UNC Basketball: Duke commit recruiting a pair of Tar Heel targets

Recent Duke commit Paulo Banchero has his sights set on a pair of UNC basketball targets.

Paulo Banchero gave his verbal commitment to Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils just over a week ago, and he’s already begun recruiting other 5-star prospects in his class to join him in Durham next year.

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Banchero told DevilsDen staff writer Adam Rowe that he’s specifically got his sights set on a pair of North Carolina recruiting targets, Patrick Baldwin, Jr. and Trevor Keels. Both Baldwin and Keels are consensus 5-star prospects, and they rank high on the Tar Heels’ 2021 recruiting board.

"“Two main guys I’m going after are Patrick Baldwin and Trevor Keels,” Banchero said. “I just got done texting with Trevor a couple of minutes ago, so those two are the ones I’m focusing on. (I have a pretty good) relationship with Patrick and Trevor. I think the first time I played against Trevor was in like the seventh grade when he was at Team Takeover. Patrick, I got a chance to bond with Patrick over the camp circuit and AAU. They’re both great people, both people I would love to play with so hopefully we can get that done.”"

Baldwin is a 6-foot-9, 205-pound wing that has terrific length and athleticism that allows him to play either forward position, and helps him create mismatches on both ends of the court. He scores the basketball from all three levels, runs the floor well and isn’t afraid to drive the lane for big finishes above the rim. He’s a good ball-handler for a big man, and possesses an above-average basketball I.Q.

He’s currently ranked No. 1 overall in the class of 2021 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s created quite a bit of separation between himself and other small forwards in the class, and he’s far-and-away the top-ranked prospect from the state of Wisconsin. All indications point toward an eventual Duke commitment for Baldwin, including every prediction from college basketball insiders and recruiting analysts on 247Sports and Rivals.

Keels is a 6-foot-5, 210-pound shooting guard from Fairfax, Virginia. He’s an athletic player that can score from all three levels. He’s got great strength for a shooting guard, and length that should help him create mismatches on both ends of the court. He’s a solid rebounder for his position, and a capable defender.

A standout senior at Paul IV Catholic, Keels is ranked 16th in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s second among shooting guards in the class, and No. 1 in the state of Virginia. Nobody seems to have a real good feel for where Keels is at in his recruitment at this time, though Rivals’ recruiting analyst Corey Evans believes that it’s Villanova and Virginia that have a leg up on the competition.

Whether or not Banchero is able to affect either player’s recruitment is yet to be seen, but his efforts certainly can’t hurt. When a player of Banchero’s caliber is inviting you to come to a school that’s already renown for its tremendous basketball tradition, it probably sells itself. Don’t completely discount North Carolina, though. The Tar Heels have a pretty good basketball tradition themselves.

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