UNC basketball recruiting: 2018 PF Simi Shittu includes North Carolina in his top 10

If you win enough, the best basketball players will be attracted to your program, no matter what threats the NCAA makes. Top 2018 recruit Simisola Shittu has named North Carolina among his top 10 schools. Arizona, Arizona State, Kentucky, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Oregon, South Carolina, UCONN, and Vanderbilt are also among his finalists.

A five-star recruit, Shittu is one of the many elite players who have recently taken an interest in UNC. Originally from Burlington, Ontario in Canada, he has been a student at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vermont. He is considered to be the third-best power forward in his class, the top talent from the state of Vermont, and the eight-best player overall. Measured at six-foot-ten and 210 pounds, Simi is expected to be a strong defender with an advanced all around game. Given his seven-foot wingspan, he is expected to play center in college.

The Tar Heels only just offered him at the end of July. Shittu received over 20 offers before choosing a top 10. He expects to narrow down his choices to five schools within the next two weeks and will then begin scheduling his visits. So far he’s been inundated by coaching visits over the last year. He doesn’t have a timeline for his official commitment just yet.

The loss of Tony Bradley and Kennedy Meeks has significantly devastated North Carolina’s supply of bigs. Luke Maye will be the team’s biggest upperclassman in the frontcourt, however, reinforcements are coming. Freshmen Garrison Brooks, Sterling Manley, and Brandon Huffman will debut in 2017, but Simi Shittu is the kind of elite talent that you make room for, whether it’s at power forward or at center.

It’s considered very likely that Shittu will be a future one-and-done, which is why Tony Bradley’s success will be key to UNC’s chances. If they can snag him, it will make their 2018 class even more impressive with five-star Coby White and four-star Rechon Black already committed.