UNC Basketball: Kennedy Chandler eyeing package deal in college?

Roy Williams and the UNC basketball program have prioritized Kennedy Chandler, but is the 5-star point guard eyeing a package deal somewhere else?

With no way of knowing how long incoming freshman point guard Caleb Love will remain at the college level, Roy Williams and the UNC coaching staff have put a premium on obtaining the services of 5-star class of 2021 prospect Kennedy Chandler.

Chandler, a 6-foot-1, 160-pound junior at Briarcrest Christian in Memphis, Tennessee, is the No. 15 overall prospect in his class, and second among players in his home state. Similar to Love, Chandler is the No. 2 lead guard in his class, and he reeled in nearly 30 scholarship offers over the past year as a result.

Before naming his list of five finalists last week, he was holding offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas Tech, among others. Now, though, it’s just Duke, Kentucky, Memphis, North Carolina and Tennessee vying for Chandler’s commitment.

And while that was good news for each of his handful of teams, it may leave Memphis and North Carolina at a slight disadvantage. That is, if Chandler goes through with the package deal that he and former UNC target Paulo Banchero have expressed interest in.

Banchero, a 5-star big man who eliminated the Tar Heels from contention last week, shares with Chandler the trio of Duke, Kentucky and Tennessee on his list of finalists. If he and Chandler team up at the college level, it’ll be with one of those three programs. Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans warns against putting too much stock into that, though, noting that these things typically don’t work out for a variety of reasons.

"“I am going to bet against it because very rarely do we see two five-star prospects go through with their original plans of attending college together,” Evans writes. “That is not to say that their friendship and hopes of teaming up at the next level aren’t real. However, there are just so many dynamics that go into two prospects choosing the same school together as far as comfort level, location, fit, role and other unforeseen influences that go unnoticed.Kennedy Chandler and Paolo Bancheroeach published their final school lists last week with Duke, Kentucky and Tennessee appearing on both. If they do find a way to make it work, it might come as a surprise, but Tennessee has the best chance, at least in my eyes, in paring the two together.There is still is some time before a decision is made from either, but the Vols should like where they sit with Chandler. The question then becomes if Chandler can influence Banchero enough to leave his Pacific Northwest locale and attend the SEC program alongside him? I do not believe Banchero would pick Tennessee if it weren’t for Chandler but I also know that he is heavily impressed by Rick Barnes’ developmental background and the facilities at UT.If not Tennessee, maybe Kentucky keeps the two together but, for now, I will say they go their separate ways with Chandler picking the Vols and Banchero choosing their rivals in the Bluegrass State.”"

It’s far too early to name a front-runner in Chandler’s recruitment, as he’s yet to tip his hand at what direction he might be leaning, if at all. I don’t anticipate a decision from him for quite some time, and I also expect him to take a good long look at the opportunity to skip college and play in the G-League next year before potentially entering the NBA Draft in the summer of 2022.

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