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UNC Recruiting: Tar Heels showing interest in five-star prospect Simisola Shittu

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates after his 800th career victory with a 85-68 win over the Syracuse Orange at the Dean Smith Center on January 16, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates after his 800th career victory with a 85-68 win over the Syracuse Orange at the Dean Smith Center on January 16, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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North Carolina enters sweepstakes for 2018 five-star power forward Simisola Shittu

The North Carolina basketball program got off to a good start with the class of 2018, snagging commitments from five-star combo guard Coby White and top-75 point guard Rechon Black, but things have been quiet of late.

A lot of that has to do with the time of year, given that many amateur players are heavily involved in AAU teams throughout the summer months, frequently traveling across the country for games and tournaments.

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Still, since getting verbal commitments from Black and White in January and July of 2016, respectively, the Tar Heels’ class of 2018 has stood pat.

That’s not to say that the UNC coaching staff hasn’t been hard at work. They have.

Head coach Roy Williams has taken multiple trips to see class of 2018 standouts Zion Williamson, Romeo Langford and Nassir Little. Assistant coaches Steve Robinson and Hubert Davis have also been putting in the work, travelling with Williams in some cases or concurrently visiting prospects on their own.

While the three aforementioned top-25 players have been in the mix for a while, a new name has now surfaced on the UNC recruiting radar.

Class of 2018 five-star power forward Simisola Shittu has recently been contacted by the North Carolina coaching staff.

Inside Carolina reported that UNC has been engaged in “meaningful conversations” with Shittu, in accord with the multiple trips that Williams took in July to watch the talented big man play.

It’s no secret that North Carolina’s 2017 class is lacking the five-star front court player that coaches and fans were hoping for. A commitment from Shittu, along with the continued progression of current big men Luke Maye, Garrison Brooks, Sterling Manley and Brandon Huffman, could greatly impact the Tar Heels’ interior game in 2018.

Shittu is the No. 9 player in the 2018 class according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s a consensus top-5 power forward in the class and the No. 1 player in the state of Vermont.

He currently holds nearly 20 scholarship offers, and will certainly receive more in the coming months. As of now, he’s got offers from Arizona, Baylor, Connecticut, Louisville, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Texas, and UCLA, among others.

Along with his recent contact with North Carolina, Shittu has also been linked to programs such as Duke and Kentucky, who always prove to be key players in the recruitment of five-star prospects.

Related Story: Does UNC have a shot at Romeo Langford?

Keeping It Heel will continue to follow the recruitment of Shittu in the coming months, as well as the rest of the class of 2018.

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