UNC Basketball: Will Tar Heels extend offer to Ryan Mutombo?

Ryan Mutombo, son of former NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo, is one of the fastest rising stars in the class of 2021. Will Roy Williams and the UNC basketball program extend an offer?

Not only is Ryan Mutombo the son of eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, but he’s also one of the fastest rising stars in the class of 2021.

A 6-foot-11, 215-pound center from Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, Mutombo has grown two inches and put on 25 pounds over the past year-plus. He’s also seen his recruiting ranking improve dramatically in that time, rising 136 spots to No. 62 in the 247Sports Composite. The progression of his game and body have impressed coaches and scouts so much, in fact, that he’s risen 66 spots just in the last three months. Don’t be surprised if that number continues to climb, particularly once he’s able to get back out onto the court.

Mutombo is also a fan of the Tar Heels, having stated on multiple occasions that North Carolina was his ‘dream school’ as a kid.

"“Obviously I know all the history of Roy Williams and all the great players that have come through there, whether they were one-and-dones or 4-year players,” Mutombo told Rivals in January. “A lot of great basketball players have come through their program. It’s like a brotherhood there, and one of the best programs in the country.”"

Mutombo is holding over a dozen scholarship offers, including ones from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. He’s had no direct contact with the Tar Heels, to our knowledge, but that’s not to say that it couldn’t happen in the coming months.

Although North Carolina’s 2020 squad might have the deepest and most talented front court in the nation, second team All-ACC power forward Garrison Brooks will exhaust his final year of eligibility this season. There’s also no telling how long rising sophomore Armando Bacot will remain on campus, and the same goes for incoming freshman bigs Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler. The only other viable big man on the roster is Sterling Manley, who’s struggled to even get on the court over the past two years thanks to multiple injuries.

As Mutombo continues to improve his game and gain more notoriety along the way, don’t be shocked when offers begin to pour in during the fall and winter. Whether or not the Tar Heels get involved at some point is unknown, but it they miss on other targets at the center position, it wouldn’t be shocking for them to give Mutombo a closer look.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Tar Heels’ 2021 recruiting class, and everything UNC basketball.