UNC signee Simeon Wilcher: "I'm just excited to be a part of the whole Carolina family"
It’s been 460 days since Simeon Wilcher, one of the top guards in the class of 2023, committed to North Carolina.
I decided it was about time to catch-up with the future Tar Heel to discuss his game, the coaching staff’s recruiting pitch, his thoughts on fellow UNC signee Zayden High, and more.
What can UNC fans expect from you as a player?
Wilcher: “Energy. A winning spirit. Stepping in a situation like that, you have to be a person that knows how to win and play with amongst a whole bunch of good players. I’m just excited to be a part of the whole Carolina family. To have the opportunity to be apart of that legacy is amazing.”
What aspects of your game do you want to improve the most?
Wilcher: “My whole game needs to get tightened up, to be honest. But specifically what I’m working on now is pace. Because you see like in the NBA, like SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and all those guys that I watch, they don’t let nobody speed ’em up. They get to their position at the speed that they want to go. So that’s really what I’m working on.”
What was the coaching staff from UNC’s recruiting pitch to you?
Wilcher: “For me, it was the consistency. The consistency not just from the assistant coach, but from Coach Hubert (Davis) too. Like they were coming up to my school like once every week. And then when I got down there, it’s like, you can’t turn down playing on a big stage like this. Especially at North Carolina where it’s a school for guards like myself. There’s a whole bunch of successful guards that play there now and have played there in the past. Guys that were able to get to where I want to go. Then with coach Hubert playing in the league and him having the knowledge that I want him to pass down to me. So whenever it’s my turn to take that next step, I’ll be ready for it.”
Zayden High will be a freshman with you at North Carolina next year. What’s your scouting report on him?
Wilcher: “I ain’t gonna lie. I like him a lot, so it don’t matter what he brings (laughs). We just gonna get out there and hoop at the end of the day. But Zayden, of course he’s high energy guy. He could play inside or outside. But I’m excited. I feel like we gonna be real good, a force to be reckoned with.”
What are you most excited about, once you get on campus in Chapel Hill?
Wilcher: “Midnight madness, that’s what I’m excited about.”
*Simeon Wilcher committed to North Carolina at Midnight Madness on October 15th, 2021.
You’re playing with Mackenzie Mgbako (Duke signee) this high school season at Roselle Catholic. What do you think it’ll be like playing against him next season, when Duke and UNC face-off?
Wilcher: “It’s gonna be competitive for sure. We both have that competitive spirit. We’re cool off the court, but once we get in between those lines, it’s about us winning that game. My team against his. There’s gonna be some competitiveness when we go at it.”
What’s a message that you have for the UNC fan base?
Wilcher: “I just want to say thank you. For welcoming me in with open arms. They love me on Twitter. I can always have support from them. I’m just super excited to really embrace it in person, once I get down there.”