UNC Recruiting: Tar Heels losing ground on five-star point guard?

College basketball’s blue bloods battling for five-star point guard

It wasn’t so long ago that the North Carolina Tar Heels were absolutely loaded at the point guard position. In fact, they almost had too much depth at the position with Marcus Paige, Nate Britt, Joel Berry II and Stilman White concurrently filling roster spots during the 2015-16 season.

The Tar Heels still had depth at the position a couple of years later, even after bidding farewell to Paige, Britt and White. Berry and Pinson split the point guard responsibilities during the 2017-18 season, and sophomore point guard Seventh Woods shouldered the majority of the backup duties. And a promising young freshman guard named Jalek Felton would almost certainly have his shot at a starting job the following season.

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Fast forward a few months and Roy Williams finds himself in a position similar to one that he’s been in before. Berry and Pinson have run out of eligibility. Woods has continued to battle injuries and inconsistencies. Felton is gone. And now, Williams may have to consider starting an incoming freshman combo guard the first game of the season.

The Tar Heels’ once senior-laden back court contains far more questions now than it does answers. Will Woods be prepared to start when the season begins? Is the uber-talented but inexperienced and somewhat out-of-position freshman the best option? Or is it time to focus on high school prospects who have the potential to come in and immediately play?

Maybe there is no right answer. Or maybe it’s a combination of the three.

We already know that if the season were to begin today, Woods would be Williams’ first choice to start at the point guard position due to his time spent with the program and familiarity with the system.

We also know, though, that there is no position in Williams’ offense that’s as important to him as the point guard. If Coby White is the team’s best option when the calendar rolls around to November, he’s likely to be in the starting lineup.

But we also know that the Hall-of-Fame head coach is still actively recruiting the class of 2018. He’s been pursuing former Auburn commit E.J. Montgomery for some time now, and he recently contacted five-star power forward Jordan Brown.

But it’s not just bigs that Williams is after; it’s point guards, too.

Williams and company have been linked to the top point guard in the 2019 class, Ashton Hagans. Hagans is a 6-foot-4, 185-pound prospect out of Covington, Georgia that possesses both the skill and size to excel at the collegiate level.

He’s the No. 8 player in the class of 2019 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the top point guard in the class and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Georgia. And he’s also in a position that allows him to reclassify to the 2018 class, should he choose to do so.

Unfortunately, he is unable to communicate his plans to potentially reclassify to 2018 since he will be participating in AAU events this summer. But he’s no doubt the type of player that could come in and immediately impact just about any program he chooses.

The bad news for the Tar Heels is that Hagans holds over three-dozen scholarship offers and nearly unlimited options. And one of those options is the Kentucky Wildcats, who Hagans and his family have expressed interest in. Kentucky does already have a commitment from five-star point guard Immanuel Quickley, but since when has that ever hurt the Wildcats’ chances?

Fortunately for the Tar Heels, they, too, have plenty to offer Hagans. Their current vacancy at the point guard position, and terrific incoming freshman class that includes five-star signees Nassir Little and Coby White, could be a nice selling point for a potential one-and-done looking to get a lot of minutes and win on a national stage.

It’s worth noting that recent predictions on 247Sports, including that of recruiting expert Jerry Meyer, are all in favor of Kentucky landing Hagans. And an overwhelming 73 percent of all predictions to this point are for the Wildcats.

So, while North Carolina is one of the programs that’s considered to be in the hunt for Hagans, it could be an uphill battle.

Next: Roy Williams, UNC in the lead for 5-star big man?

Stick with Keeping It Heel for more on Hagans as the Tar Heels look to add to their 2018 recruiting class and solidify their back court for the upcoming season.

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