UNC Basketball Recruiting Tracker: The Targets Updated

Although it may appear that this is the off season, it’s far from that. In fact, this is one of the most exciting times of the year. Tis the season of recruiting. The AAU season is among us and coaches from all around the country are making good use of those airline miles they racked up going all over the country to scout and recruit the nations top recruits. North Carolina coach Roy Williams and his staff has been extremely active since the season ended for Carolina.

Click HERE for our other recruiting tracker, breaking down the commits.

There are a few players left that are still undecided in the 2012 class. Don’t expect Carolina to be in on any of those players. Roy has stated that although he will always keep an open mind, he’s isn’t targeting anybody. In fact, Williams also downplayed the Alex Oriakhi situation. Without saying his name Roy came out and said he read that he was going hard after someone but called the kid one time.

The Tar Heels have set their sites on the next two classes 2013 and 2014. Keeping It Heel has already outlined the commits and those with confirmed offers from the University. This tracker will provide updates on who the Heels are looking at and track each players recruiting journey.

Roy Williams is aiming for a big haul in the 2013 class. Technically, UNC has three open scholarships in the 2012 class. It’s likely that walk-ons Jackson Simmons and Luke Davis will receive grant-in-aids for this season. UNC has already received commitments from point guard Nate Britt and power forward Isiah Hicks. Roy has been all over this off season already, including in Las Vegas to watch his star commit Hicks in a post season tournament. While both Britt and Hicks were considered top 25 prospects when they committed to come to Chapel Hill. Each has improved their game tremendously since. Roy has already shown he can be a visionary on the recruiting scene.

Now it’s time to start reeling in the rest of the 2013 class and begin the process with the 2014 class.

Tracker Updated: 4/29

Class of 2013

Many players are on the radar for UNC in the 2013 class. With two current commits already, the Heels are waiting for some domino’s to fall before they make anymore offers. Troy Williams who recently cut his list down to Kentucky and Carolina is supposed to decide by the end of April. His decision will determine if some of the players we’ll discuss in a minute on the radar will receive an offer or not.

SF Troy Williams Five Star Recruit 6-6, 190 Hampton, VA (Kentucky, UNC) Williams recently cut his list down to the final two, Kentucky and Carolina. Williams has not given an exact date on when he plans to announce his decision but has given a loose time frame, saying he would like to decide by the end of April. My gut, Williams heads to Kentucky.

Troy Williams is the nephew of AAU legend

Boo Williams

. For much of his basketball life he’s played with a chip on his shoulder, trying to establish himself outside of being just Boo’s nephew. Williams burst onto the national scene as a sophomore after playing a limited role his freshman season. A great scorer who can create his own shot anywhere on the court whenever he wants. Williams also is great at utilizing his length in the lane to finish at the basket. Very athletic and quick down the floor, paired with his finishing skills make him perfect for North Carolinas high octane offense. Williams is a streaky shooter who has range when his shot is on, he could stand to become a more consistent jump shooter. Williams will join Hicks,

Nate Britt

and Julius Randle June 5-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

SF Jabari Parker 6-7, 215 Five Star Recruit Chicago, IL (BYU, Depaul, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas St, Kentucky, Michigan St, Missouri, UNC, Ohio St, Utah, Washington) Parker’s list is long with 13 schools still with a shot at the top player in the class. Parker has given no indication of when he will make his decision. He isn’t expected to make one soon and no news of any plans to cut his list have surfaced either. I have heard Parker lists off his teams in some interviews and the last one I heard about a month ago. I did not hear Duke or Depaul in that interview but listed them here because his official list on every national recruiting list still has both teams for now.

Finding something to criticize is a tough task when breaking down Parkers game. An extremely polished all around player, Parker has the look of a player ready to come in and dominate. Besides being the best player in the class, Parker’s year by year improvement has been marveled by scouts. Since entering HS, Parker has defined his body and appears in great shape, a knock against him as a freshman.

Parker can score and create for others anywhere on the court. He’s extremely explosive and likes to create off the dribble most in the half court. He’s terrific in the open court and likes to get out and run the break.

Update: Parker intends to decide by the fall but has not nailed down a month or a time frame in which he will cut his list.

PF Julius Randle 6-9, 225 Five Star Recruit Plano, TX (Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, UNC, NC St, Ohio St, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas) Randle is a tweener right now in terms of his projected position at the next level and beyond. At 6-9, 225 you would normally pencil him in as a power forward and move on. His face up game resembles current Tar Heel James Michael McAdoo, his tweener status and three point shooting reminds me of Marvin Williams.

