Photo: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Only One Future UNC Basketball Player Among Award Semifinalists
As of this week's reveal, Our Saviour Lutheran (N.Y.) five-star guard Ian Jackson is among the 10 Naismith Boys' High School Player of the Year Semifinalists. Neither of the other two early 2024 UNC basketball signees, Northwood (N.C.) five-star forward Drake Powell and Link Academy (Mo.) four-star center James Brown, is on the list.
Even so, with Jackson alone, the Tar Heels' count trails only Rutgers' two — at least for now, as the list includes one undecided senior in five-star forward Derik Queen plus two undecided five-star junior forwards in UNC targets AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer.
The omission of Brown, No. 71 on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, is no big surprise. After all, he wasn't on the 25-deep midseason team that the Naismith Awards announced three weeks ago.
But Powell, who ranks No. 10 in the class and is a McDonald's All-American Game selection alongside Jackson, was on that watchlist and looked like a contender to become a semifinalist.
Ian Jackson, the highest-ranked piece to the Tar Heels' haul at No. 8 overall, seems unlikely to win the award. It'll probably come down to Duke's top prize in five-star forward Cooper Flagg and Rutgers' gem in five-star forward Ace Bailey, No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the 2024 cycle.
However, that's not to say Jackson's performances have been anything short of sensational this season (see: his recent 33-point outing while battling the flu).
Since its inception in 1987, the Naismith has only once gone to a future UNC basketball talent: Latta (S.C.) five-star guard Raymond Felton in 2002.
Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball recruiting news.
