UNC Basketball: What’s next for Tar Heels heading into offseason?

The Recruitment of Cole Anthony, Precious Achiuwa, Matthew Hurt

As outlined previously, UNC will be needing to maximize its three available scholarships, and the players added to next season’s roster will need to be capable of carrying a heavier load considering how much offensive help the team needs.

Enter Cole Anthony, Precious Achiuwa, and Matthew Hurt. This trio of five-star recruits from the 2019 recruiting class are all fielding offers from multiple elite programs, including UNC.

Combo-forwards Achiuwa and Hurt would be welcomed additions to the Tar Heel frontcourt if either player were to commit.

Achiuwa offers a blend of size (6-9), athleticism, power, and defense that would be useful for any team, with the forward being capable of switching onto various positions and finishing around the basket as a driver or lob threat. Yet, considering his modern skillset as a small-ball four, his fit in UNC’s system is questionable, especially when one looks at the up-and-down season that Nassir Little just had. Little, a similar combo-forward who fails to fit into either “wing” (shooting) or “big” (post-scoring) roles outlined by Roy Williams’ scheme, is fairly similar to Achiuwa, whose physical profile and offensive tendencies seems to clash with what UNC expects from its wings/bigs. For that reason, I find it hard to believe that Achiuwa will don baby blue this fall. It’s certainly possible that he still commits, of course; after all, his decision is completely up in the air at this point, with no analyst having a strong feel for where he’s leaning, so this is something to simply monitor over the next month-plus.

Hurt, on the other hand, offers a polished offensive skillset that revolves around a soft touch, be it in the post or beyond the arc. Although he’s not the strongest player defensively due to average lateral quickness and a thin frame, Hurt does his best to make up for it on the offensive end, where he routinely shoots over defenders with a soft, high release. Roy Williams is likely adding a new (and better) version of Luke Maye (his words, not mine) to the roster, but it looks like Hurt will be donning a darker shade of blue, as he’s heavily considering Kansas and Duke at this point. UNC adding Hurt seems like a long shot at best, but nothing is set in stone.

Cole Anthony presents the biggest prize of what’s left of the recruiting class, as he’s the highest ranked player yet to commit to a college. Dubbed as the nation’s top point guard from the 2019 class, Anthony offers a mix of athleticism, playmaking, scoring, and defense that coaches drool over. He plays with speed and tenacity, capable of carrying the load offensively while also doggedly defending opposing guards without losing any of the passion that he plays with. His feel for the game is advanced, he’ll use the pick-and-roll to either set up teammates or create scoring looks for himself, and he’ll fight anyone for loose balls. He simply does it all for Oak Hill, and for UNC, he’d be tasked with leading the team as the primary option on offense.

For Roy Williams and co., the recruitment of Cole Anthony should be UNC’s top priority. The Tar Heels are on the point guard’s top-four list, and many recruiting analysts see the Heels as heavy favorites to add his services. UNC can’t get complacent, though — the recruiting trail can be full of surprises, so the Heels shouldn’t relax their pursuit of Anthony.