UNC Basketball: Tar Heels 4-star target set to announce finalists

4-star class of 2020 prospect, UNC basketball target set to announce finalists this week

Roy Williams and the North Carolina basketball program got some good news last week when 5-star class of 2020 center Walker Kessler included the Tar Heels in his list of six finalists. The 6-foot-10, 225-pound big man out of Fairburn, Georgia would be a huge addition to a North Carolina squad that already boasts junior power forward Garrison Brooks, and incoming freshman center Armando Bacot.

But because of Williams’ propensity for playing two traditional big men in his front court — and the Tar Heels’ inability to do so over the past few seasons — the Hall-of-Fame head coach has hedged his bets with the 2020 class maybe more so than any other recruiting cycle in his career. That’s why the Tar Heels have scholarship offers out to five bigs in the class; three centers and two power forwards.

One of those centers, Hunter Dickinson, is high on the Tar Heels’ list of priorities in the 2020 class. And the 4-star big man announced via Twitter late Sunday night that he intends to trim his current list of schools down to seven this week.

One of the tallest and most physically imposing players in the class of 2020 — or any class, for that matter — Hunter Dickinson is a 7-foot-2-inch, 255-pound center that couldn’t even get lost in an NBA game, let alone on a college court.

Along with being a massive body in the painted area, Dickinson has a nice offensive game that includes a smooth left-handed hook shot and a mid-range jumper. He’s not a terrific athlete or exceptionally fast, but he can get up and down the court okay, and will be effective in half court sets. Dickinson will be a high-percentage shooter in the low-post, where he takes the majority of his shots. And he’ll get his hands on a lot of rebounds, as well as blocking some shots on the defensive end of the floor. He’s also a capable passer, and has a really good feel for the game.

There’s not much of a feel for what direction Dickinson is leaning, if any, but we do know that he’s receiving heavy interest from Duke, as well as a number of other programs including Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Oregon, Purdue, Syracuse and Virginia.

His Crystal Ball currently has just three predictions, and none within the last six months. Two-thirds of the votes from last year are in favor of the Fighting Irish, who are expected to play a major role in his recruitment. I anticipate Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Purdue to be among the seven teams he names as finalists later this week.

Dickinson is the No. 30 prospect in the class of 2020 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the sixth-ranked center in the class, and second among players from the state of Maryland.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Hunter Dickinson recruitment, and everything UNC basketball.