UNC Basketball: Walker Kessler could be headed to Gonzaga

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 27: Walker Kessler #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts as time expires during their game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Dean Smith Center on February 27, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 78-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 27: Walker Kessler #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts as time expires during their game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Dean Smith Center on February 27, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 78-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Could former UNC basketball standout Walker Kessler be joining the Gonzaga Bulldogs?

Upon hearing the news that North Carolina freshman center Walker Kessler would be leaving the program and entering the NCAA transfer portal, it didn’t take long for rumors to begin circulating about where he might end up next season.

Within hours of the announcement that absolutely shook North Carolina fans to their very core, talk of Kessler’s future whereabouts began to hit social media. First it was a tweet from Joe Tipton of Tipton Edits, stating that Kessler could be headed to the Great Northwest to play for national powerhouse Gonzaga.

Then it was college basketball and recruiting aficionado Andrew Slater that quote tweeted Tipton’s original tweet with a humorous GIF that simply stated, “Yes, you heard that right.” Slater has been around the game of basketball for a long time, and tends to be in the know, as does Tipton, who has nearly 19,000 Twitter followers due to the relationships and rapport he’s build with high school and college basketball players.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1374182882953027596

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Whether or not Kessler ends up joining Mark Few and the Zags is yet to be seen, but he’s definitely the type of player that would seemingly fit into their scheme incredibly well. After all, Gonzaga was one of Kessler’s six finalists before he committed to North Carolina in September of 2019.

One thing we do know is that Gonzaga, the nation’s top team from start to finish this season and the prohibitive NCAA Tournament favorite, would have one heck of a squad lined up next season regardless of what Kessler decides to do. The Bulldogs are the odds-on favorites to land 5-star combo guard Hunter Sallis, and 5-star center Chet Holmgren. If Kessler joins the fold in the fall of 2021, the rich will only be getting richer, despite losing a handful of future NBA players from their current roster.

No matter what jersey Kessler is wearing next season, we’ll continue to root for him. We’ll also follow the developing situation with the former Tar Heel as he decides what program he wants to continue his career with moving forward.

Next. More transfers coming for the Tar Heels?. dark

Check back with Keeping It Heel for that, and all the latest on the UNC basketball program.