GG Jackson and the future of UNC basketball: 3 recruiting trends to follow

Chapel Fowler, The Fayetteville Observer
·5 min read

Landing five-star power forward GG Jackson, the No. 6 all-time recruit in UNC basketball’s modern history, put coach Hubert Davis and his staff in a much more relaxed spot entering the summer.

Still, recruiting never stops.

Even though UNC’s class of 2023 is well defined (and ranked No. 2 in the country behind Duke) with commitments from Jackson and fellow five-star Simeon Wilcher, the program is pursuing another top rising senior while making inroads in the class below. Here’s a closer look at three trends to follow.

Matas Buzelis buzz

Jackson committed to the Tar Heels on April 27, citing the program’s family feel and consistency throughout his recruiting process. A day later, UNC coaches were in Chicago with a similar pitch.

As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, UNC met with five-star 2023 recruit Matas Buzelis’ parents for an in-home April 28 visit in Chicago. Buzelis, a 6-foot-9 junior at New Hampshire’s Brewster Academy, ranks as the No. 3 small forward and No. 6 overall prospect in the 2023 class per 247Sports composite rankings.

Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Arizona are among the other top programs to offer Buzelis, who’s drawn comparisons to a young Toni Kukoč for his positionless game, point guard skills and strong shooting.

After scouting Buzelis at an April USA Basketball event, 247Sports’ Eric Bossi wrote that “his ability to handle the ball, make passes, play in the post or step out and make shots make him a serious matchup problem. He’s still pretty lean and must get stronger but has an edge and confidence about him.”

Buzelis is a first-generation American, and his mother and his father both played professional basketball in Lithuania before moving to Chicago. He picked up his first offer from Illinois before he’d played in a single varsity game, and he’s now entering his third season at Brewster, a well-regarded prep school.

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The 6-9, 175-pound Buzelis debuted as the nation’s No. 33 composite recruit last summer and now sits at No. 6, two spots below Jackson (No. 4) and seven spots ahead of Wilcher (No. 13). Wilcher, who publicly recruited Jackson to join him at UNC, is doing the same with Buzelis.

“We're trying to get Matas,” Wilcher said in a May podcast appearance on The Front Office. “That would be a force to be reckoned with, especially with Seth (Trimble) and all of those guys that are going to be there when we get there … we’d really have a chance to win it (all) instead of falling short.”

The next step for UNC and Buzelis is, naturally, coordinating a visit. During his junior year, he took official visits to Florida State, Kentucky and Wake Forest and unofficial visits to Purdue, DePaul and Kansas, per On3 Sports. He is yet to visit UNC or rival Duke, which has five 2023 commits to date.

UNC basketball's top 2024 recruits

At 6-foot-9 and 16 years old, Seaforth High School sophomore forward Jarin Stevenson has already received scholarship offers from UNC, N.C. State and Wake Forest and interest from other Power Five schools.
At 6-foot-9 and 16 years old, Seaforth High School sophomore forward Jarin Stevenson has already received scholarship offers from UNC, N.C. State and Wake Forest and interest from other Power Five schools.

In the 2024 class, UNC’s kept its focus narrow – and local – so far.

In October, the Tar Heels extended their first 2024 offer to power forward Jarin Stevenson, who plays just outside Chapel Hill at Pittsboro’s Seaforth High. In February, the program also offered shooting guard Cam Scott, a Lexington (S.C.) High recruit and close friend of UNC commit Jackson.

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In last month’s 247Sports composite update, Stevenson ranked as the No. 2 power forward and No. 16 overall recruit in the 2024 class while Scott ranked as the No. 8 shooting guard and No. 26 overall recruit. The five-stars are also entering their second year as AAU teammates with Team United.

Stevenson and Scott both visited UNC on game days during the 2021-22 season, delivered all-state seasons as sophomores and spoke highly of Davis and the Tar Heels in recent interviews with On3.

Other 2024 targets for UNC hoops

While Davis and company have only doled out two 2024 offers, they’re keeping plenty of other rising juniors on the radar – including a few in what’s shaping up to be an excellent class for North Carolina.

During open gyms last fall, UNC coaches scouted Richmond Senior guard Paul McNeil Jr. and Northwood forward Drake Powell, both of whom rank as four-star recruits and hold multiple Power Five offers.

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Four-star Gaston Christian guard Jahseem Felton, who recently transferred to California, has also reported contact (and has notable Tar Heel ties), while four-star North Mecklenburg forward Isaiah Evans hasn’t reported any UNC contact but said he has a “certain favoritism” for in-state programs.

Among the out-of-state 2024 recruits UNC has been in touch with: five-star small California forward Trentyn Flowers (No. 8 in the class), five-star Florida power forward Ryan Jones Jr. (No. 18) and five-star Arizona small forward Jason Asemota (No. 22).

Chapel Fowler is a recruiting reporter for The Fayetteville Observer and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at cfowler@gannett.com or on Twitter at @chapelfowler.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball, Hubert Davis target 5-star recruit Matas Buzelis