UNC Basketball: Tar Heels disrupting Hunter Dickinson recruitment?

Has the UNC basketball program jumped in and disrupted things with the Hunter Dickinson recruitment?

Hunter Dickinson’s recruitment was looking pretty straightforward before Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels got involved. But what once appeared to be a two or three-team race between the likes of Louisville, Notre Dame and Purdue, has turned into a blue blood affair.

The 7-foot-2, 255-pound Dickinson was already holding on to nearly two-dozen scholarship offers when he got the call from the Tar Heels. And Rivals national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi believes the UNC offer could really muddy the waters in the 4-star center’s recruitment.

"“Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence and Purdue all got visits out of him and he seemed to be good there with the Cardinals and Boilermakers perhaps holding an edge,” Bossi said. “However, North Carolina offered during the summer and could be disrupting things.”"

Although I’d still consider the Cardinals, Fighting Irish and Boilermakers the favorites in Dickinson’s recruitment, the Tar Heels are probably the biggest dark horse for a commitment from the top-30 big man. The Tar Heels are definitely gaining momentum, and would get a huge boost if they’re included in his list of finalists, as well as getting an official visit in the coming months.

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 solid mid-range jumper. He’s not a terrific athlete or exceptionally fast, but he can get up and down the court well enough, and will be effective in half court sets.

A real throw-back to the big men of years past, 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.

Currently ranked No. 30 in the 247Sports Composite, Dickinson is the sixth-ranked center in the class of 2020, and No. 2 in the state of Maryland.

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