UNC Basketball: 5-star prospect cuts list of schools to five

5-star class of 2021 UNC basketball target cuts list of schools to five

The No. 2-ranked point guard in the class of 2021, Kennedy Chandler, has trimmed his list of schools down to five. He made the announcement via Twitter on Thursday afternoon, naming Duke, Kentucky, Memphis, North Carolina and Tennessee to his list of finalists.

And while those five programs may serve as the only ones vying for Chandler at the college level, we do know of one other competitor that could have a say in his recruitment. Keeping It Heel wrote last week of Chandler’s invitation to skip college and play professionally for a season, compliments of the NBA G-League. We don’t yet know the level of interest that Chandler has in going that route, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.

In the mean time, the handful of programs that Chandler is moving forward with will continue to maintain contact with him through the NCAA recruiting dead period — one that was brought on by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, and has been going on for better than a month. We know that the Duke, North Carolina and Tennessee are among the teams that have conducted virtual recruiting calls with Chandler, and it’s safe to assume that Kentucky and Memphis are doing their part to keep up with the crowd.

Chandler is 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 good rebounder for his position, and can affect his opposition on the defensive end of the court. A 6-foot-1, 160-pound junior at Briarcrest Christian, Chandler is ranked 15th in the nation overall according to the 247Sports Composite, and second in the state of Tennessee.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Kennedy Chandler recruitment, and everything UNC basketball.