Recruiting blog: A closer look on UNC basketball 2018 commits Coby White and Rechon Black
The North Carolina men's basketball team celebrates after defeating Gonzaga, 71-65, in the national championship game in April in Glendale, Ariz.
As of now, there are only two recruits from the 2018 class committed to UNC: combo guard Coby White and small forward Rechon "Leaky" Black.
Never mind the lack of commitments so far in this class: these two guys are pretty special. Both players are among the top 70 of 247Sports' 2018 class rankings, and they are teammates on Chris Paul’s AAU team "CP3" — whose former players include former Tar Heels Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston, Brice Johnson and current Tar Heel senior Theo Pinson.
Check out a breakdown of White and Black below.
Coby White
White, a current senior at Greenfield High School in Wilson, is a dynamic playmaker all over the court who demonstrated in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League this summer that he can hit the three and take on anyone in the paint.
Ranked as the top recruit in North Carolina by both ESPN and 247Sports, and also rated as a top 25 recruit nationally, White has great height for a combo guard. 247Sports lists him at 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, which is lean, but decent size for an ACC point guard. (For reference, current UNC senior Joel Berry II is 6-foot, 195 pounds.)
Despite his size, his skill set and athleticism could more than compensate.
In this year's EYBL season, he averaged 21.6 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and 34 percent behind the arc. He also averaged 3.1 assists per game, 3.5 rebounds per game and 1.3 steals per game.
White's game is likely to draw comparisons to that of former N.C. State and current Dallas Mavericks' player Dennis Smith Jr. In terms of a UNC comparison, his athleticism and ability to explode to the rim are very similar to J.P. Tokoto’s.
Rechon Black
After attending Montverde Academy in Florida for his junior season, Black is playing his final high school season at Cox Mill High School in Concord. Although listed as a small forward, he can also play at guard.
Coming in at 6-foot-7 and 175 pounds, according to 247Sports, Black is rated fourth in the state by ESPN, and fifth in the state by 247Sports. ESPN has him significantly higher in the national comparison, coming in at 48th compared to 247Sports’ rank of 62nd.
Just like White, Black has a knack to attack the rim and shoot the three. However, Black's explosive ability and creativity as a playmaker were not on display as much as White's this summer. Black could have the ball skills to be the primary point guard after Berry graduates. At the same time, it is possible that Black may play off the ball to make room for White and current UNC first-year Jalek Felton on the perimeter.
During the EYBL season, Black averaged 8.6 points, 4.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on 43 field percentage. His numbers aren’t staggering, and they certainly don’t depict the potential impact he could have on the Tar Heel basketball program. Having a 6-foot-7 ballhandler has boded well for UNC (Exhibit A: 2016-17 ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson), and having a player who can fill in at the guard positions will be helpful since Berry and Pinson will graduate in the spring.
Another reason Black may be a great fit for this Tar Heel team when the fall of 2018 rolls around is that he thrives in transition — one of the aspects of the game UNC basketball prides itself on year in and year out. He also has demonstrated a strong mid-range game, creating space with his ball skills and his length.
Black could use improvement on his consistency from behind the arc. Black isn’t expected to light up the scoreboard like White does. His impact is seen in his defense and ability to move the ball, much like Pinson.
Black is set to make an official visit Oct. 13 at Late Night with Roy.
Another Name to Know: Romeo Langford
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Romeo Langford, who is rated as the top shooting guard prospect in the country and fifth overall by both ESPN and 247Sports, will also be making an official visit to UNC for Late Night with Roy.
The guard is considering six other schools per ESPN, but would be one of Roy Williams' biggest gets for the 2018 Tar Heel recruiting class.
Although White and Black won’t take the court as Tar Heels until the 2018-19 season, once they do, their impact should be worth the wait. If UNC is also able to snag Langford, Tar Heel fans will have a lot to look forward to for the 2018-19 season — and beyond.