Roy Williams has been recruiting Randle for a long time and has a very close relationship with him. With Isiah Hicks already in the fold, Randle is the next player I see committing to Carolina. I said above my gut is Troy Williams goes to Kentucky and shortly after Randle commits to UNC. If I’m right, considering the 2012 class of Brice Johnson and Joel James, a commit by Randle would likely mean the Heels interest in any other bigs cools and their attention turns to perimeter players in 2013. Randle will join Hicks, Nate Britt and Troy Williams June 5-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Update

: Randle recently interviewed with Inside Carolina and spoke fondly of UNC once again. He revealed that he recently visited Chapel Hill during a break in the season. His coach also gushed about Roy Williams during his interview.

SF Nick King 6-7, 210 Five Star Recruit Memphis, TN (Arkansas, Auburn, Georgetown, Marquette, Memphis, Miami, Mississippi, UNC, Oklahoma St, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia) King is starting to feel the love from Carolina. No official offer has been made yet but I suspect the minute either Troy Williams or Jabari Parker decide on another school, King or Keith Frazier (possibly both) will receive an offer, if not before then.

King is a great spot up shooter with consistent range and a sweet stroke. A solid defender who could use some work on his handle and his mid range game. King also needs to work on creating offense off the dribble. He thrives when fed the ball in spots he’s comfortable in but sometimes struggles finding his own offense.

SG Keith Frazier 6-5, 180 Five Star Recruit Irving, TX (Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida St, Memphis, Missouri, UNC, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA) Frazier hasn’t received an official offer from UNC yet. Just as I mentioned above, he and Nick King are likely next after the Troy Williams/Jabari Parker domino’s fall.

Frazier is a big time shooter with excellent three point range. His athleticism is also a big time strength, Frazier can create his own shot and is terrific finishing at the basket. Can sometimes settle for too many jump shots, to take his game to the next level he needs to get to the basket more and utilize his athleticism. A decent defender but far from elite, he could stand to bulk up a little bit and work on his fundamentals, especially his lateral footwork on the defensive end.

PF Austin Nichols 6-9, 205 Four Star Recruit Memphis, TN (Auburn, Butler, Cincinnati, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Mississippi, Missouri, UNC, Oklahoma St, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech) Nichols has been scouted a few times by Carolina in the past season. Duke, Tennessee, Auburn and Louisville have made an offer to Nichols. It is rumored but not confirmed that Nichols may have received an offer from Carolina. I have also heard many times over that Nichols dreams of playing for Duke and always has.

Nichols is a skilled big man with a solid mid range jump shot and athleticism. He has excellent footwork and can pass well out of the double team. He needs to put on a lot of weight, at just 205lbs, he’ll get pushed around at the next level. How he performs this AAU season and during his senior year will is key. I see Nichols as a bit of a project coming into college but a very worthwhile one at that.

Update

: Nichols was

officially offered by Carolina

on April 30th.

C Kennedy Meeks 6-9, 275 Four Star Recruit Hyattsville, MD (Boston College, Charlotte, Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Massachusetts, Miami, UNC, NC State, North Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Xavier)

Meeks was contacted by UNC on April 18th and they planned to watch him at the EYBL event over the weekend. Meeks will have a chance to prove he is worth a fifth star this AAU season. Like Joel James last season, Meeks is going to have to prove he can drop some weight and keep it off. At 275lbs the concern for Meeks on a team like Carolina would be his stamina. Right now I’m not 100% confident Meeks could play major minutes for Roy Williams. I had the same concerns last AAU season about Joel James and he proved he could get into shape by dropping close to 50 lbs. Meeks doesn’t need to lose quite that much but he certainly needs to drop a few waist sizes.

If he can drop the weight, Meeks could be a monster. A terrific rebounder, he’s great at creating space and taking over his area of the paint. He’s already developed an excellent low post game and his style of play translates well not just to the college level but maybe more so on the pro level. His athleticism and ability to run the floor are severely limited by his weight and wide frame. He looks like a football player on the court.

C BeeJay Anya 6-9, 275 Four Star Recruit Hyattsville, MD (Syracuse, North Carolina, Duke, Ohio State, Indiana, Kansas)

Anya has offers from everyone on his list with the exception of Carolina. He’s likely competing with Meeks for that offer if and when someone drops off Carolinas board. Anya is an interesting player, his skill set is attractive in that he’s a true low post scorer with great hands and an advanced post up game. A very good rebounder with long arms who defends pretty well.

The knocks on Anya are concerning. His work ethic has been questioned by more than a few. His athleticism and ability to run the floor are also major concerns. I’m not too sure Anya’s style fits UNC very well. He’s not all that tall (6-8 or 6-9 depending on who you listen to) and he can’t really run the floor. Roy Williams history doesn’t have many, if any, players recruited with known work ethic problems. In my view, Anya is on the Heels radar but don’t expect an offer unless he proves the critics wrong in more than one area, especially his work ethic.

