UNC Basketball: Tar Heels 5-star target sustains injury, plans to cut list

5-star UNC basketball target sustains injury at USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp, plans to cut list in near future

The North Carolina basketball program remains in the hunt for class of 2020 prospect Bryce Thompson, a 5-star combo guard ranked 20th in the nation according to the latest 247Sports Composite.

Thompson, who’s got scholarship offers from Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M, among others, hit a bump in the road when he sustained an injury at the USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado Springs. The injury, a hyperextended left elbow, is expected to keep him off the court for the entire month of August.

And although it won’t hurt his heavily publicized recruitment at this point, it did keep him out of all physical activities when he attended the sixth annual invite-only Under Armor SC30 Select Camp that’s hosted by Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry. Thompson’s father, Rod, told The Kansas City Star that his son is still learning a lot just by being at the camp. He also told The Star that Bryce is looking to cut down his list of schools in the near future for a decision that is likely to come some time after January 1.

Thompson has good size and length for his position. He’s a good ball handler with a terrific offensive game that allows him to score from anywhere on the court. He can run the break, and create his own shot off the dribble. He’s also a good distributor, and a consistent threat to knock down shots from three-point range.

Thompson plays tenacious defense on the opposite end of the court thanks to his wiry frame and basketball savvy. He should be able to guard multiple positions at the college level. And given the improvement that he’s shown over the past season, he doesn’t even appear to have reached his ceiling yet.

A 6-foot-5, 175-pound senior at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thompson is the No. 4 player at his position, and No. 1 in the state of Oklahoma.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest news and updates on the Bryce Thompson recruitment, and everything UNC basketball.