UNC Recruiting: Week of 3/26

Basketball:

The McDonald’s All-American game was the biggest recruiting event in the nation last week, and at least a couple of future Tar Heels were right in the thick of it. Nassir Little impressed everybody present and was arguably the best player there, as Brandon covered in his recap. However, the game wasn’t all that happened; there were three days of practice beforehand, and those are arguably more important, as while the game has been derided as a defense-absent, individual-focused glorified dunk showcase, practices are where scouts and media get to see players’ skills without the potential restriction of teammates hogging the ball. In those, too, Little impressed all present. ESPN’s Mike Schmitz said this, listing him first among the week’s standouts (requires ESPN Insider Access):

Nassir Little intrigued NBA scouts with his tremendous physical profile and continually improving shooting stroke, cementing himself as one of the top long-term prospects in the class, potentially right behind [RJ] Barrett and [Cameron] Reddish. Standing 6-foot-6 with a chiseled frame and a 7-foot-1 wingspan, he’s strong and long enough to slide up to the 4... He’s explosive off two feet in space and has both the foot speed and girth to check either forward spot while switching onto the perimeter regularly. He has played with inconsistent energy at times in the past but was quite competitive during both practice sessions and the scrimmage. In addition to his defense, Little has value as a rebounder and floor spacer. His catch-and-shoot mechanics looked much more fluid in this setting, and he showed the ability to create space off the bounce with step-backs. Watching Little grab and go in transition, switch on the perimeter and make open shots certainly caught the eye of NBA scouts.

While the consensus seems to be that the top of this class is significantly weaker in terms of NBA talent than the past few classes before it, Little stood out positively both among his peers and in terms of long-term potential. Little also made quite the impression on his peers at the event, drawing the most praise in this compilation of players praising other players before the game. He was praised for his motor, frame, ability to knock down shots, rebound, and evolution as a player from a year ago to now.

Coby White got some love from his fellow All-Americans as well, with one player calling attention to his sharpshooting during practice and Romeo Langford marveling at how he would do whatever his team needed him to do in order to win.

The other part of the McDonald’s All-American game that’s relevant here is the gossip. One of this class’ top unsigned players, E.J. Montgomery, is being pursued by UNC, Kentucky, Duke, and other schools. Several players were asked where they thought he would end up, and while nobody seems to have any real idea, more players than you’d think answered UNC:

“I’m not sure because I don’t know which schools he’s focused on but I’ll probably say he’ll go to North Carolina. That’s a guess.” - Five-star Oregon commit Louis King

...

“I feel like he fits well in there and coach Williams is doing a good job recruiting him. Who wouldn’t want to play there?” – Uncommitted five-star Romeo Langford

(You evidently didn’t, Romeo)

White and Little did their job as Tar Heels, saying that they saw a fit for him in their class coming to UNC, and both said they believed he would make the right decision in the end.

Football:

Football has been quiet on the recruiting front in the past week, as spring practice continues to go on. A few 2019 prospects have tweeted out their scholarship offers from UNC, including running back Jordan Houston, wide receiver Keyon Lesane, quarterback Connor Bazelak, athlete Cameron Wynn, defensive end Terrell Dawkins, defensive backs Fentrell Cypress and Giovani Biggers, and offensive lineman Tristan Miller. Inside Carolina’s Don Callahan keeps track of scholarship offers from UNC, so make sure to check his Twitter timeline for updates. We’ll give you a run-down of UNC’s 2019 offers later this year.