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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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 22: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 22: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Jalen Lecque

Class of 2019 prospect Jalen Lecque is one of the hottest players in the country. Between his outstanding play, five-star ranking and potential reclassification to 2018, he’s getting a lot of attention among coaches and scouts.

A 6-foot-4, 175-pound combo guard, Lecque has tossed around the idea of reclassifying in order to begin college in the fall of 2018. He’s told multiple media outlets that his grades are in order to make the jump to 2018, but his decision will come down to playing time.

If Lecque is unable to get the amount of playing time he desires as a freshman, then he will almost definitely remain in his class and finish out his senior year in high school. He’s also illustrated an interest in playing just one year of college ball before making the jump to the NBA.

If it’s playing time that Lecque is primarily looking for in 2018, there are some programs that can likely be ruled out of the equation. Kansas, which already has two highly touted incoming guards, is one of them.

Kentucky is in the same boat, having already signed two top-35 back court players along with the possibility of 2019’s Ashton Hagans reclassifying to join the Wildcats this year. However, it seems unlikely that John Calipari would turn down a five-star prospect, regardless of position or current roster make-up. Playing time could be scarce, though, and that would likely keep Lecque from picking the Wildcats.

North Carolina, with Coby White and Rechon Black on their way to Chapel Hill in the fall, is another unlikely destination for Lecque in the fall. It’s difficult to imagine the Tar Heels bringing any more guards into the fold in 2018. The Tar Heels could be a major player in Lecque’s recruitment, however, if he decides to remain in his current class and join the college ranks in 2019.

Regardless, Lecque will have no shortage of options when it comes time to make his college decision, having already received more than three-dozen scholarship offers. And his list of prospective teams reads like a Who’s Who of college basketball’s top programs.

Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Oregon, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Villanova and Xavier headline what will surely turn out to be one of the most intense recruiting battles in the country over the next year.

And although North Carolina is yet to offer Lecque a scholarship, Roy Williams and the Tar Heels are expected to play a major role in his recruitment.

Lecque is the No. 11 prospect in the class of 2019 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the second-ranked combo guard in the class and the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina.

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