It’s clear that Hubert Davis has figured out how recruiting has changed.
How many of you are surprised that Carolina Basketball has the top recruiting haul from the high school class of 2024?
It includes four-star prospects Drake Powell, a 6-5 small forward from nearby Pittsboro-Northwood, and James Brown, a 6-9 center from Chicago; and five-stars Elliot Cadeau, a 6-1 point guard originally from New York City, and 6-4 shooting guard Ian Jackson from Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx.
The immediate incoming class of 2023 has two signees, four-star 6-9 power forward Zayden High from Texas and five-star 6-4 combo guard Simeon Wilcher from New Jersey.
With upperclassmen R.J. Davis, Caleb Love, Puff Johnson and even Armando Bacot eligible to return next season, Coach Davis has freshmen Seth Trimble, Jalen Washington and Tyler Nickel, plus sophomores D’Marco Dunn and Dontrez Styles expected to return.
Depending on who does not come back and who develops the rest of this season, Davis can always turn to the transfer portal he used to fill holes in the lineup with grad students Brady Manek and Pete Nance over the last two years.
This is where Hubert is already ahead of the game.
He said Monday night on his weekly radio show that the transfer portal has caused high school stars to start committing sooner than later because the best of them want to secure potential playing spots that could be filled by transfers before they ever make their decisions.
Obviously, this is where the recruiting game has turned almost on a dime. Much like NBA free agents decide where to sign based on how much they will play and the contracts they can command, transfers and high school stars are using similar metrics to pick a school.
Davis is on record saying that he never wants “a team of all freshmen” like some one-and-done programs recruit. Carolina obviously wants a foundation of experience supplemented by young stars who may be gone after a year or two.
That has been the Carolina Way since the Dean Smith era, and it still is with Davis figuring out how to mesh the two prospect pools into the best sustained program, year after year. It may not be a guaranteed plan, but one Hubert wants and has been successful formulating so far.
Featured image via 247 Sports
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Personally, I’d rather have student athletes rather than OAD players. I’m happy to see that Hubert seems to think the same way, albeit with a sprinkling of potential OAD players.
As a reminder, Coach Williams produced three championships during his Carolina tenure Vs the one of Kentucky and two at dook.
Correct.Experience is the key.No substitute for it.