UNC Basketball: Where do Tar Heels stand with Keion Brooks?

The recruitment for five-star prospect Keion Brooks appears to be ending soon and the Tar Heels may have fallen out of the race

Roy Williams and his staff still have high hopes that they can add to their 2019 recruiting class and improve it. That 2019 class already has center Armando Bacot and point guard Jeremiah Francis signed but Williams is looking to add some more help on the perimeter.

The Tar Heels are still involved for some big recruits including Cole Anthony, Keion Brooks, Matthew Hurt and Precious Achiuwa.

Anthony seems to be the most likely scenario for the Tar Heels but he’s not close to making a decision and is targeting the end of the season for that.

While things have been relatively quiet for Hurt and Achiuwa, the opposite can be said about Indiana native Keion Brooks. The Tar Heels made the cut for Brooks along with Indiana, Michigan State, Kentucky and Purdue. The latest developments don’t look good for the Tar Heels, however.

Brooks took an unofficial visit to Kentucky to watch the Wildcats beat then No. 1 Tennessee by double-digits. It was his first time attending for a Wildcats game and it made a lasting impression the recruit.

Following that visit, things have started to pick up for Kentucky in Brooks’ recruitment just as it appeared that they were falling behind.

Brooks wants to stay close to home which has always been the one negative talked about in UNC’s recruitment of him. The other schools involved are pretty close to Indiana, which made it feel like the Hoosiers and Spartans were the favorites.

But now it appears as if Kentucky is ready to steal him away.

247 National recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer just put in a Crystal Ball prediction for Kentucky to land Brooks on Tuesday morning. That prediction gave Kentucky the lead at 46%, followed by Indiana at 31% and Michigan State at 15% of the predictions.

The Crystal Ball isn’t always right but when you see a recruiting analyst make a pick, there’s usually something there.

Brooks cancelled his visit to Michigan State, which was set for Sunday, and now it appears as if a decision is coming soon. If that’s the case, then things don’t look good for the Tar Heels.

Brooks’ father, Keion Brooks Sr., also stated that they are close to making a decision and that it’s “coming soon” per A Sea of Blue.

The other thing to note is that Roy hasn’t visited or watched Brooks over the past month or so, a clue that the Tar Heels have fallen out of the race. If Brooks does pick Kentucky, the heat is on even more for the Tar Heels to land Cole Anthony.

For more on UNC Basketball recruiting, please check back with Keeping It Heel.