National Signing Day

Allow me to introduce UNC’s #1 ranked 2009 recruiting class.

John Henson, PF/C, 6-10, 200 lbs
High School: Sickles HS, Tampa, FL
Scout.com Rank: #3 overall, #1 at position, 5 stars

Based on what I have read John Henson is a freak of nature.  Originally played a lot at guard until he shot up in height which means he is extremely versatile.  Henson has risen in the rankings by leaps and bounds.  Scout.com says he can face the basket, runs the court well and is a shot blocker.  That pretty much constitutes everything Roy Williams would like to see from a 6-10 power forward.

Dexter Strickland, PG/SG, 6-3, 175 lbs
High School: St. Patrick HS, Elizabeth, NJ
Scout.com Rank: #18 overall, #4 at position, 5 stars

Dexter Strickland is a combo guard which means he could easily slide into either the PG or SG slots depending on the situation.  I would imagine he would play more SG than PG with Larry Drew already in Chapel Hill, even more so if the NCAA grants Bobby Frasor a fifth season.  Strickland is a scorer and should be better at scoring in the lane or finishing at the rim than Wayne Ellington has been so far.

Travis Wear, PF, 6-9, 225 lbs
High School: Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, CA
Scout.com Rank: #41 overall, #14 at position, 4 stars

One half of the Wear Twins who both committed to UNC very early on.  Wear fits the mold of what Roy is looking for in his power forwards which is players who can run the floor, shoot from the perimeter, handle the ball and generally play all over the place.  In getting both twins UNC also has the benefit of two players who have played with each other and bring some level of instant chemistry if they are on the court at the same time.

David Wear, PF, 6-9, 225 lbs
High School: Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, CA
Scout.com Rank: #42 overall, #15 at position, 4 stars

See above. David does much the same things has his brother Travis and yes I will be referring to them by first name throughout there UNC careers.  Adding the Wear Twins to Henson, Deon Thompson, Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis means UNC will have an exceptionally deep frontcourt full of players who will be matchup nightmares given their versatility.

Leslie McDonald, SG/PG, 6-4, 185 lbs
High School: Briarcrest Christian Schools, Memphis, TN
Scout.com Rank: #63 overall, #13 at position, 4 stars

Scout.com describes Leslie McDonald like this:

One of the more coachable players. Resume of winning on the court and in the classroom. Handy wing player because he can chip in and be a jack of all trades type in college. Would like to see him be more aggressive and seek his offense.

In other words McDonald is the Jackie Manuel/Marcus Ginyard.  McDonald will be your quintessential role utility player at UNC which has a long line of players whose primary contribution to the team was making the little plays and being a stopper on defense.  It is the type of player who does not show up as a huge contributor on the stat sheet but for some reason you cannot win a national title without them.  McDonald will be that guy.  Roy loves smart, coachable players who work hard and now how to win.  McDonald is that kind of guy.

Final Thoughts

Another huge class for Roy Williams who still might add to it with some lower ranked project players since there will be some free scholarships at the end of this season and I also think he has one in the bag at present.  This class constitutes the 2nd #1 ranked class for Roy since arriving in Chapel Hill and his fourth top ten class since taking over the program in 2003.  The class of 2010 is already shaping up while the graduation/NBA defections coming at the end of this season will deprive the program of experienced talent, there is enough in pipeline to keep UNC near the top of the college basketball world in the forseeable future.

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