Update: Anya recently narrowed his list to six, and Carolina remains despite no official offer. Syracuse, North Carolina, Duke, Ohio State, Indiana, Kansas

Class of 2014

2014 also looks like a strong class right now, just not as strong as 2013. The class is particularly strong in the state of North Carolina and UNC could conceivably have a few local recruits from this group. PG Joel Berry 6-2, 180 Orlando, FL from Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, FL is being looked at by Carolina. Berry is the first ever sophomore in the state of Florida to be named Mr. Basketball. Berry is the top PG in the class and has been quoted as saying that Carolina is his dream school. Assistant coach CB McGrath recent watched Berry work out. And Roy Williams attended a game last Friday and saw a terrific performance by Berry. No offer has been made yet to Berry yet. UNC has made only one offer in the 2014 class so far, center Jahlil Okafor. As the AAU season progresses and the coaching staff has more time to evaluate the talent in the class. More offers will be made, I expect as many as three before the summer is out with Berry as the next. Right now the focus is on the 2013 class. When Troy Williams decides later on this month. The domino’s will begin to fall and elite programs like North Carolina will finish the class, and that’s when the focus will shift to 2014. I recently confirmed with Berry that no offer has been made by UNC yet, here’s what he had to say via Twitter.

C Jahlil Okafor 6-9, 270 Five Star Recruit Chicago, IL (Arkansas, Connecticut, DePaul, Florida, Florida St, Illinois, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan St, Nebraska, UNC, Ohio St, Syracuse, West Virginia)

Okafor is the Heels first and so far only offer in the 2014 class. And for good reason, this kid is an absolute monster. In my view he’s the cream of the crop in the entire class. A big time center who plays extremely well with his back to the basket. Advanced footwork, solid fundamentals and several nice, go to post moves make him elite inside. A very good rebounder and defender with the size and strength to be truly special.

The perceived knocks I’ve heard on Okafor are fine with me mostly. He’s not very good at facing the basket, I like versatility but I prefer my centers inside, battling the other bigs. He has no jump shot and isn’t the best passer out of the post.

SF Noah Vonleh 6-8, 215 Five Star Recruit New Hampton, NH (Boston College, Connecticut, Kansas, UNC, Pittsburgh, Providence, Syracuse) No known offer has been made but I’m convinced that’s just because it hasn’t been made public yet. UNC is extremely interested in Noah and have been to see him at least twice since the Tar Heels season ended. Compared to most in the class, he has a relatively short list. Which means he should be ready to make his decision before most which could help him in terms of landing an offer from Roy Williams. Roy typically doesn’t like to wait around until the last minute for his recruits, preferring to go the safe route and build a team earlier, a strategy I respect.

Vonleh is a very good athlete with a crisp jump shot and range to go with it. He can run the floor with the best of them and finish at the rim like a pro. His game translates very well to the collegiate and professional levels. At 6-8 he presents all kinds of match up problems for defenses playing the SF position. To further that part of his game he needs to work a little bit on his post game, especially in the high post where a turn around jumper could be deadly at his size.

SF Justin Jackson 6-6, 175 Spring, TX

Jackson is another one of several prospects getting a look by Carolina. An athletic wing with a high basketball IQ, Jackson is a very good shooter and can get to the basket. At 6-6 and decent strength, he could end up evolving into a PF by the time he reaches college ala John Henson (I realize I use Henson in comparisons a lot, he’s a bit of an enigma if you think about it, more on that down the line). Defensively he’s solid and holds his position well.

SF Jalen Lindsey 6-6, 180 Nashville, TN Whenever I watch Jalen Lindsey play, made for Carolina is all that runs through my mind. I never really end up making a very good analysis of his game. His athleticism is off the charts, he’s great on the break and a sportscenter highlight dunk special waiting to happen. Lindsay grew up a Tar Heel fan, the Heels have started the process of looking into Lindsey and like Berry could be an easy commit considering where his heart is.

"“When I was growing up it was always North Carolina [who I liked],” Lindsey told NRS. “They’ve always had a real good history, a lot of good players who have went there and that really inspired me. I really like [head] coach [Roy] Williams and I’ve always liked the team, period.”"

Keep up on all the recruiting action right here at Keeping It Heel. Click HERE for a list of the off season AAU events. This tracker will be updated several times each week throughout the recruiting season. Next update, Theo Pinson, Andrew Wiggon and Wayne Seldon of the 2014 class.