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UNC Basketball: Analysts say these 2020 UNC targets are ‘hard to read’

By Blake Cockrum

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 24: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels sits in the bench during their game against the Washington Huskies in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 24: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels sits in the bench during their game against the Washington Huskies in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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LAWRENCE, KS – DECEMBER 03: Head coach Jerod Haase of the Stanford Cardinal motions from the bench during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on December 3, 2016 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Ziaire Williams

Ziaire Williams might be the most important prospect on the Tar Heels’ 2020 recruiting board. Of players that North Carolina has a chance at signing — assuming that both Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green are headed elsewhere — Williams might be the most talented. He might also be the most likely to come in and make an impact from day one in Chapel Hill.

A 6-foot-9, 185-pound small forward out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, Williams has risen to No. 5 overall in the latest 247Sports Composite. Ranked second among players at his position and third in the talent-heavy state of California, Williams would be a terrific compliment to 5-star center Day’Ron Sharpe, who committed to North Carolina more than a year ago.

Williams is a physical, versatile player on both ends of the floor, and he’s got a terrific offensive game that helped him average better than 27 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit this year. He’s a skilled jump shooter that can hit shots beyond the three-point line, as well as put the ball on the floor and drive the lane. He’s got size and length that simply cannot be taught, making him all the more valuable at the collegiate level.

It’s that value that has made Williams such a highly sought after prospect this year, earning scholarship offers from the likes of Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, Stanford and UCLA. It’s North Carolina and Stanford who looked to be in control of his commitment from early on, but as Rivals recruiting analyst Eric Bossi highlights, that may not be the case anymore.

"“Williams’ recruitment was pretty cut and dry for a while and it looked like it was headed towards an either/or type decision between North Carolina and Stanford,” Bossi writes. “Now, I don’t know. Arizona, Duke and maybe even the local schools like UCLA and USC have muddied things up a bit and Williams recruitment has become very difficult to read. It seems like most of the main players feel like they’ve got a great shot.”"

So, while North Carolina and Stanford got off to a good start with Williams, it’s looking more and more like the competition for his commitment has grown from both inside the state of California, and out. What once seemed to be a battle between UNC head coach Roy Williams and his protegé, Jerod Haase, has now turned into an all-out battle royale between a handful of college basketball’s top programs.

We’ll have a little better feel for Williams’ recruitment once he compiles a list of finalists, and begins taking official visits. It would, however, be shocking if he didn’t include Duke, North Carolina and Stanford on a condensed list of five to seven teams.

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