UNC Basketball: Here’s where the Tar Heels stand with Boogie Ellis

Tar Heels in good position to land top-35 point guard

After bidding farewell to the dynamic back court duo of Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson, Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels were thrilled to welcome in a pair of top-75 guards in Coby White and Rechon Black.

White, a 6-foot-5, 170-pound combo guard out of Greenfield School in Wilson, North Carolina is one of the more gifted back court players in the class of 2018. The talented shooter and ball handler –who’s ranked No. 25 in the class, and third among players at his position — is probably more comfortable at the two-guard, but could see a lot of time at the point guard position in Williams’ fast-paced, run-and-gun offense.

Black, on the other hand, has the skills of a natural point guard, but the body of a forward. The 6-foot-8, 185-pound Concord native simply wouldn’t stop growing, and many are now wondering exactly how he’ll be used in the Tar Heels’ rotation. Regardless of how he’s played, he’ll likely be able to create some mismatches against smaller guards and less ball-savvy wings.

Despite the obvious upside of the incoming freshman tandem, there’s no telling how long the uber-talented White will stick around in Chapel Hill, or if Black will be a viable option at the point guard position moving forward.

That’s why fans were excited when the Tar Heels got an early commitment from then-top-75 point guard prospect Jeremiah Francis. Francis, though, has battled injuries in the time since his pledge to UNC, and fallen over 100 spots in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

It seems unlikely that a once-rising four-star prospect suddenly lost all of his talent and forgot how to play basketball. It is plausible, though, that the lack of court time and exposure from recruiting analysts has assumed the biggest responsibility for his dramatic slide down the rankings. And while that’s an encouraging notion, there’s still great cause for concern when it comes to the continued and prolonged injury problems.

That, in part, has kept Williams and his staff in the hunt for additional talent at the point guard position within the 2019 class. After missing out on five-star point guard Tre Mann — who committed to Florida last month — Williams has put an emphasis on four-star prospect Boogie Ellis. The 6-foot-2 combo guard out of Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California has shot up recruiting boards, and now sits at No. 35 in the class of 2019.

Williams has a history of struggling to nab top-end talent on the west coast, or to keep it when he does get it (see: David and Travis Wear, Alex Stepheson and Larry Drew II). However, the Tar Heels have come on strong in recent weeks, and appear to be in a good position with Ellis.

Ellis is considering a number of premiere basketball programs, including Arizona and Duke, but it’s North Carolina who seems to have gained the most momentum over the past month. The Tar Heels currently lead Ellis’ Crystal Ball with 67 percent of the votes, including that of 247Sports Director of Basketball Scouting, Jerry Meyer.

And on Monday, Rivals recruiting analyst Eric Bossi had this to say about the Ellis recruitment, and who he sees as the favorites at this point:

"“Outside of the West Coast, not a lot of programs knew much about Ellis headed into the last spring and summer,” Bossi said. “After emerging as one of the best jump shooters in the class, things took off. He’s got an interesting mix of schools that cover the entire country and his visit to Duke this weekend will be his last. He was at North Carolina a few weeks ago and nobody would be surprised if he ends up choosing between the tobacco road rivals.”"

https://twitter.com/BoogieEllis/status/1051193563202154496

It’s surprising to approximately no one that yet another recruiting battle could come down to Duke and North Carolina. But after continued communication between Ellis and the Tar Heels, and a visit to campus last weekend, the Tar Heels certainly seem to be in as good of a position as they could hope to be at this point.

It’s worth noting, however, that USC is also considered one of the favorites in Ellis’ recruitment. The prospect of staying close to home and playing in Los Angeles could be a tough pitch to beat for the heated East Coast rivals. Another thing to consider is that the Trojans currently have two five-star prospects committed, and the No. 1 recruiting class in 2019.

Ellis is expected to commit sooner than later, likely targeting an announcement some time during the early signing period this winter.

For more on the Ellis recruitment, stick with Keeping It Heel.