UNC Recruiting: Wendell Moore announces his five finalists

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 06: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team during their game against the Western Carolina Catamounts at the Dean Smith Center on December 6, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 104-61. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 06: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team during their game against the Western Carolina Catamounts at the Dean Smith Center on December 6, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 104-61. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Five-star UNC target announces five finalists

Roy Williams and the North Carolina men’s basketball program have been recruiting Cox Mill’s Wendell Moore for better than two years. Williams offered the five-star prospect a scholarship back in February of 2016, and has put a lot of time into his recruitment ever since.

Over the last two years, Moore has shown great interest in remaining close to home for college. Although he’s entertained offers and visits from other schools, his focus has remained primarily on those within the state of North Carolina. That focus was evident on Friday night when he narrowed his list of schools to five.

In an announcement via Twitter, Moore released a condensed list of five finalists from which he would be making his college choice. The teams on the list were less than shocking, particularly the inclusion of Duke and North Carolina.

https://twitter.com/thewendellmoore/status/992539554786799617

The Blue Devils and Tar Heels have long been considered the favorites in Moore’s recruitment, and they were joined on the list by North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

Moore had interest from other big name programs farther from home including Florida, Florida State, Kansas, Maryland, Ohio State, Syracuse and Tennessee. Perhaps the most notable of teams left off the list was Washington, who Moore was said to have considerable interest in.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Moore has not stated a clear timetable for his next decision, but it’s not likely to come any time soon. He’ll presumably make visits to some, if not all, of his five finalists.

He’s already made a number of unofficial visits to North Carolina, who was once seen as the favorite in his recruitment. It appears now, though, as if Duke has taken the lead in his recruitment in recent weeks, which comes as no surprise to Tar Heel fans.

Next: Tar Heels prioritizing this 2019 forward

Moore is the No. 24 prospect in the class of 2019 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s a top-five small forward in the class and the No. 2 player in the state of North Carolina.