UNC Basketball: Top 40 prospect being recruited by Puff, Cam Johnson

Top 40 prospect Isaac McKneely is being recruited to the UNC basketball program by a former Tar Heel, and an incoming freshman.

Last week, Keeping It Heel introduced North Carolina basketball fans to Isaac McKneely, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound shooting guard from Poca High School in Poca, West Virginia that has begun talking with assistant coaches from UNC in recent weeks.

"“UNC and Kentucky are the newest schools in the mix,” McKneely told Stockrisers’ Jake Weingarten. “It’s very early in the process with UK and UNC, but both of them have told me that they’re going to begin the recruiting process with me. I’ve only talked to assistants from both schools.”"

McKneely seemingly came out of nowhere to land on North Carolina’s radar, but it makes more sense after learning that he was AAU teammates and good friends with Puff Johnson, incoming UNC freshman wing and younger brother of former Tar Heel Cam Johnson. According to McKneely, both Puff and Cam have been recruiting him to UNC, pitching him on the Tar Heels’ family atmosphere, what it’s like to live on campus and the opportunity to grow and develop there in preparation for the NBA.

"“Puff has been telling me that UNC is a great place to be,” McKneely said. “Not just on the basketball court, but off it as well. I’ve also talked to Cam Johnson [Phoenix Suns] about UNC. They both told me a lot of the same stuff. That UNC really develops their players and gets them ready for the next level. They’ve told me the coaches really care about the players, and also that UNC has some great players around them. They’ve made some great friends there they’ve told me.”"

McKneely is still just a junior, but already holds nearly 20 scholarship offers. That list of schools currently includes Cincinnati, Creighton, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Louisville, NC State, Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Xavier. By the time it’s all said and done, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him holding offers from North Carolina and Kentucky, along with a number of other big-name programs.

As previously stated, it’s still incredibly early in McKneely’s recruitment, and there’s no way of knowing what direction it might go. He’s also made no indication that he has any favorites at this point, though he did state that Indiana, Illinois, WVU, Virginia, Louisville, Ohio State, Purdue, and Xavier are the programs most heavily involved.

I cannot guarantee that the Tar Heels will extend an offer, but my feeling is that they will. I also think they could end up playing a major role in his recruitment, particularly since he has ties to a current and former Tar Heel, the latter of which is coming off of a lottery pick and a rather remarkable rookie season with the Phoenix Suns.

McKneely is ranked 57th in the 247Sports Composite. He’s No. 10 among shooting guards in the class, and first in the state of West Virginia. He’s ranked similarly in the Top247 at No. 58, while Rivals ranks him just 94th. Stockrisers, on the other hand, has pegged McKneely as a top 40 prospect in the class of 2022.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Isaac McKneely and the Tar Heels, as well as everything UNC basketball.