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

Ziaire Williams

Barely ranked inside the top-50 of the 247Sports Composite this time last year, Ziaire Williams has firmly established himself as a 5-star prospect, and one of the top wings in the class of 2020.

A 6-foot-9, 185-pound small forward out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, Williams is up to No. 7 overall, and fourth in the talent-heavy state of California.

He’s put together an impressive performance over the past year, gaining the attention — and scholarship offers — of better than a dozen big name schools. Arizona, Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Virginia and Wisconsin are a handful of the programs that join North Carolina as teams to already offer the talented wing. Look for that list to grow in the coming months as Williams’ efforts on the basketball court continue to impress coaches and scouts across the country.

To this point, it’s North Carolina and Stanford that appear to be in the best position with Williams, a notion that was recently confirmed by Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans. He also details the appeal of each school for Williams, and where he thinks the talented wing will end up when all is said and done.

"“A five-star forward out of California, North Carolina and Stanford have been the presumed favorites for months now,” Evans said. “The Cardinal have the academic prestige and the close proximity to sell, but UNC boasts the national acclaim and blue blood pedigree. Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Virginia are also involved but I believe he ends up in Chapel Hill.”"

Known for his physicality and versatility on both ends of the floor, Williams has a terrific offensive game that’s helped him average better than 27 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit this year.

He’s got a nice jump shot with range beyond the three-point line. He’s more likely to knock down a jumper off a couple dribbles than taking it all the way to the goal, but he does have the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive the lane. Williams’ size and length will allow him to guard multiple positions on the floor, and play different roles on offense.

North Carolina is currently leading Williams’ Crystal Ball by a margin of 57 to 43 over Stanford. There’s a long time to go in Williams’ recruitment, but look for the Tar Heels and Cardinal to play big roles in where the rising 5-star forward ends up next fall.