UNC Basketball: Tar Heels showing interest in rising 2021 prospect?

UNC basketball program among those showing interest in rising class of 2021 prospect

There’s little doubt that Roy Williams and the Tar Heels have their preferred point guard heading up the UNC back court for the 2020-21 season, but as we’ve seen in years past, there’s no telling how long that’ll last.

Caleb Love is undoubtedly one of the nation’s top incoming point guards, and one that has a tremendous amount of upside. He’s already gotten interest from the NBA G-League, and he’ll almost certainly garner the attention of scouts and general managers over the course of his freshman season. Will Love have the kind of season in Chapel Hill that propels him to an NBA lottery pick like we saw with former UNC standout Coby White, or show the kind of potential that we witnessed from Cole Anthony despite the team’s tumultuous season? That’s all yet to be seen, but what we do know is that Williams and his coaching staff are already out there looking for his replacement.

They extended an early scholarship offer to Memphis native Kennedy Chandler, the No. 1 point guard in the 2021 class. And while the talented lead guard included North Carolina in his five-team list of finalists in April, he may be a tough get for the Tar Heels. Both Duke and Tennessee appear to have a leg up on North Carolina, Memphis and Kentucky. Of course, his recruitment hasn’t reached completion yet, and the NCAA’s dead period has certainly changed its previous trajectory, so anything could happen prior to him making an announcement that we assume will come some time later this year. However, I wouldn’t place my bet on seeing him in a UNC jersey next year.

And although the Tar Heels won’t put all of their eggs in the Kennedy Chandler basket, he’s the only true point guard that they’ve offered a scholarship to at this point. That will obviously change at some point, but what direction will the Tar Heels look in for their next floor general?

Enter Angelo Brizzi, a rising point guard in the 2021 class that’s beginning to get attention from a number of big name schools, including the Tar Heels. Joining North Carolina in that category is Arizona, Cal, LSU, Michigan, Villanova, Virginia Tech and Virginia, among others. Each of those have offered Brizzi a scholarship, sans the Tar Heels and Cavaliers.

According to Rivals, Brizzi’s initial plan was to narrow down his list of teams in late summer or early fall, and then make a decision at some point during the fall. Due to the NCAA dead period, as well as the spike in interest from big name programs, Brizzi is going to take more time in coming to a final decision.

"If there are eventually live periods, there is a good chance Brizzi’s stock could rise even more with new offers coming in,” Rivals’ Dan McDonald writes. “Right now, he’s reluctant to name any favorites as he still has interest in all the schools recruiting him and would be open to new schools coming into the picture."

In a conversation with McDonald, Brizzi spoke about a handful of the major programs recruiting him, including the Tar Heels. He noted that Roy Williams has brought a lot of talented point guards through his program, and that the Carolina name speaks for itself.

Brizzi has great size at 6-feet-4-inches and 170-pounds. He can handle the ball extremely well, shoot from all over the court, drive through traffic and finish above the rim. He’s got shifty moves that make it difficult for defenders to stay in front of him, and range beyond the three-point line that forces the opposition to respect him from anywhere on the court.

He’s currently a 4-star prospect according to Rivals, which pegs him as the No. 118 prospect overall, and 21st among point guards. He’s 138th in the 247Sports Composite, a 3-star recruit, and No. 25 among players at his position.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Tar Heels’ interest in Angelo Brizzi, as well as everything UNC basketball.