UNC Basketball Recruiting: Don’t Worry About The 2014 Class
By Matt Hamm
I wanted to take a minute and address some of the concerns around Tar Heel Nation. Thus far, there is just two known offers in the 2014 class, center Jahlil Okafor and small forward Noah Vonleh. The focus right now is on the 2013 class and after the Vonleh offer, I expect the focus to be on the 2013 class for a while. Roy Williams is trying to finish putting the pieces together to what looks to be shaping up to be an elite class. Both the 2013 and 2014 recruiting classes are stacked with bit time prospects and Carolina is in the running for several.
There is absolutely no need to rush this process. The 2013 class has already landed two big time commits in five star prospects Nate Britt and Isiah Hicks. If they can add to that another big man and at least one perimeter star, the class would be historic. If Roy were able to do even more than that. Perhaps adding another big man and two perimeter star prospects, well, you get the idea. The only recruiting strategy that makes any sense right now is to zero in on the 2013 class. UNC might not finish it off completely, before they can start worrying about 2014 however, they must come close to doing so.
The other side of that coin is the simple fact that the 2014 class shouldn’t be that hard to recruit. The Heels were one of the first teams to offer Okafor and should be a leading candidate this time next year when he’s closer to making a decision. Next is the fact that a few prospects have already openly admitted how much the y want to play for UNC. Two five star prospects at the top of the class PG Joel Berry and SF Jalen Lindsey all but wear UNC gear to the gym.
It’s not that North Carolina is ignoring the 14 class. In fact, quite the opposite. The team has shown a lot of interest in Berry, Lindsey, Justise Winslow and Justin Jackson. They may not be making offers to these kids, but each one of them knows Carolina has their eye on them. With two big time, stacked recruiting classes back to back. UNC is going about this the right way. They have identified their targets and are taking things one class at a time. Obviously preferring to cap off the 13 class before turning their attention to the 2014 kids, most of whom won’t commit for a while anyway. Waiting to give the official offer while flirting with the player for a few months also keeps the prestige alive a little more. We don’t need to throw around offers like they are nothing hoping to piece together a good class. We are going to identify who we want and go get them, because we’re Carolina, that’s the message this sends. No matter how you look at it, it’s sound strategy.
Troy Williams has to make his decisions soon via Twitter after postponing it from his original May 1st date,(at least it’s not Skype or an ESPN special right?). And Julius Randle kicking around the end of May for his decision, things will happen soon. Either Williams and Randle will commit to UNC and they will sit back and wait on Jabari Parker’s decision tentatively late fall. Or they will lose out on one, or both of them, and turn up the heat on Parker. And other players they have been scouting and flirting with pretty heavy. UNC is in perfect position to simply offer Nick King, Keith Frazier, BeeJay Anya, Kennedy Meeks or anybody else they want to if the first wave of decisions doesn’t go the way they would like.