A look at how UNC's 2024 class could play out

UNC started the 2022-23 season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. The Tar Heels were coming off a run to the National Title game and a 2022 high school class that ranked 17th in the On3 team rankings.

The season has started, and UNC sits at 5-4, in desperate need of depth. The 2023 recruiting class of five-star G Simeon Wilcher and four-star C Zayden High ranks 10th in the On3 team rankings. With the recruiting class pointed in the right direction, I wanted to take an early look at how the 2024 class was shaping up.

Second-year UNC head coach Hubert Davis does not cast a wide net in the recruiting process. He would prefer to target specific players and build those relationships. The Tar Heels already have two players committed in 2024 and have less than ten offers extended. Let’s look through how the class could shape up.

**updated to show Elliot Cadeau as a commitment.

Committed

Four-star SG Drake Powell

Height/Weight: 6-6/175
High school: Pittsboro (NC) Northwood High
On3 Consensus: No. 51

Drake Powell has confidently started his junior season averaging 22.3 points on 61 percent shooting. The wing is thought of as a premier perimeter defender, fitting the mold of the connective wing the Tar Heels have had so much success with in the past. Powell’s dad played baseball at UNC, and his mom has multiple degrees from the university.

Four-star PG Elliot Cadeau

Height/Weight: 6-2/170
High school: Branson (MO) Link Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 10

Elliot Cadeau played up on Nike’s EYBL 17u Circuit this summer with the NH Lightning program. Cadeau averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.3 steals during Peach Jam. He also shot 48.7 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three. Cadeau took three official visits, first was to Texas Tech, then UNC (on 10/7), and last was to Louisville. There is also some talk surrounding Cadeau possibly reclassifying into 2023.

Top targets

Four-star PF Jarin Stevenson

Height/Weight: 6-8/210
High school: Pittsboro (NC) Seaforth High
On3 Consensus: No. 19

Over the past two Summers, Jarin Stevenson has been one of the most efficient offensive players on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. This Summer, the 6-foot-8 power forward finished in the 98th percentile among his peers in points per possession and had a 60.4 percent effective field goal percentage. Stevenson has started his high school year 3-1 and is averaging 24.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. His mother played at UNC, and his high school is less than 20 miles from the Dean Dome.

Four-star C James Brown

Height/Weight: 6-9/215
High school: Chicago (IL) St. Rita’s
On3 Consensus: No. 28

James Brown has a strong frame and a motor that runs hot. He averaged 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during Nike’s Peach Jam. The post also only game up 0.412 points per possession, grading in the 89th percentile among his peers. Brown has taken all five junior year official visits, with UNC getting theirs on the October 15 weekend.

Four-star PG Boogie Fland

Height/Weight: 6-3/160
High school: White Plains (NY) Archbishop Stepinac
On3 Consensus: No. 9

Boogie Fland played for the USA Basketball u17 team this summer, as they won a gold medal, going 7-0, in the FIBA world event. Fland scored 24 points and dished out 6 assists in Stepinac’s season-opening win against five-star Ian Jackson. Fland has taken only one official visit, and that was to UNC on the October 28 weekend. He attends the same high school RJ Davis did.

Long shots

Four-star SF Trentyn Flowers

Height/Weight: 6-8/185
High school: Lincolnton (NC) Combine Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 16

Four-star SG Cam Scott

Height/Weight: 6-5/175
High school: Lexington (SC) High
On3 Consensus: No. 23

Five-star SG Tre Johnson

Height/Weight: 6-5/180
High school: Dallas (TX) Lake Highland
On3 Consensus: No. 1

Five-star SG Ian Jackson

Height/Weight: 6-5/180
High school: Bronx (NY) Cardinal Hayes
On3 Consensus: No. 2