UNC Basketball Recruiting: What if it did Happen?
By Matt Hamm
First a disclaimer, no, I do not think this will happen, if I had to place odds on it happening, I would say it’s less than 0.1%. But what if Andrew Wiggins, Noah Vonleh and Kennedy Meeks ALL committed to UNC? After all, Carolina does have offers out to all three of them, if they did all decide to come to Chapel Hill, would UNCs class be better than the great class Kentucky has already put together? Would it rival the famous Fab 5?
Jan 15, 2012; Springfield, MA, USA; New Hampton Huskies forward Noah Vonleh (35) during the first half of a game against the Notre Dame Crusaders at Blake Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE
Roy Williams has already secured two commitments in point guard Nate Britt and power forward Isiah Hicks in the 2013 class. Hicks is rated #16 overall in the class and depending what service you choose to look at, Britt is somewhere in the 60’s (after recent drops that I feel are largely because of their lack of AAU play this summer).
I’m a huge fan of Isiah Hicks and I think he will easily be one of the best players in this class when all is said and done. I really like Britt also and I can’t wait to see him on the same team as Marcus Paige. If Roy was able to somehow pull out the impossible and bring in three of the four remaining players that he’s offered in the class the potential for a national championship becomes very real in 2013.
Wiggins is the best prep player in North America, the best I have seen since the days of LeBron James. I am a big fan of both Jabari Parker and Julius Randle (yes I know they eliminated UNC) with that said, I would prefer Wiggins over both of them. The kid is unreal and his talent level is absurd for someone as young as he is. Wiggins is the type of player that could jump straight to the NBA after high school if the league still allowed it and turn himself into a star in a short period of time, he’s that good.
Vonleh screams UNC in my mind, he’s big, he’s versatile, he can play in the paint and on the perimeter. Rated #7 overall in the class after reclassifying the kid has all the weapons to step right in and become a star his freshman season. Vonleh is also the type of talent that can step right in at any program and start from day one. In this situation if he were to join a roster with Hicks, Meeks, Joel James, Brice Johnson and potentially James Michael McAdoo if he were to return for his junior year, Vonleh could slide to the SF position and be just fine.
Meeks is the top pure center in the class and the #18 overall rated prospect in the class. Like Joel James in 2012, the knock on Meeks is his weight. The top passing big man with soft hands inside has a lot of work to do in terms of his physical makeup but has a lot of skills on the court. For those impressed so far with James, Meeks is a better prospect if you compared them side by side both entering their senior years of high school.
No doubt this would be a dynamic class and probably the best in Tar Heel history. But is it better than the class Kentucky has put together? UK has already secured commitments from the best twins to ever come out of HS together Andrew and Aaron Harrison the #3 and #5 rated prospects. James Young the #6 rated player and Marcus Lee who comes in at #29. They are in very good position with Wiggins and former Tar Heel target Julius Randle. With at least one more spot open for a 2013 scholarship, it’s almost certain given Kentucky coach Jon Calipari’s recent recruiting record that last spot will go to a potential superstar.
So back to the question at hand, if UNC was some how able to land Wiggins, Vonleh and Meeks to add to Hicks and Britt, would that class top that of Kentucky’s already stellar group? And could it take on the famous Fab 5? First let’s get something out of the way, no, it would not touch the Fab 5 just yet. That was a recruiting class like no other and something we may never see again (please don’t take that as a challenge now Cal).
Though it would rival Kentucky’s I think the answer would hinder on who their last scholarship would end up going to. For UNC you would have the #1, #7, #16, #18 prospects along with a PG ranked somewhere in the 60’s Kentucky would boast the #3, #5, #6, #29 and another unknown. As good as Wiggins is, UK still would have three players that fall slightly after Wiggins, but before Vonleh. UK’s fourth best prospect in the class right now is still ranked in the top 30 (and personally I think Marcus Lee is better than #29 says he is). I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d bet whoever Cal found to take his last scholarship if Wiggins got away, would also be a top prospect. So again, it would all hinder on who that last scholarship goes to, if it ends up going to Julius Randle, forget about it, UK would still end up having not only the best class in 2013, but one of the best of all time.
This scenario is very unlikely to happen, but man would it make for some fun debates about which class was better and which one had a better chance of cutting down the nets as national champions.