UNC Basketball: Tar Heels in touch with top 2022 prospect

5-star point guard and top-10 class of 2022 prospect Jaden Bradley has been in contact with the UNC basketball program.

Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels got in on the ground floor of the Jaden Bradley recruitment, extending him a scholarship offer by March of his sophomore year in high school. And that may be a good thing, because Bradley’s recruitment has heated up as much as any elite player in the country, with big name schools far and wide looking to add him to their 2022 recruiting hauls.

The Tar Heels, however, have put in the time and laid the groundwork for a good relationship with Bradley, and they’re hoping that results in a future commitment from the rising junior. Bradley spoke about his dealings with the Tar Heels and their Hall-of-Fame head coach, as Sports Illustrated’s Jason Jordan reports.

"“I know that I’m not the only player in the country they want,” Bradley said. “I’m just glad to be able to talk to them on my own. I talked to Coach (Roy) Williams this morning. He was wishing me luck at IMG and telling me about how he’ll plan to come see me there. Just having that direct line is different and, right now, it’s pretty cool.”"

A 5-star point guard formerly from Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina, Bradley is ranked No. 9 in the class of 2022 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s second among players at his position, and No. 4 in the state of Florida — where he recently moved in order to finish out his high school hoops career at IMG Academy.

He’s already holding a couple-dozen scholarship offers, including ones from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and Xavier. He’s also received early interest from schools such as Duke and Kentucky, though no scholarship offers have been extended.

The 6-foot-3, 170-pound Bradley is one of the nation’s most talented back court prospects, and he’s still got two years before hitting a college campus. That’s thanks, in part, to the fact that he’s a terrific lead guard with a versatile skill set that allows him to dribble, pass and score from all three levels. He’s good at running the fast break, driving the lane through traffic and scoring in transition. He’s a good rebounder for his size, and has terrific court vision.

For all of the latest on the Tar Heels’ recruitment of Jaden Bradley, and everything UNC basketball, check back with Keeping It Heel.