Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ 2020 recruiting class could look a lot like this

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches his team play against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 16, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches his team play against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 16, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 31: Tom Crean the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team during the game against the Louisville Cardinals in the Countdown Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 31, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Walker Kessler

The Tar Heels have already offered scholarships to three centers and two power forwards in the class of 2020, hoping to beef up their front court and get back to the traditional “two-big” system that Roy Williams likes to run.

Of those three centers, Walker Kessler appears to be the cream of the crop. A physically imposing 6-foot-10, 225-pound big man out of Woodward Academy in Fairburn, Georgia, Kessler will be an immediate impact freshman at whatever program he chooses. He’s the 16th-ranked player in the class according to the 247Sports Composite, and fourth among centers.

And with nearly two-dozen offers from some of the biggest names in college basketball, word is obviously out on Kessler — the No. 2 prospect from the state of Georgia. Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia and Xavier join North Carolina as some of the most prestigious schools on his growing list of suitors.

Kessler has deep family ties with the University of Georgia — his father, late uncle and brother all played for the Bulldogs — but there’s no indication whether or not those ties will play a major role in his recruitment. The 5-star post player recently talked about his recruitment with national recruiting analyst Evan Daniels, naming the five schools that are recruiting him the hardest.

"“Right now, I think I got a top five or top six,” Kessler said. “It’s more of schools that I feel like are heavily recruiting me: Michigan, Gonzaga, Auburn, Duke, UNC, I think that’s it.”"

Kessler has a nice physique, particularity for a near-7-foot center. Despite not being overly athletic, his height, length and strength make him an elite college prospect. He can also run the floor very well — something that would be put on display at North Carolina with regularity — and has a nice offensive game.

He’s got some nice post moves, can face-up to the basket and has a nice hook shot. Given that many of his shots will come inside 15 feet, he’s going to hit a high percentage of his field goal attempts, and converts well from the free throw line, too. He’s obviously going to grab his fair share of rebounds, and can impact the game from a defensive standpoint with his long arms and ability to block shots.

Kessler’s Crystal Ball is currently favoring Duke as a 56 percent favorite over second-place Georgia, who’s nabbed 33 percent of the vote to this point. Lead expert Jerry Meyer picked the Bulldogs, while another 11 percent of voters are undecided.

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