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UNC Recruiting: The latest on five-star prospect Matthew Hurt

By Blake Cockrum

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 01: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on against the Oregon Ducks during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 01: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on against the Oregon Ducks during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Five-star power forward Matthew Hurt aiming for fall announcement

The University of North Carolina was one of college basketball’s first elite programs to go all-in on the recruitment of five-star power forward Matthew Hurt.

And for good reason.

The 6-foot-9, 200-pound big man out of John Marshall Senior in Rochester, Minnesota has been etching and re-etching his name into high score basketball lore over the past two years.

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In doing so, he’s got nearly every big name program in the country after him, hoping to bolster their rosters for the 2019 recruiting cycle. A true “who’s who” of college hoops is courting Hurt, including Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA.

To this point in his junior season, he’s averaging nearly 40 points and 14 rebounds per game. He scored a school-record 51 points last Thursday in an 83-75 win over Robbinsdale Armstrong.

It’s performances like that, along with his tremendous consistency, that have Division I coaches salivating at the thought of signing the talented post player.

According to his father, Richard, Hurt will look to narrow his list in the coming months and then make a college decision as early as next fall. They’ve also noted that the schools recruiting him the hardest are Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, Indiana and hometown favorite Minnesota.

Although the Golden Gophers don’t possess the same prestige and winning tradition as the aforementioned programs, they currently appear to have the inside track to obtaining Hurt’s services 18 months from now.

Hurt’s older brother, Michael, already plays for head coach Richard Pitino and the Gophers. That, too, could play a part in Hurt’s decision, though it likely won’t be the deciding factor.

There’s a long way to go in Hurt’s recruitment, and a number of things could happen in that time. There’s no telling who he’ll choose or even who will end up on his final list, but it’s a near certainty that Minnesota will be in contention throughout.

Next: Coby White breaks 27-year-old record

Hurt is the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2019 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the No. 3 power forward in the class and the top player in the state of Minnesota.

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