North Carolina inks four in Hubert Davis' first recruiting class

On3 imageby:Keegan Pope11/11/21

bykeeganpope

In the first full recruiting class of the post-Roy Williams era, North Carolina inked four 2022 prospects, including two of the country’s top 40 players.

The Tar Heels’ quartet of signees ranks No. 16 nationally and No. 3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. Headlining the group is Gary (Ind.) West Side forward Jalen Washington, who checks in at No. 32 in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

“The young men we want to sign have to be able to shoot and be versatile guys who can play multiple positions,” North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said in a press release. “We were specifically looking in this class for a point guard, a shooter with size and two big men who are versatile on both ends of the floor, and we were able to get all of that with these four players.”
 
Joining Washington are four-star guard Seth Trimble, four-star forward Tyler Nickel and three-star center Will Shaver. Trimble is the younger brother of J.P. Tokoto, who played for North Carolina from 2012-15.

Here’s what Davis had to say about each:

Jalen Washington

“Jalen is the best shooting big in the country in this class. His touch from 12-15 feet in the mid-post is outstanding. I can’t remember a guy who will be coming into college who is that skilled. He is athletic, has great size and is a good passer. I’ve talked about wanting versatile bigs who can score in the post and are excellent offensive rebounders, and he can also defend guards on the perimeter. That’s what I want and we got the best one.”

Seth Trimble

“Seth is the fastest point guard in the country with the ball. He’s the most athletic point guard, combo guard in the country. As good as he is, his ceiling is ridiculous. He’s the best on-the-ball defender I saw as we evaluated the class of 2022. Seth can pick up full court and create havoc on the defensive end and with his athleticism and speed he is almost impossible to stop at driving the ball into the paint. He is a true point guard in that he loves to get people involved.”

Tyler Nickel

“We knew we had to improve our shooting and Tyler’s not only a great shooter but a tremendous all- around player at his size. He’s a wing that is outstanding defensively and competes hard on both ends of the floor. He is built to play on the biggest stage. He desperately wants to be on the floor against the best players and teams in the country. His relentless work ethic and skill give him a chance to be one of the best wings ever to play at UNC. I’ll never have to coach effort or motivate Tyler to play hard on every possession because the passion to play is built into his character.” 

Will Shaver

“Will is a versatile big. He can consistently score in the post with either hand and can shoot it well from three. He is effective in pick and roll and pick and pop situations, and he loves to pass. He’s a really good passer out of the post, so when teams have to double team him, because he can score, he has the ability to find open shooters all over the floor. He holds a special place for me because he was the first 2022 kid to commit.”