Yesterday, UNC missed out on current five-star small forward Matas Buzelis, who will instead skip college basketball altogether, and join the NBA G-League for one season before entering the NBA Draft. That news wasn’t all that surprising as going into his announcement it was believed that Buzelis was going to go the G-League route over playing anywhere collegiately. So what does this mean for the 2023 class? Well, they still have commits from five-star prospects in Gregory “GG” Jackson, and Simeon Wilcher, giving them the type of firepower to keep this class very much relevant, and among the best in the country. After missing out on Buzelis, here are some names to keep an eye on moving forward as Hubert Davis. And his staff looks to solidify a premier recruiting class for 2023:
Zayden High:
High is a 6-10 power forward from Arizona, who was recently not ranked inside the top 100 for the 2023 cycle but has recently taken a major step forward, and that has many programs like UNC interested in him. After not being ranked as a top 100 player, 247Sports, now considers him to be the 44th best player in the 2023 cycle, while being the No. 10 power forward, and the No. 4 player from the state of Arizona. UNC has yet to offer him a scholarship, but that very well could change by the end of the AAU circuit this summer.
Dennis Parker:
Like Zayden High, Parker hasn’t been offered a scholarship by UNC, but the overall interest in him as a prospect, likely means UNC will get involved at some point. Dennis hails from Richmond, Virginia, a recruiting very familiar to UNC and Hubert Davis personally, as the current head coach of the Tar Heels was recruited out of Virginia. Parker is on the lower end of the spectrum as of right now, as 247Sports considers him to be the No. 100 overall player in the 2023 class, while being the No. 18 small forward, but the No. 3 player from Virginia. With schools like Kansas, LSU, and NC State already interested in Parker, you’d imagine with a good showing on the AAU circuit, it's only a matter of time before Carolina comes calling.
Akil Watson:
Lastly, we go to New Jersey to find another name to keep an eye on this summer, as Akil Watson is emerging, and has drawn the interest of the UNC program. Like the two mentioned above, Watson doesn’t have an offer yet, but all that could change over the next month and a half or so. Watson stands at 6-8 and is listed as a power forward. If UNC were to get heavily involved, you’d imagine they’d envision moving him to the perimeter. He’s ranked as the No. 81 player overall according to 247Sports while being ranked the No. 16 power forward, and the No. 6 player from the state of New Jersey.
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