Tag: Zayden High

Hubert Davis praises Zayden High after 81-69 win over Oklahoma

Hubert Davis praises freshman forward Zayden High after an 81-69 win over Oklahoma.

This season, [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] has been utilizing his talents from off the bench, and one freshman has started to carve his path into the rotation.

UNC 4-star freshman forward [autotag]Zayden High[/autotag] talents were on full display in Wednesday night’s 81-69 victory over Oklahoma. High tied his highest minute total with 12 in the win, the first time he’s logged double-digit minutes since November in the win against UC Riverside.

What was so impressive about High performance wasn’t what was on the stat sheet but the energy he brought to the court, producing in critical minutes. Following the game, Hubert Davis raved to media about High’s impact in the late night win.

“You see his energy? He competes! I love it. When you see that type of passion and that will and want to. His number was called tonight, and he stepped up. It won’t show up huge on the box score, but a huge determining factor in us winning this game was him…He does exactly what I ask him to do. I’m very proud of him.”

It will be intriguing to see how many times High Number gets called this season after producing the results Davis was looking for.

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UNC Basketball Roundtable: Who will be Tar Heels’ most surprising player?

Our UNC basketball round table takes a look at who will be the most surprising Tar Heel for the 2023-24 season.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will begin the 2023-24 season on Monday, hosting Radford in a non-conference battle in the Dean Dome.

UNC’s program is coming off a tough season last year, missing out on the NCAA Tournament after being the preseason No. 1. But this team will have a new look in Hubert Davis’ third season.

The Tar Heels were very active in the transfer portal, losing key members while also utilizing it to add to the roster. In all, the Tar Heels added three new starters as well as some key depth pieces. The hope is that they improved the roster despite losing players from last season and can make a run at the NCAA Tournament again.

As we get set for the new season, we decided to do a roundtable here at Tar Heels Wire, answering questions about UNC as well as the ACC. First up in the series is a look at who we think will be the most surprising player on the roster this season.

UNC Basketball 2023-24 player preview: Zayden High

Our UNC basketball 2023-24 season player preview continues with freshman power forward Zayden High.

The UNC basketball program is preparing for its 2023-2024 season, looking to bounce back from last year’s nightmare.

It has been quite an adventure for the Tar Heels since they last walked off the court, with significant movement coming from the transfer portal. Caleb Love will not be in Carolina Blue this year, and it is not because he enlisted for the NBA draft. Instead, he will be in Arizona as a member of the Wildcats.

Love is not the only main Heel left in the offseason for new threads. Puff Johnson, D’Marco Dunn, Justin McKoy, Will Shaver, Dontrez Styles, and Tyler Nickel transferred from UNC.

What became a depleted roster created new opportunities to build, and that is precisely what UNC did, using RJ Davis and Armando Bacot as their corner pieces. One of those new pieces is four-star freshman Zayden High.

With the season near, we move on to the following player preview with Zayden High up next.

Where UNC basketball signees sit in final 2023 ESPN rankings

ESPN updated its final class of 2023 player rankings this week, with both of UNC basketball’s signees sitting in the top-75.

As the 2023 class winds down its high school year, the final class rankings have started to come out. For UNC basketball’s two-man class, both players landed in the top 100.

UNC’s class of [autotag]Simeon Wilcher[/autotag] and [autotag]Zayden High[/autotag] ranks No. 24 in the ESPN team rankings. Originally, UNC’s class included the top overall prospect in the class, GG Jackson, before he reclassified to 2022 and flipped his commitment to South Carolina.

Either way, the Tar Heels ended up with two four-star prospects.

Simeon Wilcher finished at No. 27 overall while Zayden High was No. 75 in the class.

ESPN recruiting analysts Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi broke down UNC’s class.

