UNC Basketball: Tar Heels talking to 5-star wing from Kansas

Roy Williams, UNC basketball program eyeing 5-star wing from Sunflower State?

North Carolina’s Roy Williams is putting on a full court press to secure an elite wing from the class of 2022. That’s been evidenced multiple times this week, as the three-time national title-winning coach has been in contact with a pair of the class’s top small forwards.

First, it was 5-star Montverde Academy junior Caleb Houstan, a top-10 prospect in the class and the No. 2-ranked player at his position. Williams is clearly hedging his bets, though, as he promptly turned around and reached out to Mark Mitchell, another 5-star recruit in the 2022 class that’s ranked inside the top-20 of the 247Sports Composite.

A 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, Mitchell is a standout at Bishop Miege High School that already holds scholarship offers from Kansas, UCLA and Wake Forest. He’s also received early interest from a number of other big name schools, many of which reached out to him on Monday — the first day that coaches were permitted to do so.

According to Stockrisers’ Jake Weingarten, Mitchell heard from Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and Kansas State’s Bruce Weber, as well as representatives from Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Texas and Virginia. And given Mitchell’s size and skill level, this is probably just a sign of things to come.

Despite holding just a few offers at this time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his recruitment turn into a heated blue blood battle over the next year or so. Look for his recruitment to pick up considerably once high school basketball season begins, and coaches and players are again permitted to make visits. A decision from Mitchell shouldn’t be expected any time soon, as he’ll likely wait for more offers to pour in as his stock rises. I’d expect him to whittle down his list at some point before making a decision that will likely come some time late next year.

Currently ranked 19th among 2022 prospects in the 247Sports Composite, Mitchell is the fifth-ranked small forward in the class, and No. 1 in the state of Kansas. Rivals ranks Mitchell even higher at No. 13, while ESPN has him 21st overall.

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