Michael Malone can cross one coveted five-star guard off UNC's recruiting board

While some recruitments can drag out, others have the potential to move rather quickly.

That certainly was the case with five-star guard NaVorro Bowman Jr., who made his college decision in what feels like a blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, UNC can cross him off their wish list.

NaVorro Bowman Jr. commits to UConn

Bowman Jr., the No. 11-ranked player in the Class of 2027, was scheduled to take a slew of official visits, including one to North Carolina. However, his trip to Storrs this weekend shut down his recruitment once and for all.

Dan Hurley got his guy.

North Carolina isn't the only school to miss out, as the likes of Illinois, Texas and Arizona were also in the mix. In fact, Bowman Jr. cancelled his trip to Illinois (which was scheduled for this weekend), giving us all a little bit of insight as to the way his recruitment was trending.

Michael Malone wastes no time hitting the road as UNC's recruiting push intensifies

Michael Malone and his staff got a late jump in this recruitment, but they were able to pick up ground to the point where Bowman Jr. was planning to visit Chapel Hill. However, UConn made a strong and steady push from the jump, showing him during his visit to campus that Storrs was the right place for him to play out his college basketball career.

While no one will downplay UNC missing out on Bowman Jr., it never felt like the Tar Heels were legitimate players in his sweepstakes. For starters, UNC has been heavily connected to other guards in this class (such as Beckham Black, Nasir Anderson and Jordan Page, to name a few), and those players have seemingly earned more attention from Malone and company over the past few months.

Sure, UNC had interest in Bowman Jr. and would've happily added him to next year's roster, but jumping into his recruitment seemingly felt like a backup plan in the event North Carolina missed out on some of their other recruiting targets.

CJ Rosser could become UNC basketball's biggest recruiting win in nearly 20 years

The good news is that Bowman Jr. made his decision and didn't let it linger. This allows the other programs involved the opportunity to pivot with plenty of time to spare, as this decision is very early in the process. With so many of the top-ranked players still available, it will be interesting to see how the schools involved in Bowman Jr's recruitment proceed, as the sense is that UNC will continue building relationships with the guys they've been heavily targeting while still keeping an open mind in the event another recruit or two burst onto their radar over the upcoming weeks.

If you're keeping tabs at home, you can officially cross NaVorro Bowman Jr. off your UNC recruiting radar tally sheet. Hurley and the Huskies got themselves one of the top players in the Class of 2027, a great start for them as they look to build an elite recruiting class.

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