UNC landed its first top 10 men’s basketball recruit since 2014 on Wednesday evening, with the commitment of Class of 2018 prospect Nassir Little.

A 6-foot-7-inch wing forward from Orlando, Florida (Orlando Christian Prep), Little chose the Tar Heels over Duke, Georgia Tech, Arizona and Miami.

Listed as the No. 10 senior in America by Scout.com, he is UNC’s highest-ranked recruit since Justin Jackson, and becomes the third member of a loaded recruiting class for head coach Roy Williams–one which already includes highly-touted guards Coby White and Rechon “Leaky” Black.

“I just love Coach Williams,” Little said, in an interview with ESPN. “He really cares about the players off the court, which is important. They’re a basketball school, which is something I wanted to be a part of.

“Coach Roy really knows how to win,” he added. “I love winning. I really do. And that’s important to me.”

The interesting part of Little’s recruitment, however, is that he was previously thought to be favoring either Arizona or Miami.

Both of those schools are sponsored by Adidas, and more importantly, both were mentioned in the recent FBI investigation surrounding bribery and improper benefits in college basketball.

Brad Augustine, who was the program director for Little’s AAU program (1 Family Hoops), was one of 10 men arrested in the scheme.

Upon the release of that news, Little dropped both schools from his list.

On the court, however, he should provide UNC with a versatile wing who has drawn comparisons to current San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard.

His physical style of play–paired with his great size and a silky, smooth jumper–is exactly what pro scouts look for in terms of a game-changing player.

Little averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game as a high school junior during Orlando Christian Prep’s run to the state championship.

 

 

Photo via Scout.com

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