“Carolina had some misfortune in the 2023 class when elite prospect G.G. Jackson decommitted and ultimately wound up in the 2022 class with South Carolina. But Hubert Davis has a very good duo lined up at this stage. Five-star guard Wilcher has been in the fold for more than a year. He’s an excellent offensive player, capable of playing either guard spot and showing high-level ability as a scorer and creator. ESPN 100 forward Zayden High was a stock-riser during the spring and summer, bursting onto the scene during the April Nike EYBL sessions. High is an intriguing offensive piece given his ability to score inside but also stretch the floor with his shooting ability.”

Joining the two-man high school class next season so far are Louisville transfer forward Jae’Lyn Withers and Brown transfer wing Paxson Wojcik.

Both Wilcher and High are expected to be multi-year players in Chapel Hill.

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Key UNC target talks potential of reclassifying to 2023 class

Key 2024 UNC basketball target discusses the potential of reclassifying to the 2023 class — leaving the door open to make the move.

While the UNC basketball 2023 recruiting class is just a two-man class at the moment, there is the possibility of adding to it.

Four-star guard Simeon Wilcher and four-star forward Zayden High will enroll in the summer … but could a five-star join them?

Current 2024 top-15 forward [autotag]Jarin Stevenson[/autotag] has had rumors about his potentially reclassifying surrounding his recruitment. As of now, he’s staying in 2024, but he is not closing the door on a move to the 2023 class.

“Right now, it is just an option, there is nothing set in stone,” Stevenson told 247Sports. “I am still seeing things out and testing what the schools got and seeing if it is the best option. I think the odds are between 40- and 50-percent (to reclassify).”

The 6-foot-10 Stevenson is the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2024 class in the 247Sports rankings. He is also the top overall prospect in North Carolina and the No. 2 overall power forward.

Throughout his recruitment, Stevenson has visited UNC numerous times, and he’s planning another return visit after the college season ends.

NC State, Duke, Virginia, Missouri, Georgetown, Arkansas and others are some of the main programs involved in his recruitment.

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Hubert Davis on Simeon Wilcher: ‘He can be dominant on both ends of the court’

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis comments on the signing of five-star guard Simeon Wilcher.

The UNC basketball program signed the final member of its class of 2023 on Tuesday afternoon as five-star guard [autotag]Simeon Wilcher[/autotag] put pen to paper and made it official.

Wilcher, ranked No. 19 overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings, joins four-star forward Zayden High who officially signed with UNC last week.

Wilcher will come to Carolina after the expected departure of at least one member of its backcourt in Caleb Love and a potential departure of RJ Davis. Because of that Wilcher will be expected to step in immediately to provide an impact.

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis spoke publicly for the first time on Wilcher. 

“We’re very excited about Simeon joining Carolina Basketball. He is exactly what we were looking for and what we wanted in a guard in the class of 2023. He has a skilled combination of size, athleticism and competitiveness, is an excellent on-ball defender, can really shoot well and is a fantastic finisher at the basket. What really sets him apart is his terrific understanding of when to pass and when to shoot. He can be dominant on both ends of the court and he simply makes everyone around him better, which is one of the reasons his team is ranked No. 1 in the country. Simeon and his family are the kind of people we are always looking for to be a part of this program.”

The 6-foot-5 guard led Roselle Catholic (NJ) to a New Jersey State Championship as a junior while averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the State Title game.

UNC’s 2023 two-man recruiting class ranks No. 26 in the country.

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Hubert Davis comments on Zayden High signing: ‘Exactly what we wanted’

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis comments on the signing of 2023 four-star forward Zayden High.

The early signing period for the class of 2023 began on Wednesday and runs through Nov. 16. On day one, four-star forward [autotag]Zayden High[/autotag] made it official as he put pen to paper to officially become part of the UNC basketball program.

High, ranked No. 55 in the 247Sports class of 2023 rankings, committed to North Carolina in October a few weeks after his official visit.

On Wednesday, UNC head coach Hubert Davis made his first official comments on the addition of the 6-foot-9 forward.

