UNC Basketball: NCAA writer says this UNC freshman will be nation’s best
National writer has high praise for UNC freshman
There’s a tremendous amount of excitement surrounding the North Carolina basketball program in 2018, in large part due to its outstanding incoming freshman class.
The addition of the nation’s 14th-ranked recruiting class to a team that won 26 games last season and features three returning senior starters could again position the Tar Heels in national title contention. One North Carolina freshman, in particular, has everyone from fans to NBA talent scouts fraught with anticipation to watch his first game at the college level.
At No. 1 on his list of 64 fearless predictions for the 2018-19 college basketball season, NCAA.com’s Joe Boozell had high praise for first-year UNC wing, Nassir Little.
"“North Carolina’s Nassir Little will be the most impactful freshman in the country. Duke’s three-headed monster (Zion Willamson, Cam Reddish, R.J. Barrett) is getting plenty of publicity, but Little gets buckets, and North Carolina needs someone to score following Joel Berry’s departure. He could have a huge year.”"
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward was as impressive as any high school player in the country last season, shooting up recruiting rankings and becoming a household name over the past several months.
He was named MVP of both the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic, the two most prestigious all-star games in high school basketball. He displayed his tremendous athleticism and offensive prowess at both events, and became a top-5 prospect according to every recruiting outlet in the free world not named ESPN. Unlike Boozell, the “worldwide leader” remained fully entrenched in its “Duke signed the top three prospects” narrative, keeping Little at No. 6 in the process.
Little’s NBA draft stock has continued to rise, too, penciled in at No. 2 on a number of mock drafts. Little as a top-5 selection in the 2019 NBA Draft is a virtual consensus at this point, and he’s also been mentioned as a dark horse for the No. 1 pick.
There’s no doubt that Little possesses both the talent and the motor to be a star this season. And he should have ample opportunity to impact the Tar Heels throughout his freshman campaign. Don’t look for him to stick around Chapel Hill for long, though. By this time next year, he’ll likely be a high lottery pick signed to a lucrative NBA rookie contract.
dark. Next. Tar Heels 2019 class may look a lot like this...
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