UNC Basketball: 2020 signee scores double-doubles in consecutive games

Class of 2020 UNC basketball signee Walker Kessler is finishing out his senior season in a big way.

The struggling North Carolina basketball program can’t get through the current season and onto the next quick enough. Thankfully, there’s much to look forward to for the Tar Heels in the fall of 2020.

One of those things is 5-star big man Walker Kessler, a 7-foot, 245-pound center out of Woodward Academy in Fairburn, Georgia. Kessler is ranked 17th in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s fourth among players at his position, and No. 1 in the state of Georgia. And his skill on the court may only be matched by his upside.

The talented post player, who’s averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game, is finishing up his high school career prior to enrolling at North Carolina later this spring. His team has a 29-2 record overall, and 13-1 mark in conference play. That’s thanks, in part, to the tremendous season that Kessler has put together.

In a 58-56 home playoff victory over the Sandy Creek Patriots on Wednesday, Kessler scored a game-high 33 points on a 14-for-25 shooting performance. He hit 1-of-2 three-point shots, and 4-of-5 attempts from the free throw line. He pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with three blocks, one assist and one steal. He did commit an uncharacteristic six turnovers, but that doesn’t take away from the tremendous game he put together on both sides of the court.

Kessler followed that up with a 21-point, 10-rebound game against Denmark in a Friday night neutral site playoff game. It wasn’t as sharp of a performance for Kessler as we saw a couple of nights prior, but his impact on the game was still greatly felt. He missed all seven of his attempts from three-point range, but knocked down 10-of-16 from inside the arc. He also recorded a game-high six blocks, while committing just one foul and zero turnovers. Woodward won the game by a final score of 64-43.

Kessler is joined in UNC’s 2020 recruiting class by 5-star center Day’Ron Sharpe, 5-star point guard Caleb Love, 4-star combo guard R.J. Davis and 4-star small forward Puff Johnson. The group of future Tar Heels is ranked third in the nation behind Kentucky and Duke, all three of which have three 5-star commits in the class; the only three schools in the nation that can make that claim.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Walker Kessler and the class of 2020, as well as everything UNC basketball.