UNC Basketball: Tar Heels may have uphill battle for top recruit

Hubert Davis, UNC basketball program will have to battle the likes of Duke and Kentucky for the services of 5-star big man Dereck Lively II.

With nearly two dozen scholarship offers to his name, class of 2022 prospect Dereck Lively II is among the nation’s most sought after high school basketball players. Schools that have already offered the 7-foot-1-inch, 220-pound center out of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania include Florida State, Georgetown, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

But it’s the attention that he’s getting from Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina that may ultimately define his recruitment and dictate his commitment. Those are the three programs that 247Sports has deemed “warmer” as it relates to Lively’s recruitment and possible future pledge. And they’re the ones that most others view as the front-runners in his recruitment, too.

However, it may be the Blue Devils and Wildcats that have the edge over the Tar Heels, as evidenced by a recent interview between Lively and Zagsblog’s Adam Zagoria in which the 5-star prospect talked about his relationship with the respective programs, and how they intend to utilize him at the next level.

"“Kentucky was a great visit,” Lively said. “Their message is really, only pros come here. So if you come here, you’re going to be developed into a pro and you’re going to be living a lifestyle as a pro. Coach Calipari is really going to take me under his wing and just mold me into the player that just blossoms into the NBA. . .We talked about many players, we talked about Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein. I saw film of how they’re going to play me and I could definitely fit into their system.”"

Lively shared similarly kind sentiments about the Duke basketball program, which he plans to visit the final week of June.

"“I’m mainly just looking to see what they have in store, what developments they’re going to help me improve and what they’re all about so it’s something I’m definitely looking forward to. . .I wouldn’t say I’ve watched a specific Duke player, but over the years I’ve watched a variety of Duke players.”"

By the time Lively leaves Durham, he’ll have made visits to all three blue blood programs on his list, and he plans to visit Florida State, Michigan, Penn State and USC between now and the end of the year. He’s also stated that he has no intention of making a decision prior to visiting each of them, so don’t expect a commitment to happen before the calendar turns over to 2022.

Lively is ranked 20th in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite, 20 spots north of where he was in November of last year. He’s third among centers in the class, and No. 1 in the state of Pennsylvania. He’s ranked even higher in the Rivals150 at No. 14 overall, and second among players at his position.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Dereck Lively recruitment, and everything on the UNC basketball program.