UNC Basketball: 4-star prospect to visit North Carolina this weekend

4-star UNC basketball target set to visit Chapel Hill campus during unprecedented recruiting freeze

4-star class of 2021 prospect Trey Kaufman will visit the University of North Carolina this weekend in the most unofficial capacity imaginable. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent and indefinite NCAA recruiting freeze, Kaufman is unable to meet with any member of the North Carolina coaching staff.

National basketball analyst Eric Bossi confirmed Kaufman’s visit to Chapel Hill in a Rivals Roundtable discussion on Saturday morning. He also stated that the Tar Heels could be in store for a big run on the recruiting trail.

"“With a commitment from four-star in-state forward Dontrez Styles, North Carolina currently sits at No. 37 in the team rankings,” Bossi writes. “Roy Williams and the Heels are potentially in position to go on a big run, though. They are right in the thick of it for five-stars Patrick Baldwin Jr., Chet Holmgren, Caleb Houstan and Hunter Sallis, to name a few. In state shooting guard D’Marco Dunn is certainly in play and then top 40 forward Trey Kaufman is swinging by campus this weekend even though he can’t meet with coaches. With just one or two breaks in the right direction, UNC could end up with a monster class.”"

We highlighted Kaufman in a recent piece, noting that the 6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward is in no rush to speed up his timetable for a decision due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on his recruitment. He’s apparently taking things into his own hands now, as his unsanctioned trip to North Carolina is as unexpected as it is unprecedented. But despite the fact that Kaufman won’t be able to visit with any Tar Heel coaches this weekend, he’ll at least get a feel for the school’s Chapel Hill campus.

It seems like good news for the Tar Heels, if nothing else. North Carolina isn’t exactly in the Indiana native’s back yard, so his interest in the school must be substantial. Is it enough to beat out the hometown Hoosiers? We don’t yet know. What we do know is that the Tar Heels appear to be in as good of a position as anyone at this point, and might even be the favorites.

Kaufman, the 2020 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 25.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals to help lead Silver Creek to a 25-2 record prior to the season’s abrupt and premature ending. He shot 64 percent from the floor, and 40 percent from beyond the arc.

He’s ranked 55th in the 2021 class according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s 16th among players at his position, and second in the state of Indiana. The Top247 has him ranked even higher at No. 31 overall, and seventh among power forwards. Rivals ranks him similarly, pegging him as the 39th-best recruit in the nation.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Trey Kaufman recruitment, and everything UNC basketball.