UNC Basketball Veteran May Be Recruiting Five-Star Behind the Scenes

On Friday, UNC basketball senior guard RJ Davis was back at his old stomping grounds, prep powerhouse Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.).

Conveniently, his time there included a workout alongside a prime target for the Tar Heels on the 2024 trail in five-star guard Boogie Fland, No. 9 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite.

Landing the 6-foot-3, 165-pound slick bucket-getter, whose penchant for heating up may be unmatched among his peers, would help solidify UNC's spot atop the class ranking. As things stand, the archrival Blue Devils lurk, needing only a pledge from admitted Duke basketball fan Cooper Flagg, No. 1 overall, to overtake the Tar Heels.

Boogie Fland is a skilled, shot-making guard.

He’s not only one of the best tough shot-makers in the class but he’s long, young for his grade, & evolving as a handler.

Summer scouting series: https://t.co/oUii5MKPNz pic.twitter.com/37nMW4tWWL
— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) August 9, 2023

In July, Fland revealed eight finalists: UNC, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, St. John's, and UConn. No doubt that's a loaded field.

Meanwhile, his list of upcoming official visits — to Kentucky, Alabama, and Maryland in September — doesn't include UNC. Not yet, anyway.

But seeing that he is the only remaining undecided 2024 recruit who holds a UNC basketball offer and hasn't eliminated the Tar Heels from contention, the staff in Chapel Hill should have no trouble making him feel like a top priority.

Furthermore, it's worth noting Fland hasn't specified a definitive timeline for choosing a winner in his recruitment, and the 247Sports Crystal Ball remains empty.

"When I feel it's right, I'll know," Fland said about his decision to Rivals' Rob Cassidy in May.

Judging by the photos below, it looks as though RJ Davis, UNC's top returning scorer and distributor from last season at 16.1 points and 3.2 assists per game, likely only strengthened the Tar Heels' chances in the Boogie Fland sweepstakes:

RJ Davis returned to his high school, Archbishop Stepinac, today…here are some action shots. 🔥🐏

Also, your eyes aren’t tricking you…that is #UNCTarget Boogie Fland 👀

(📸 step_basketball) pic.twitter.com/JupXMEw0WE
— The Tar Heel Story (@tarheelstory) August 17, 2023

Then there's this one with both wearing their "RJ Davis Skills Camp" gear:

Boogie Fland just needs to commit to UNC already 🐏😁👀 (📸 RJ Davis) pic.twitter.com/YkcEI69Q8u
— The Tar Heel Story (@tarheelstory) August 19, 2023

Thus far, third-year UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis and his crew have achieved the top-ranked 2024 haul via three heralded commits: Link Academy (Mo.) four-star center James Brown, Cardinal Hayes (N.Y.) five-star guard Ian Jackson, and Northwood (N.C.) five-star forward Drake Powell.

Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball recruiting news.