French Connection: taking a closer look at Maxim Logue

So naturally, it was news that Florida Atlantic’s Maxim Logue had committed to UNC that drew my attention. I consume a lot of college basketball but will freely admit I’d never heard of the French big man. Since it’s likely he’s also a relative unknown to most UNC fans, I thought it’d be worth digging a little deeper on what the Heels are getting from the Owls transfer.

Logue is originally from Lyon, France where he played on the U18 French national team before joining Oregon State as a freshman. He played sparingly for the Beavers, averaging roughly three points and two rebounds in seven minutes a game. He transferred to Florida Atlantic for his sophomore year where he came off the bench for the Owls as a backup center. His averages as a sophomore were modest as well: Logue averaged 11 minutes, four points and three rebounds a contest.

Digging into his advanced stats a little deeper reveals some strengths and weaknesses. Of course, these stats are built on limited playing time; there’s no guarantee these numbers stay at this level with an increase in competition or playing time. Nevertheless, let’s see what we can glean about UNC’s latest portal commit.

Strengths: Logue may not have had a lot of playing time or college basketball experience, but he’s been a very efficient scorer when he’s on the court. He shot over 67% from the field while at Florida Atlantic. His offensive rating (ORtg) of 121.7 was actually the highest one on his Florida Atlantic team (of any player that saw regular minutes). For some context, Henri Veesaar (125.6) and Caleb Wilson (123.1) led the Heels in this category last year. I’m by no means saying he will approach their production, but Logue is a solid scorer around the rim.

He seems to be particularly adept at scoring on the pick-and-roll; it’s possible Coach Malone has a Avdalas to Logue connection in mind. Most of his buckets were scored as he drove to the basket. I’m not sure he has any well-developed back to the basket post moves yet.

He also has the potential to offer some rim protection for the Heels next year. Logue’s block percentage of 4.6% last year would actually have led the Heels (Wilson’s was 4.4%). The Heels were very good at defending the two-point shot last year; having a shot blocker with a 7’4” wingspan would help offset losing Wilson’s athleticism and height.

Weaknesses: Logue struggles mightily with defending without fouling. He accumulated four fouls in seven minutes in an early season game against Loyola-Marymount early in the season last year. He was disqualified from two contests, neither in which he played more than 15 minutes. I know a lot of UNC fans that grit their teeth whenever Zayden High entered the game as they braced for a quick foul call or two. High averaged 4.7 fouls called on him per 40 minutes of game play; Logue averaged an eye-popping 6.9 fouls called per 40 minutes of game time (according to KenPom). While it’s unlikely Malone plans on relying on Logue for anything approaching starter minutes, it’s hard to justify putting anyone on the floor that is that much of a liability on defense regardless of the shot-blocking potential.

Also worth noting: Logue will need to work on his free throw shooting. Free throws were a thorn in UNC’s side for most of their ‘25-’26 campaign, and arguably one of the bigger reasons the season failed to live up to expectations (injuries aside, obviously). Logue averaged 42.9% from the line on a modest 35 attempts.

Overall, Logue is an intriguing addition to UNC’s roster. The potential (raw as it may be) is definitely there. Logue has the athleticism and size to contribute for the Heels. He should be a good depth piece with some upside potential for Carolina if he can continue his adjustment to the college game.