UNC Basketball: Walker Kessler official visit primer

Five-star center Walker Kessler is set to visit the UNC Basketball program this weekend but what are the Tar Heels’ chances at landing him?

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ basketball program will be hosting two big visitors on camps this weekend for their official visits. Five-star point guard Caleb Love and five-star center Walker Kessler will be on campus this weekend as UNC hopes to impress and improve their chances of landing either recruit.

We previewed Love’s visit with our primer earlier on Friday and now it’s time to get into Kessler’s visit.

The 6-foot-10, 225-pound  center out of Georgia has been on UNC’s radar for a while now. UNC has sent coaches to watch Kessler play at Woodward Academy as well as on the AAU circuit over the past year or so. Kessler emerged as a legit target for the Tar Heels and earned his official offer from Roy Williams back in late January of 2019.

Kessler is an intriguing prospect for the Tar Heels to pair with five-star center Day’Ron Sharpe in the post. Landing both players would give UNC two really good players down in the paint, something Williams would love to have.  Kessler could move over to the forward position due to his scoring range.

That would be the ideal situation for UNC to have with both Kessler and Sharpe.  Check out some highlights of Kessler on the AAU circuit here:

As we go into his visit, where do the Tar Heels stand with Kessler?

Earlier this year it appeared that the Tar Heels would have a legit shot at landing either Kessler or Greg Brown. But now with Kessler in Chapel Hill for three days, neither seem like a legit option for the Tar Heels.

Kessler’s interest in UNC has appeared to weaken as time has gone on in his recruitment and to make matters worse, it appears to be picking up for the Duke Blue Devils. They currently have the lead in the 247 Sports Crystal Ball predictors, leading with 80 percent of the predictions. Now, that doesn’t mean Kessler is a lock to Duke as they are only predictions but several recruiting analysts believe he eventually lands in Durham.

For Kessler’s visit, the Tar Heels are likely hoping to sell him on the fact that he can play the power forward position for Williams. Kessler has really good range for a big man which allows him to take jump shots rather than just going into the paint. He would be a great fit for what Williams wants to do in spreading it out and running the floor.

This will be Kessler’s fifth official visit on his circuit as he has already visited Duke, Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.

UNC will have the tough task of selling the versatile forward this weekend but anything can happen on the recruiting circuit. For now it appears as if they will have to beat out Duke to land him. As for his announcement, Kessler will likely announce before the early signing period in November so the Tar Heels should know their fate by then.

For more on Kessler and other UNC Basketball recruiting targets, please check back with Keeping It Heel.