UNC history not originally from the United States.

Rick Fox (Nassau, Bahamas, 1987-91) - The 6-7 Fox is also a Canadian (born in Toronto), but was recruited to UNC after playing high school ball in Indiana. In fact, his "home" game was when the Tar Heels visited Purdue. Fox played in 140 games in four seasons, averaging 12.2 points per game with his best season coming as a senior when he averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2 steals per game in leading the Tar Heels to the Final Four. Fox also played 13 seasons in the NBA averaging 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per each of his 930 games played and he won 3 NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ademola Okulaja (Lagos, Nigeria, 1995-99) - Like Fox, the 6-9 forward had dual citizenship, and while born in Nigeria he was really more German. Okulaja stated 14 games as a freshman and then each of his last three seasons, playing in 138 games as a Tar Heel, averaging 9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Okulaja played on the German national team that medaled in the 2002 world championships and nine seasons in the Euroleague before cancer ended his career.

Steve Bucknall (London, England, 1985-89) - The 6-6 Brit was a role player in his four seasons in Chapel Hill, though he did average 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds as a senior. For his 130-game career, Bucknall averaged 7.5 points before a brief stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989-90 season. There, he played in 18 games (scored 23 points) and interestingly wore jersey number 24.

Serge Zwikker (Vlaardingen, Netherlands, 1992-97) - At 7-3, Zwikker arrived a UNC a project even though he was a McDonald's All-American. After redshirting in his first season, Zwikker didn't play much his first two years on the active roster, was a reserve that saw some time as a junior, but as a senior he had a terrific season averaging 11.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. He spent a year in the Houston Rockets organization before a brief career in Europe, where his basketball days ended due to recurring back injuries.

Henrik Rodl (Heusenstamm, Denmark, 1989-93) - The 6-7 big guard was an important role player for the Tar Heels, including on the 1993 national championship team. He was capable of running the point, serving an integral role when the Heels employed various presses, and was a terrific insurance policy for Dean Smith. Rodl played professionally for 11 seasons in Europe, winning seven German League titles, and in 1996 he won the German League MVP award.

Vasco Evtimov (Sofia, Bulgaria, 1996-99) - The athletic 6-10 forward had a strange career at UNC. A McDonald's All-American, Evtimov was on two Final Four teams, but he was also suspended one season for 18 games by the NCAA for playing on a professional team in Europe even though he wasn't paid. Evtimov was a talented player but never really found a groove at UNC. He averaged 4.4 playing the final 14 games of the 1998-99 season. He still plays professionally in Europe, having won a few championships at various levels, and he has been a member of the French and Bulgarian national teams.

Makhtar N'Diaye (Dakar, Senegal, 1996-98) - The powerful 6-10 forward originally committed to Wake Forest and then spent two seasons at Michigan before transferring to UNC. He was a key reserve in 1997 and part of a 6-man starting rotation the following campaign. He averaged 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds as a senior and later played in four NBA games with the Vancouver Grizzlies, scoring 5 points. N'Diaye had a successful career on the Senegalese team and played in Europe, Africa and even one season in the NBDL before retiring in 2008.

Orlando Melendez (Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1998-2002) - The supremely athletic 6-8 forward never really became part of the regular rotation at UNC. His forte was an amazing ability to entertain when dunking, but he rarely got those opportunities during games. Melendez's best season at UNC was his last in which he averaged 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. He spent a couple of seasons with the Harlem Globetrotters after a seven-year career playing professionally in South America.

Randy Wiel (Netherlands Antilles, 1975-79) - The 6-4 guard never really found a spot in the rotation though he did have some opportunities as a senior. Wiel totaled 72 points in his career before playing professionally at a moderate level for several years prior to a lengthy career as a coach, including three seasons as an assistant under Dean Smith at UNC. He was later the head coach at UNC-Asheville and Middle Tennessee State and has been an assistant at various other stops, including in the NBA.

Timo Makkonen (Lahti, Finland, 1980-84) - Seldom used, Makkonen scored 5 points as a senior and didn't play professionally. He did, however, earn a masters in Business and has had a lucrative and successful business career.