UNC Basketball: Will 5-star recruit’s list of finalists include Tar Heels?

Will the UNC basketball program make the cut when 5-star point guard Kennedy Chandler cuts his list of schools to five?

Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels will be on high alert when 5-star class of 2021 prospect Kennedy Chandler trims his current list of 10 schools down to just five in the coming days. A consensus top-20 recruit and the class’s No. 2-ranked point guard, Chandler announced via Twitter on Saturday afternoon that he’d be releasing his list of finalists “soon”.

As it stands now, Chandler’s star-studded list of programs consists of Duke, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee and USC. There’s really no strong indication at this point which teams, if any, have separated themselves from the pack in Chandler’s recruitment. What we do know is that virtually any combination of five teams that he chooses will read like a who’s who list of college basketball’s top programs.

He made official visits to Florida State, Michigan, Ole Miss and Tennessee, and took unofficial trips to Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Memphis. That was all before the worldwide coronavirus pandemic that led to the NCAA’s current recruiting freeze. Over the past couple of weeks, Chandler has taken part in a series of virtual recruiting visits, including ones with North Carolina, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Crystal Ball picks for Chandler on 247Sports are fairly insignificant, given that both votes for Duke come from Blue Devil insiders.

A 6-foot-1, 160-pound point guard out of Memphis, Tennessee, Chandler is a likely future first round NBA Draft pick, and one that could easily be in the college ranks for just one season. He’s an athletic, explosive lead guard with good ball handling skills, and a knack for getting to the basket. He drives the lane with efficiency, passes the ball well and runs the fast break with quickness and determination. He’s a decent three-point shooter, a pesky defender and a good rebounder for his position.

Attributes like that would make Chandler a good fit for the Tar Heels, who could be in a need of a lead guard a year from now. As we’ve seen in years past, there’s no certainty that a dynamic incoming freshman will stick around campus for more than one season. Caleb Love is a highly touted 5-star point guard that has the chops to be a star in Chapel Hill next season, and there’s a chance that could lead him to the NBA Draft in 2021. Chandler would be a terrific replacement for Love in the event that the aforementioned happens.

Regardless, it’s highly unlikely that the Tar Heels don’t wind up on Chandler’s condensed list of five schools. And much to the displeasure of UNC fans, I’d be surprised if the Duke Blue Devils don’t end up right there with the Tar Heels among Chandler’s handful of finalists.

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