UNC Basketball: Scholarship offers mounting for class of 2022 UNC target

5-star class of 2022 UNC basketball target gaining popularity among coaches and scouts, picking up scholarship offers by the handful

After securing the nation’s No. 3-ranked recruiting class in 2020, Roy Williams and the North Carolina basketball program have not only moved on to the class of 2021, but to the class of 2022, as well.

The Tar Heels already have one commitment, and a handful of scholarship offers out to 2021 prospects. And they’re keeping tabs on a handful of other players in the class. They’ve officially targeted just two prospects in the class of 2022, however. Jaden Bradley, a 5-star point guard and sophomore at Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina, got the call from the UNC coaching staff in late march. Caleb Houstan, a 5-star wing and former teammate of incoming UNC freshman Day’Ron Sharpe, received his offer a couple of months prior.

A 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward at Montverde Academy, Houstan is ranked ninth in the 247Sports Composite. He’s No. 3 among players at his position, and third in the state of Florida. Rivals ranks Houstan even higher, tabbing him as the No. 5 prospect in the 2022 class.

After picking up offers from North Carolina, Oregon, Texas Tech and Virginia during the winter, Houstan got offers from Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and Seton Hall since the conclusion of the school year. And while his current list of offers is nothing to scoff at, it’ll soon read like a who’s who list of college basketball’s top programs. Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans talked about Houstan’s college prospects in a recent piece, as well as the rumors that he might reclassify to the class of 2021.

"“Beside the group [of current scholarship offers], Houstan has also begun to hear from Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan State and Villanova,” Evans states. “Due to the ongoing pandemic, visits have been postponed for the foreseeable future as Houstan remains focused on his skill work and potentially competing on the Nike EYBL circuit and for the Canadian national team later this summer.Rumors have swirled around a potential reclassification into the 2021 class. However, the plan remains for Houstan to complete the summer before he takes a greater look at taking such a route. In the meantime, expect for his recruitment to pick up even further in which it has already become a blue blood affair.”"

Houstan has nice height and length for his position, especially considering that he’s got potentially two more years to grow before stepping foot on a college campus. He can score from all three levels, but is an excellent stand-still three-point shooter. His ability to catch and shoot the long ball was invaluable for Cade Cunningham and company as Montverde ran off a perfect 25-0 record before the season’s abrupt ending. Houstan can put the ball on the floor, get the ball to teammates in position to score and finish above the rim. He’s doesn’t mind driving the lane through traffic, and runs well on the fast break.

There’s no telling how much time is left in Houstan’s recruitment, but a good guess is a lot. He’ll, no doubt, receive offers from all of college basketball’s major players, and have his pick of the litter once it’s all said and done.

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