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UNC Basketball Recruiting: 2024 five-star shooting guard talks Tar Heels

By Blake Cockrum

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 25: Head coach Hubert Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts on the sidelines in the first half of the game against the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 25: Head coach Hubert Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts on the sidelines in the first half of the game against the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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A class of 2024 UNC basketball recruiting target talked about his recruitment and the reason he likes the Tar Heels.

Five-star shooting guard Paul McNeil is one of the latest names to land on the North Carolina Tar Heels’ recruiting radar. A 6-foot-6, 185-pound sophomore at Richmond High School in Rockingham, North Carolina, McNeil is a consensus top-25 prospect and one of the most dynamic backcourt players in his class.

Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels got in on McNeil’s recruitment in the very early goings and hope that it puts them in the running for a commitment some time down the line. It’ll likely be a couple of years before McNeil makes his college commitment, as he’s still got two years of high school left and won’t start making official campus visits until some time this fall. He has, however, been on the campuses of Clemson, North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest in an unofficial capacity.

McNeil is currently in possession of a half-dozen scholarship offers including ones from Clemson, Florida State, Indiana, NC State, and Tennessee. With everything we’ve seen involving him and the Tar Heels in recent weeks, I’d expect that a UNC offer is a matter of when rather than if. It’s also safe to assume that a multitude of other high major programs will get involved in McNeil’s recruitment in the coming months and I wouldn’t be surprised if all of the perennial powers are among them.

The rising recruit recently spoke with 247Sports recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, discussing a handful of the teams he’s involved with while speaking highly of the Tar Heels and their fast-paced style of play.

"“Man, that [UNC practice] was good. It was like the practice was really intense,” McNeil said. “When they run, they run hard and have to make it in certain times. How they flow, how they get their shots in practice I really like how that was.”"

McNeil is a talented, crafty player with the ball in his hands. He’s got a quick first step, plays well through contact, and finishes with efficiency in the lane. Despite not being a traditional lead guard, McNeil is a solid distributor that finds teammates in position to score. He scores the basketball from all three levels and has good quickness on the fast break.

He’s currently the No. 22 prospect in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s seventh among shooting guards in the class and No. 1 in the state of North Carolina.

Next. Armando Bacot is one of UNC's top recruiters. dark

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