Marcus Paige already cemented his place as a Tar Heel legend with his playing career, but since joining Hubert Davis’s staff as an assistant coach in 2023, he’s made quite a mark on the program. Paige is a top recruiter for North Carolina, and he currently has the program “standing out” for 2027 five-star Nasir Anderson.
The 6-foot-4 point guard out of Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is the No. 7 player in the class according to 247Sports Composite. A Savannah, Georgia native, the lefty has been one of UNC’s top targets on the recruiting trail, and in a recent update with Rivals’ Jamie Shaw, Anderson highlighted his strong relationship with Paige.
“My relationship with them [UNC] is good,” Anderson told Shaw. “It’s early still in the recruiting process, and we are trying to build our relationship. Obviously, they are a blue blood and a very historic program, I am building with Coach Paige and the coaches. They have a good program.”
Marcus Paige is flourishing as point guard mentor and ace recruiter
Anderson is just one of the 2027 five-stars that Hubert Davis has set his sights on. The Tar Heels have also been connected to forward CJ Rosser, the No. 1 player in the country, along with Obinna Ekezie and Beckham Black.
There’s no certainty that UNC will land any of those four players, but they’re off to a strong start in the 2027 cycle, and as a blue blood with quite the financial war chest at their disposal, it would be a surprise for UNC to come away empty-handed.
Anderson, while he’s not the No. 1 overall player, could be the most intriguing of the targets because of the connection with Paige. Paige has mentored 2025 four-star Derek Dixon since he arrived on campus, and Dixon has flourished since taking over the starting point guard role from veteran transfer Kyan Evans.
Dixon may be the long-term point guard in Chapel Hill because he’s not likely to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But he could be tough to prevent from making the jump to the pros for all four seasons of his eligibility, so having a player like Anderson ready to go in 2027, with Paige, presumably there to mentor him, is an enticing proposition for the Tar Heels’ future.