UNC Basketball: Tar Heels pushing hard for 5-star PG Jaden Bradley

Hubert Davis, UNC basketball program pushing hard for 5-star point guard Jaden Bradley

6-foot-3, 178-pound Jaden Bradley has become a point of emphasis for first-year UNC head coach Hubert Davis and his staff, and the rising class of 2022 prospect has taken notice.

A standout at IMG Academy, Bradley has been a target of the Tar Heels for a couple of years now. He received an offer from former North Carolina head coach Roy Williams back in March of 2020 following an unofficial campus visit and numerous conversations. 16 months later and following an NCAA dead period that spanned more than a year, Bradley is set to begin taking official visits to a number of his top schools.

North Carolina certainly appears to be one of them, as the Tar Heels plan to host the 5-star point guard on June 15-16. It’s a big visit for Davis and the Tar Heels, as they hope to reel in their first top-25 prospect since the abrupt and somewhat unexpected coaching change that took place in early April. It’ll be no easy task for the Tar Heels, though, as Bradley, one of the nation’s premier back court players, has a long and distinguished list of schools to choose from.

"“He’s got some big shoes to fill, but I think he can definitely do it,” Bradley said of first-year UNC head coach Hubert Davis last week. “We’ve had conversations through text messages, phone calls, just trying to get to know me, and we’ll talk more once I get down there. I’m looking forward to it.”"

Bradley’s got nearly 30 scholarship offers, many of which are from college basketball’s top programs year in and year out. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, NC State, Tennessee, Texas Tech, UCLA, Virginia Tech and UCLA all join North Carolina in the pursuit of Bradley, who could make a decision as soon as this summer, though it wouldn’t surprise me if it gets pushed back to some time in the fall.

Bradley is a quick, athletic, versatile player that can dribble, pass and score from all three levels. He’s good at running the fast break — an important trait for any potential future Tar Heel — and he excels at driving the lane through traffic and scoring in transition. He’s a solid rebounder for his size, and his court vision is excellent. Despite being a capable scorer, the most polished part of Bradley’s game is his ability to manage and facilitate the offense. He has a chance to be an elite playmaker at the college level.

Bradley is the No. 9 prospect in the class of 2022 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the second-ranked point guard in the nation, and No. 4 overall in the state of Florida. Bradley is also ranked ninth in the ESPN 60, while Rivals has him at No. 18 overall.

We’ll have more on the Jaden Bradley recruitment following his official visit to Chapel Hill next week, as well as all the latest on the Tar Heels’ 2022 class.

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