UNC Basketball Recruiting: Could Troy Williams Help Turn 2013 Class Into Heat Like Group?
By Matt Hamm
Roy Williams has already secured two big time five star recruits for his 2013 class. With point guard Nate Britt and power forward Isiah Hicks already committed to the Carolina Tar Heels. Things look good for 2013 already, the class is hardly complete however and Roy is still chasing several of the top recruits left. Some recent buzz has been circulating the recruiting scene that small forward Troy Williams wants to form a “super recruiting class” with Julius Randle and Jabari Parker. Oh, by the way, all three players have received offers from North Carolina already.
No matter who stays and who leaves for the NBA between now and then, that team would be unreal. With a strong 2012 class that includes the top point guard Marcus Paige who has been destroying it lately. Small forward JP Tokoto who has the look, build and game of an instant contributor. And big men Brice Johnson and Joel James. Both four star, athletic, defensively ready big men set to restock the Heels shelves next season. UNC is also one of 2012s top recruit center Nerlens Noel’s final four teams that he is considering.
The potential this presents is a 2013 machine, one that could be more talented and deep than any Tar Heel team we’ve ever seen. If Roy could pull it off and get Williams, Parker and Randle to all choose Carolina. What these three would bring is three, ready to play immediately, likely one and done NBA like talents to Chapel Hill, all at once. Typically I’m not a big fan of the one and done players, leave them for Kentucky, I like the recruits who are going to give you more than just a cameo. But bringing all three of these players together and combining them with the likes of Britt, Hicks, Tokoto, Johnson, James and McAdoo would be special.
Parker and Randle are ranked 1-2 in the class and look like they could make the leap straight to the NBA if that were still allowed. Williams isn’t far behind as a five star recruit that could start anywhere in the country right away. What you would have is a big, strong, fast and polished lineup. Everybody can create their own shot, everybody has range, everyone can finish like a monster around the rim. The possibilities are endless and nothing short of a 2009 like dominate season ending in a national championship would be a realistic expectation.
Bringing a team like this together isn’t without it’s downfall. As quickly as UNC could usher in these three studs, it’s likely all three would walk away for NBA riches after just one season in Chapel Hill. Given the talent on the rest of the roster, it’s likely they wouldn’t be the only ones headed out of town. It would certainty be an arrangement Roy Williams and UNC are not used to. But in the age of superstar players growing up together playing AAU ball and talking about their recruitment’s on twitter. It was only a matter of time before high school national powerhouse recruits conspired to play together just like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh did in the pro’s. In this particular case, with the Heels already going after all three of them individually anyway. It might be time for Roy to get behind the idea of Troy Williams. It sure would be fun to watch.