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UNC Basketball: The reason the Tar Heels may lose this recruit to UCLA

By Blake Cockrum

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: UCLA Bruins cheerleaders perform during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: UCLA Bruins cheerleaders perform during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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This five-star prospect may be headed to the West Coast

Roy Williams and the North Carolina coaching staff have put a lot of time and effort into recruiting talented front court players from the classes of 2019 and 2020.

One of the players to receive a great deal of their attention is Will Baker, a 6-foot-11, 240-pound center from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Baker is one of the top big men in the 2019 class, and possesses both the athleticism and skill set to fit in well at North Carolina.

The Tar Heels have been recruiting Baker for some time now, and officially offered him a scholarship in November of 2017. Williams followed that up with trips to see Baker play in January and April, and the two have remained in frequent contact ever since.

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And while all of that sounds good, and the two parties appear to be on the same page, getting Baker to Chapel Hill – and away from UCLA – may still prove to be very difficult.

In a recent report, Rivals recruiting analyst Eric Bossi had the following to say about Baker, the favorites in his recruitment, and his mindset throughout the process.

"“Five-star big man Will Baker made a trip out to Westwood to have his official visit with UCLA,” Bossi said. “The key here is that the Bruins are considered the team to beat because of Baker’s desire to get into the film industry after his basketball days. North Carolina also seems to be in good shape but they will have to get over the film school hurdle while Texas has been gaining some ground as well.”"

North Carolina often has a geographical edge over a lot of its opponents on the recruiting trail. The Tar Heels and fellow ACC members also have a marked advantage over the majority of Division I schools when it comes to prime time television coverage; the “East Coast bias” that fans often refer to.

In this situation, though – battling the Bruins, Baker’s love of film and being more than 2,500 miles from Hollywood – the Tar Heels have a distinct disadvantage in terms of location. If Baker’s ambitions outside of basketball compel him to take up residence on the West Coast, then the Tar Heels could be left on the outside looking in.

Despite the aforementioned, though, the Tar Heels appear to be in pretty good shape with Baker. As Bossi mentioned, they are one of the main players in his recruitment, along with UCLA and Texas.

I dare say that if UNC was located in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, Baker would have already given his commitment to Williams and the Tar Heels. But as it stands, they’ve got some work to do in the coming months.

Baker is the No. 14 overall prospect in the class of 2019 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s a top-5 center in the class and the No. 2 player in the state of Texas.

Next: Tar Heels' 2019 class could look a lot like this...

Check back with Keeping It Heel for more on Baker and the class of 2019 in the coming months.

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