UNC Basketball: Tar Heels trailing three schools for 5-star center

UNC basketball program trailing three schools in the recruitment of 5-star center Chet Holmgren

Roy Williams and the North Carolina basketball program are in search of their next prolific big man, and one of the team’s top front court targets in the class of 2021 is Chet Holmgren. The sensational senior from Minneapolis, Minnesota is the No. 3 prospect in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite, and the consensus top-ranked center in the nation.

The 7-foot, 190-pound Holmgren already has better than 30 scholarship offers, including ones from Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Iowa, Kansas, LSU, Marquette, Maryland, Memphis, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and West Virginia. To say that Holmgren will be able to choose from college basketball’s most elite programs is an understatement, and he’ll likely continue receiving offers over the next several months.

In an April interview with Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans, Holmgren noted that Minnesota, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Memphis, North Carolina and Ohio State are among the programs doing the best job recruiting him. It doesn’t appear as if a lot has changed in the months since, because Evans still likes that group of schools over the rest of Holmgren’s suitors, but did note that a few of them have created some separation in his recruitment.

"“. . . he has already taken official visits to Gonzaga and Ohio State, and has also taken a handful of unofficial visits to Minnesota throughout the years,” Evans writes. “Those three programs have a lead over Georgetown, Memphis, Michigan and North Carolina. Gonzaga will enroll his good friend and former school and travel teammate, Jalen Suggs, in the fall and while he will likely be gone for the NBA by the time that Holmgren arrives on campus, the connection the Zags have with Holmgren and his circle is as strong as anyone else. Ohio State has also developed strong in-roads with Holmgren, but the family connections that Minnesota boasts are something that no other suitor can match.Holmgren’s mother once worked at the school and his dad played for the Gophers in the 1980s. The best from the area have consistently decided to go elsewhere for college, but if there is a time and place for that to change, this could be the year.”"

And although Evans currently sees the Tar Heels among the programs on the outside looking in, there is plenty of time for that to change. Evans doesn’t look for a commitment from Holmgren to come any time soon, and believes that much of his final decision will hinge on the campus trips he takes once the NCAA’s recruiting dead period is over.

Holmgren has a versatile skill set that allows him to dribble, shoot, block shots and affect the opposition with his long, wiry frame. His length and wingspan help him in the paint on both ends of the court, but he’ll be even more effective if he can put on some more weight. He’s an attractive prospect for Williams and the Tar Heels thanks in part to his ability to run the floor, both in the open court and on the fast break. That would bode well for a North Carolina team that’s prone to playing fast, and running often. He’s also got a nice jump shot out to the perimeter, good athleticism for a 7-footer and a great feel for the game.

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