NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of Jalen Wilson’s final teams
North Carolina Tar Heels
Pros
It was a good offseason for UNC in terms of landing talent for next season. Grad transfers Justin Pierce and Christian Keeling shores up any issues at the wings, while five-star recruits Cole Anthony and Armando Bacot are stars in the making. And even though Garrison Brooks doesn’t have the greatest numbers (7.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg), he’s a solid power forward starter for the Tar Heels.
Coach Williams has traditionally used back-to-the-basket big men but Wilson could be a nice change of pace in various rotations. There’s also the possibility that the grad transfers might not make the transition from md-major schools to the ACC, giving Wilson an opportunity to play a lot of minutes as a freshman at the small forward position. And like Kansas, the Tar Heels are a preseason top-10 with Final Four aspirations. What better than to play on a winning team late in March?
Cons
UNC always will have top-tier recruiting classes annually, already getting a commit from 2020 big man Day’Ron Sharpe. And now with a new interest in grad transfers, this program can get talent from multiple ways. That won’t affect Wilson directly but it could in the future. There are some freshmen who it don’t click for as freshmen under Coach Williams and it’s hard to get out of his doghouse. Add to it that the Tar Heels are the least likely option for Wilson to start as a freshmen, it could be a deterrent for him in the end.
Next. Top 15 class of 2019 recruits. dark
Kansas is viewed as the current favorite to land Wilson but North Carolina and Roy Williams should never be counted out of a recruiting battle. And since he already committed to Michigan and hired a popular option as head coach, they still have hope as well. We’ll know Wednesday afternoon where the top-50 prospect will go, effectively ending the class of 2019 recruiting news.