Heel Tough Blog: UNC Lands 2027 Five-Star Small Forward
When Michael Malone was hired back in April, he vowed to return the North Carolina basketball program to the forefront of high school recruiting, wanting to bring the top high school talent to Chapel Hill. After nearly seven months on the job, that has come to fruition, as earlier this afternoon, the Tar Heels landed the commitment of five-star small forward Demarcus Henry, who chose UNC over Kentucky, Louisville, and Arkansas. According to 247Sports, Henry is considered to be the No. 4 overall player in the 2027 class and is the No. 1 small forward and the No. 1 player from the state of Arizona.
North Carolina was Henry’s last visit during the recruiting process, as he was on campus back on October 24th. During that visit, Michael Malone arranged a phone call with program legend Michael Jordan, signaling just how coveted Henry was for Malone and his staff, who have made him a priority ever since Malone was hired. While Malone plays for Arizona Compass Prep, he is a Charlotte, NC native, and playing college basketball at UNC was a lifelong dream for Henry, who has a brother and a sister who play college sports at Ohio State.
Henry becomes the highest-ranked recruit to commit to North Carolina since Cole Anthony, who was the #2 overall recruit back in 2019. During the most recent EYBL session, Henry was a productive scorer (19.3 PPG), and a willing rebounder (9.2 RBD), while shooting an efficient 52% from the field.
Here is how Adam Finklestein, the Director of Scouting for 247Sports, evaluates Demarcus Henry as a prospect coming out of high school: “Henry is a big lefty wing who combines physical tools with an ascending skill set. Standing at 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and an increasingly strong frame that should really blow up in the coming years, he has terrific measurables. He’s also a smooth natural mover who covers the court effortlessly and can slide his feet. He has shown good natural touch since he was younger and clean shooting mechanics when he’s in rhythm. So, while there have been glaring two-way tools for years, Henry is now starting to put them all together and turn them into consistent production. Between his size, length, and movement skills, his defensive upside is extreme. He projects as being very switchable and already possesses impressive playmaking numbers with over 3 stocks per game in the EYBL (1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks). He’s also an excellent wing rebounder who pulled down 9.2 (including 2.9 on the offensive end) in the EYBL and 8.4 in EYBL Scholastic play. Offensively, he’s been most comfortable as a secondary threat over the years, showing shooting potential and a complimenting pull-up game (38% from three in EYBL Scholastic), but less creation. That changed this grassroots season as he averaged 19 points on 52% shooting. There was real growth with his handle and ability to get his own shot. There’s still plenty of room for future growth - he’s got to explode through contact more as a finisher, figure out how to get to his spots more efficiently, and be cleaner with his feel and decision-making (2.6 assists vs. 2.7 turnovers) - but there are now higher upside offensive outcomes that seem possible. In other words, Henry was previously trending as a very high-floor 3-and-D style big wing. Now, that could be where the range of future outcomes starts, and with a reportedly strong work ethic to match his natural tools, Henry is in the process of a major ascension.”
The commitment of Henry could be the beginning of a very special 2027 recruiting class, as industry sources have believed all along, that the Tar Heels are well positioned to land two top-10 recruits, with a possible addition of CJ Rosser or Beckham Black in the near future. That speaks volumes about Malone’s ability to sell himself and the program, but also displays the financial commitment Carolina Basketball is willing to make to lure the top basketball talent to Chapel Hill.
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