Tonight was all about celebrating Carolina Basketball, and getting ready to kick off the Hubert Davis Era, as UNC Basketball held its annual “Late Night” event inside the Smith Center for the first time since before the pandemic. And while everyone did enjoy meeting the team, and the coaches, some news broke about a big-time prospect committing to the Tar Heels, that quickly stole the night.
When Hubert Davis he implored that Carolina was still going to recruit nationally and be among the premier programs going after the best talent in the country. Many were skeptical at first, but after landing a five-star prospect in Jalen Washington, to go along with a highly touted combo guard in Seth Trimble it became apparent the coach meant what he said. That was just in the 2022 class mind you, that is really going to showcase what Carolina Basketball will be under their new head coach.
The 2023 class was supposed to be about Robert Dillingham and everyone else for the Tar Heels. But the emergence of Gregory “G.G.” Jackson made Davis and his staff change their priority. Dillingham and Jackson weren’t the only five-star prospects on Carolina’s radar, as they started recruiting combo guard Simeon Wilcher in addition to those two. Wilcher, who visited UNC last weekend, committed to the Tar Heels tonight during the Late Night festivities, to give Carolina their first commitment in the 2023 class. The 6-8 guard from Roselle, New Jersey is the No. 14 prospect in the 2023 cycle and chose UNC over Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, among other schools. More eye-opening, he even turned down an offer from the Overtime Elite to play for Hubert Davis. After shooting just 43% from inside the arc, and an even worse 27% from behind the arc last night, Wilcher had a big summer on the AAU circuit and is poised for a big 2021-22 season. He’s also regarded as an elite defender and is deemed to be a perfect fit in Davis’ system.
The commitment from Wilcher won’t stop Carolina from aggressively recruiting Jackson, as he is still their top priority for the staff. His attendance to Late Night proves how close he is to Carolina, and the potential of playing with Wilcher will be a selling point no doubt. There isn’t a timetable for Jackson to commit, but given how quick Wilcher did commit, anything is possible.
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