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While exam week and the ensuing holiday break may offer some relief for the players, it just means more recruiting for the North Carolina coaching staff.
On Tuesday, head coach Roy Williams and assistant coach Hubert Davis traveled to Rochester, Minnesota to see heralded recruit Matthew Hurt. Hurt’s high school, John Marshall, took down Red Wing High School, 83-61. The presence of the hall of fame coach didn’t seem to phase him, though, because he posted a game-high 48 points.
According to 247sports, Hurt is a five-star and the fifth-ranked player for the 2019 class. At six-foot-nine, 199 pounds, Hurt is a slim power forward. His ball skills, knack for finishing around the rim, and ability to step out and hit the three all make him extremely versatile for his position. If the Tar Heels could land him, he would provide another skilled stretch four to replace Luke Maye, as Maye will have just graduated.
Acquiring Hurt will not be easy, though, because he has many suitors. Kentucky’s John Calipari and his assistant Joel Justus as well as UCLA assistant David Grace were also in attendance for Hurt’s stellar performance. Unsurprisingly, Coach Cal liked what he saw, extending an offer shortly after the game. The Kentucky offer adds to the long and prestigious list of schools he is considering.
The schools currently going after him the hardest include UNC, Duke, Kansas, Indiana, and Minnesota. According to 247’s crystal ball, Minnesota is the favorite, with Kansas and North Carolina not far behind.
Roy Williams made Hurt a priority very early on in his recruitment. Williams offered him in July of 2016, and has since done everything he can to make Hurt a Tar Heel. He took an unofficial visit to Chapel Hill a couple months ago on October 21 and plans to take more visits in the future.
North Carolina is looking to add to a 2019 class that already includes four-star point guard Jeremiah Francis. With their 2018 class currently sitting in the top ten, the Tar Heels are trying to get back into that elite tier of recruiting after a few rough years ranking-wise. The addition of Matthew Hurt would be another big step in that direction.