Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Three wings the Tar Heels should target in 2022

By Blake Cockrum

Feb 29, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams encourages his team against the Syracuse Orange in the second half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 29, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams encourages his team against the Syracuse Orange in the second half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
UNC Basketball
FORT MYERS, FL – DECEMBER 21: Cole Anthony #3 of Oak Hill Academy is introduced prior to the game against Imhotep Charter High School during the City Of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on December 21, 2018 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

MJ Rice
6’5”, 210 lbs
Oak Hill Academy
Mouth of Wilson, VA
#23 overall, #6 SF

MJ Rice is a junior at Oak Hill Academy, the same school that former 5-star prospect and one-and-done Tar Heel Cole Anthony attended. It’s also the same school that produced former UNC point guards Nate Britt and Ty Lawson. So, if nothing else, Roy Williams has had some success recruiting there.

On the other hand, Rice is originally from Durham, which immediately makes North Carolina fans skeptical. But on multiple occasions over the past 17 years we’ve seen Williams and his staff march into another school’s back yard and nab a player out from under them; so there’s no reason to think that they couldn’t do it again. And to this point, Duke’s had no involvement with Rice that we know of. If the Tar Heels get in on the ground floor, there’s no telling what could happen.

Rice has a nice all-around game, and a solid 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame. He’s an above-average athlete with a terrific offensive repertoire that helps him score inside or out. He’s quick to pop a three-pointer off the dribble or standing still. He’s got nice handles and an effective jab step that keeps his defender off balance, and allows him to get his shot off, or drive past them for a mid-range jumper or layup. He’ll throw down a powerful dunk any opportunity that he gets, and he runs the floor well in transition.

He’s got scholarship offers from Boston College, Louisville, NC State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Providence and Wake Forest. Assuming things get back to normal at some point in the near future, and recruiting gets back to what it used to be, that list of schools will grow exponentially. I look for Rice to have interest from most of the high-major programs in the nation by the time his recruitment is over.

Whether or not the Tar Heels decide to get involved in his recruitment at some point, we’ll just have to wait and see. But if they could get a commitment from a player with the kind of skill and athleticism that Rice has, it would almost certainly pay immediate dividends.

Next. Is Skyy Clark leaning toward Kentucky?. dark

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Tar Heels’ 2022 recruiting class, as well as everything UNC basketball.

Home/UNC Basketball