“Zayden is the perfect example of the modern-day big man with his all-around skills, abilities to make plays at multiple positions and shoot the ball as well as any player with his size in this class,” Davis said in a statement. “He’s a great kid that comes from a wonderful family. He’s exactly what we wanted and needed in this class. In addition to his great basketball IQ, he can defend all five positions, runs the floor well and is an excellent finisher and rebounder. We are very excited Zayden and his family are Tar Heels.”

High picked the Tar Heels over Arkansas, Texas, Michigan, and Villanova.

UNC was actively pursuing High months ago before the commitment of GG Jackson. After that, they backed off of High. Once Jackson de-committed, however, High became one of the top targets for North Carolina.

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Zayden High signs letter of intent with UNC basketball

UNC basketball commit Zayden High wasted no time signing his letter of intent on Wednesday.

Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball staff will welcome in a two-man recruiting class for the 2023 cycle as they push forward for the future of the program. While it will be a long time before [autotag]Simeon Wilcher[/autotag] and [autotag]Zayden High[/autotag] get on campus, the two are set to sign their letters of intent here in November.

And on Wednesday, High wasted no time doing that.

High officially signed his letter of intent to join the University of North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, turning it in and officially becoming a Tar Heel. He opted to sign during the early period here rather than wait until later on to do so.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward out of Spring Branch, Texas committed to UNC back in October. He opted to join the Tar Heels over 20 other offers and it was s visit to Chapel Hill that really sealed the deal for him.

Wilcher is expected to sign his letter of intent later on in November.

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Insider hints that UNC is the leader for four-star recruit in 2023

Is the UNC basketball program the team to beat in the recruitment for four-star forward Zayden High? One national insider believes that’s the case.

The UNC basketball program is hoping to add one more player to its 2023 recruiting class, one that just has Simeon Wilcher committed. And they might just be the favorites for that remaining target.

On3 recruiting expert Jamie Shaw broke down the recruitment for Zayden High and where things possibly stand as of this month. High recently took a visit to North Carolina as he was on campus for what was supposed to be the Live Action event before it was rescheduled. High and his family reportedly enjoyed the visit and it may have been enough to catapult UNC into the lead.

Shaw wrote on the top three teams involved, UNC, Villanova, and Michigan, offering his thoughts on where things stand. And it’s GREAT news for UNC fans:

He does not have a commitment date set, and he says he wants to visit Arkansas before his commitment. It serves to be monitored if he does set, and take, that Arkansas visit. However, until then, UNC is trending in this recruitment.

While there are still a couple moving pieces which is why I am not quite ready to put in my expert pick into On3s Recruiting Prediciton Machine, things are moving in that direction. Watch for UNC as the current leader in the clubhouse for Zayden High, but do keep an eye on Arkansas.

Interesting.

It sounds like UNC has jumped into the lead in this recruitment with their biggest competition being Arkansas. Like it did with UNC, a good visit to Arkansas could change a lot of things.

However, the Tar Heels have to feel good with where things stand with this four-star recruiting target.

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Zayden High on UNC: ‘That was probably the best visit I’ve been on so far’

UNC basketball’s top 2023 target Zayden High said his visit to UNC ‘was probably the best visit’ he’s been on.

The UNC basketball program hosted its top 2023 target for an official visit this past weekend and it did not disappoint.

2023 four-star prospect [autotag]Zayden High[/autotag] was on campus for his third official visit, and his first trip to North Carolina. Following the visit, he had nothing but good things to say, including that it was ‘ probably the best visit’ he’d been on.

“As soon as we got out there, it was just pure love. The coaching staff up there, I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like they had everything together. They knew what they were doing,” High told On3.com. “There was no mishaps… That was probably the best visit I’ve been on so far. You can’t question UNC. Their facilities were top tier… They all took care of my family so it was all love.”

High released a top-5 list on Monday which consisted of UNC, Michigan, Texas, Villanova and Arkansas.

The four-star forward has taken three official visits to North Carolina, Michigan and Villanova and an unofficial visit to Texas.

At this point, he intends on taking a visit of some capacity to Arkansa before making his decision.

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