UNC Basketball: Tar Heels now favored for this 4-star prospect?

National recruiting analysts predict that this 4-star prospect will join the UNC basketball program in 2019

The North Carolina basketball program is teetering on the line between reload and rebuild, hoping that unconventional additions to next season’s team will fill the holes left by five defections from the Tar Heels’ 2019 Sweet 16 squad.

The five players on their way out the door — three graduating seniors in Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Cameron Johnson, as well as two sensational freshmen in Coby White and Nassir Little — made up four of the Tar Heels’ five starters last season, and the team’s top reserve. So, not only are there some big shoes to fill next season, but a lot of them.

While the Tar Heels already have a commitment from 5-star center Armando Bacot, as well as a likely pledge on its way from top-5 point guard Cole Anthony, they still have some vacancies on their roster, from both a star-power and depth standpoint.

Roy Williams and his staff have been more aggressive on both the recruiting trail and the transfer market of late, looking high and low for players to come to Chapel Hill and make an immediate impact next season. They already lost out on Panther Creek senior forward Justin McKoy, who made his commitment to Virginia official last weekend. They also missed on Daniel Utomi, as the Akron graduate transfer chose USC over North Carolina and others on Tuesday night.

UNC still has some opportunities to nab talented players for next season, though, such as Little Rock graduate transfer Rayjon Tucker, or Charleston Southern’s Christian Keeling, who recently set an official visit with the Tar Heels for next week. And, of course, just about every North Carolina fan is hoping for Roy Williams to go all-in on Virginia Tech senior big man Kerry Blackshear, Jr., who entered college basketball’s transfer portal on Tuesday.

There’s also good news for the Tar Heels when it comes to former Virginia Tech commit Anthony Harris, who, like Blackshear, has decided to pursue other opportunities after head coach Buzz Williams left the Hokies for Texas A&M earlier this month.

According to national recruiting analysts Eric Bossi, Corey Evans and Dan McDonald, the 4-star guard who’s ranked No. 65 in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite is most likely to choose UNC over the myriad of other big name programs courting him since making public his decision to reopen his recruitment.

"“Harris was originally committed to Virginia Tech but backed off when Buzz Williams left. Indiana, North Carolina, Maryland, Ohio State, Georgetown and others have jumped in and it’s still pretty early so any leanings are speculation.”"

Despite the fact that the analysts agree that it’s early in the process and there’s a great deal of speculation involved at this time, it seems significant that all three predict North Carolina as his most likely destination in the fall.

He’s a talented player — ranked eighth among players at his position in the class of 2019, and fourth in the state of Virginia — that could come in and be a difference-maker for the Tar Heels from day one, particularly in their thin back court.

There’s no exact timetable for a decision right now, but Keeping It Heel will continue to follow the situation and give updates when they become available.