Keeping It Heel
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UNC Recruiting: Tar Heels’ 2019 class could look a lot like this

By Blake Cockrum

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on from the sideline against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on from the sideline against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 10: Michael Hurt #42 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers fouls Mike Cunningham #1 of the USC Upstate Spartans while shooting the ball during the second half of the game on November 10, 2017 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Spartans 92-77. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 10: Michael Hurt #42 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers fouls Mike Cunningham #1 of the USC Upstate Spartans while shooting the ball during the second half of the game on November 10, 2017 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Spartans 92-77. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Matthew Hurt

Okay, let’s be honest. Things aren’t looking too good with Matthew Hurt.

Roy Williams began recruiting Hurt some two years ago, and things seemed to be going well for a while. Though we never had a real sense that Hurt was leaning toward picking North Carolina, it never felt like he was overtly heading in the opposite direction.

That’s pretty much how it feels now, with the Tar Heels seemingly sitting on the outside looking in. And while North Carolina appears to be a long-shot at this point, Kansas and Minnesota are looking more and more like two of the most likely landing spots for the five-star power forward.

It’s unfortunate in the eyes of North Carolina fans, who are just two years removed from watching a player with similar size and skill set in Chapel Hill. Former UNC wing and first team All-American Justin Jackson entered college with nearly the same height and weight as Hurt, and they share the same ability to knock down mid to long-range jumpers.

And while Jackson is probably the better finesse player and jump shooter, Hurt will almost definitely be a more dynamic force in the post, both as a scorer and rebounder. Hurt’s potential to gain an inch or two on his height before next season helps, and so does the lengthy wingspan on his tall, wiry frame.

Hurt is also a player who would likely fit in well with the uptempo style of offense that Williams’ Tar Heels run. A 6-foot-9, 199-pound power forward with the ability to get up and down the court, Hurt is conditioned enough to keep pace with smaller, faster players.

Alas, it looks like Tar Heel fans may never get to see Hurt run alongside the likes of Coby White, Rechon Black, Jeremiah Francis and company. Nothing is set in stone, though, and things often change throughout the recruitment of a 17 or 18-year-old high school athlete. But it’s my guess that we’ll see Hurt wearing crimson and blue in Lawrence, Kansas next fall.

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