UNC Basketball: 5-star prospect says visit to Chapel Hill was ‘amazing’

Elite prospect had good things to say about visit to UNC

One of the top prospects in the class of 2020 took a trip to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and came away with good things to say about the Tar Heels following his visit.

Five-star small forward Ziaire Williams of Sherman Oaks, California has watched his stock rise over the past six months after a strong summer showing on the amateur circuit. In the time since, he’s gotten a lot of attention — and scholarship offers — from some of the biggest names in college basketball including Arizona, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Virginia.

North Carolina followed suit in early December, officially offering Williams a scholarship after showing an increased amount of interest in him over the past few months. He became just the fourth player in the 2020 class to receiver an offer from the Tar Heels.

UNC assistant coach Steve Robinson has headed up the Williams recruitment, and the two parties have had a number of interactions during that time. One of those instances was a cross-country trip from California to North Carolina that the junior wing took to visit the UNC campus. And judging by the sentiments he shared with Rivals recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, the Tar Heels appear to be in a pretty good position at this point.

"“The visit was amazing,” Williams said. “It’s UNC and it’s a college town. The fans are amazing out there and it was a lot of fun. They just love my versatility and how I’m a big guard and I pass and score and that’s pretty much the same with all the coaches. They love how I’m big but more like a guard.”"

The No. 23 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite, and a top-5 player in the state of California, Williams is a gifted scorer with an ability to hit shots from all over the court. He can score from inside and outside the three-point line, and beat defenders with a quick first step that allows him to get into the lane and score easy buckets.

He isn’t overly athletic, and could stand to put on some more weight, but he’s got nearly two years before he’ll step onto a college court. He is, however, committed to improving his strength and ball-handling skills before getting to the next level.

"“I’m a near 6’9″ guard and there’s not too many of those out there,” Williams told Bossi. “A lot of times people play great defense but my length and size saves me. I need strength but I know that will come with time. But I’m working on strength and ball handling, but you can never stop improving on anything so it’s not like one thing that I’m focused on.”"

The 6-foot-8, 180-pound small forward has a growing list of offers, and his recruitment will likely carry on into next basketball season. For now, though, North Carolina appears to be exactly where they want to be with Williams.

Williams’ Crystal Ball currently shows a 50-50 tie between North Carolina and Stanford, with the three most recent votes all in favor of the Tar Heels.

Stick with Keeping it Heel for more on the Williams recruitment, and everything North Carolina basketball.