Michael Malone and UNC have officially entered the DeMarcus Henry sweepstakes

The early live period for the AAU circuit has given us some clarity as to what type of players Michael Malone is looking to bring to Chapel Hill in the future.

While some prior connections (that stem back to Hubert Davis' staff) have been rekindled, new ones are starting to emerge as the Tar Heels are in full pursuit of landing some top-tier talents from the 2027 and 2028 classes.

After watching the EYBL action in Memphis very closely, the Tar Heels have officially jumped into the sweepstakes for a five-star forward who continues to rise as one of the elite players the 2027 class has to offer.

North Carolina extends an offer to five-star DeMarcus Henry

Following EYBL action on Saturday, DeMarcus Henry posted on social media that he has earned an offer from Michael Malone and the UNC basketball program. The 6-foot-7 forward currently plays his high school basketball at Compass Prep in Santa Ana, California.

While Rivals ranks him as a four-star prospect (as opposed to both 247Sports and ESPN having him as a five-star), the consensus between recruiting sites is that Henry is a top-15 player within this graduating class. He currently holds a slew offers from the likes of Ohio State, USC, Arizona State, LSU, Texas A&M, Louisville, Oklahoma State, and Oregon (among others). He also recently picked up an offer from Mark Pope and Kentucky, showing how his recruitment is starting to bring the Blue Bloods into the mix.

Henry comes from a very athletic family. His father, Chris Henry, played five seasons in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals while his older brother, Chris Henry Jr. is committed to play football this fall for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

While DeMarcus Henry might have aspirations to attend the same school as his brother, the interest from the Tar Heels (among others) might sway him to head elsewhere as he looks to take the next step in his basketball career.

In past years, you could sense what type of players the UNC basketball program would pursue on the high school recruiting trail based on Hubert Davis' styles and likings. However, with Malone now at the helm and a new-look staff in place, the AAU circuit this year will be even more interesting than normal, as we'll get a much better sense of what the Tar Heels are looking for when it comes to high school basketball recruits.

Malone and his staff are all eyes and ears as they are heavily focused on finding the future stars of the UNC basketball program.

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