UNC Basketball: Tar Heels likely to miss on 4-star wing

First-year UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis is on a roll, but don’t expect him to reel in this rising 4-star recruit.

It’s commitment day for 4-star small forward Justin Taylor, a rising class of 2022 prospect that’s deciding between Indiana, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Taylor, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound senior out of St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia, had nearly 20 scholarship offers when he named his list of finalists earlier in the week.

First-year UNC head coach Hubert Davis and his coaching staff have made real progress with Taylor in a short time, finding their way onto his list despite having only been assembled since mid-April following the somewhat unexpected retirement of Hall-of-Famer Roy Williams. Still, it seems unlikely at this point that Taylor, a consensus top-100 prospect, will ultimately commit to North Carolina, where he made an official visit the week of June 5.

Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange have been picking up momentum with Taylor in recent weeks, and it seems as if he may be leaning in that direction. And even if he isn’t, I think there are other hurdles in the Tar Heels’ way in regards to getting a commitment from Taylor; such as Indiana or Virginia.

Now, this is in no way a slam dunk for any of the aforementioned trio, and it’s certainly possible that Taylor could commit to any of his five finalists, but this one just doesn’t have the feel of a probable UNC win on the recruiting trail. It’s worth noting that since his June visit to Chapel Hill, Taylor also made trips to see the Orange and Hoosiers.

Whichever one of Taylor’s five prospective schools nabs his pledge on Saturday, they’ll be getting a solid player that projects as a multiple-year college athlete. Taylor handles the ball well, and is more than capable of creating his own offense. He’s a good slasher, finishes well at the rim and can play through contact. He’s also got a sweet mid-range jumper that he likes to quickly pull up for off the dribble. He possesses the size, skill and athleticism to guard multiple positions at the college level.

Taylor is the No. 84 prospect in the 2022 class according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s 21st among small forwards, and third in the state of Virginia. He’s ranked substantially higher in the Top247, where he comes in at No. 56 overall and 12th among players at his position. He’s ranked similarly in the updated Rivals150, where he is now pegged as the No. 54 prospect in the class of 2022.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for complete coverage of the Justin Taylor commitment