UNC Basketball Recruiting: Be Patient
By Matt Hamm
First I want to start off by saying that I understand the notion to get anxious about recruiting, I truly do. I also understand the disappointment fans of the North Carolina Tar Heels are feeling over losing out on players like Austin Nichols, Julius Randle and Jabari Parker, especially Randle. But it also needs to be stated that patience needs to be exercised by the fan base. Not just patience, but confidence in head coach Roy Williams and his coaching staff.
Jan 15, 2012; Springfield, MA, USA; New Hampton Huskies forward Noah Vonleh (35) drives to the hoop against the Notre Dame Crusaders during the first half at Blake Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE
Roy is one of, if not the greatest recruiter of all time. Seeing a program like Kentucky put together such phenomenal classes the last couple years while making great strides towards collecting top talent in 2013 and 2014 isn’t easy. Especially when in most cases, Carolina and Kentucky are competing for the same players.
Recruiting goes in waves, programs like Indiana, Texas, UCLA, Duke, Kentucky and Carolina have all had their turn at the top. When Roy returned to Chapel Hill as the head coach of the Tar Heels, the amount of talent he pulled in was unreal at times.
What I’ve seen recently in the comments section and forum here at Keeping It Heel along with other forums and twitter is a fan base that is growing increasingly impatient. Fans clamoring for more commitments, especially from top prospects, some even are questioning Roy Williams and his skills as a recruiter.
A couple things to remember, the 2012 class is ranked as the #8 class nationally. Marcus Paige is the #1 point guard from that class, JP Tokoto is among the best athletes and maybe the best UNC has seen since Vince Carter. Joel James and Brice Johnson are a whole lot better than many give them credit for.
Next is style, UNC is not the type of program as the one in Lexington. You won’t ever see Carolina bring in four one and done players in the same class. Would it be fun? Sure, anybody can admit that, but it’s not Carolinas style and that’s not a bad thing. Players who stay in school 2-4 years are not bad players. UNC lost four big time players from their roster to the NBA, but they will be right in the thick of things because they have depth and a solid recruiting class coming in this season.
Time seems to make a lot of people forget just how good Isiah Hicks and Nate Britt really are. These two are very good players and I firmly believe if we would have seen more of them in AAU ball this summer, they would be ranked a lot higher than they are. Hicks especially could be and probably will end up being a top 10 talent in this class.
The Heels are right in the thick of things with the remaining prospects they have extended offers to in the 2013 class and are off to a great start in 2014. The more the bizarre tale of Troy Williams unfolds, one thing remains a constant, Carolina, and guess where he spent his Midnight Madness? Chapel Hill. Noah Vonleh named UNC as one of the three programs pushing the hardest for him and Kennedy Meeks also spent Friday at Late Night with Roy. When 2 or 3 of these prospects commit to Carolina, we’re looking at a top five class, especially if Vonleh is apart of the group.
So have patience Carolina fans, when all is said and done, everything will be fine and it’s far from over.