UNC Basketball: Fellow recruits important for Cunningham?

The UNC Basketball program is still in the running for a top player in the 2020 recruiting class and he could team up with a close friend.

A dream scenario for the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2020 recruiting class would be adding two more five-star recruits to go along with the three five-star commits they already have.

With the Early Signing Period coming up in December, the Tar Heels will have some time to further pursue their remaining targets. With about four recruits left on their big board, the Tar Heels should know their fate by December.

One of those targets is five-star guard Cade Cunningham, who is one of the top players overall in the 2020 class. Cunningham has taken some official visits already including to UNC and his most recent one to Kentucky. Following the Kentucky visit, the Wildcats picked up some crystal ball predictions for the recruit possibly signaling that they are the favorites.

With a few teams still involved and the recruitment open, Rivals reporter Corey Evans talked about Cunningham’s recruitment with some information on his recruitment and what might be involved for the teams. One of those things was playing with friends as future teammates.

He broke it down by school, listing players that could commit to each program and play together next season. For UNC, Evans wrote on Cunningham and Tar Heels’ target Ziaire Williams:

"The five-star guard wants to win, and win really big. He also knows that he cannot do it alone, just like Leonard who pulled Paul George along with him to the Los Angeles Clippers. Here is what Cunningham told me two weeks ago:“I am really big on choosing who I want to play with and it will be one of the last times that I will be able to do that.”Who are the guys that he is talking about? For North Carolina, it may be Ziaire Williams, one of his best friends. It could be Greg Brown for Kentucky, who he’s developed a great rapport with during on the travel circuit this summer. For Oklahoma State, it could be one of his best friends, Rondel Walker, along with JT Thor and even Bryce Thompson.Brown and Williams are expected to sign late; Walker, Thor and Thompson are slated to sign next month. While I do not foresee Cunningham signing in November, I do see a commitment being made close to Thanksgiving."

It would be ideal for UNC to reel in Cunningham as well as either Williams or Bryce Thompson to complete their class. The additions of even two of those players would give the Tar Heels their best class in years.

But if Cunningham does go to Kentucky, the door is still open for both Williams and Thompson to join the class. And that wouldn’t be huge.

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