Connect with us

Hoops

The Reload: Mike Boynton Trying to Build for 2019 and Beyond With North Carolina Prospects

Published

on

The biggest obstacle any new coach faces when taking over a college basketball program is in recruiting. Many times coaches — just like Mike Boynton — are taking over the helm of the program for the first time ever, which means in-roads must be paved, relationships built, and a travel budget worn thin to exhaust every possible avenue to land the best prospects.

Thus far Mike Boynton seems to have embraced the challenge, as he’s made a habit of hitting the trail recently after big wins over Kansas and West Virginia where he’s seen the No. 1 overall player in the 2020 class and a trio of in-state standouts with OSU offers.

The staff is still looking to cap the 2018 class with a boom in point guard Courtney Ramey, however for the most part, it’s on to 2019 and beyond as they build for the future. Here’s the latest on that with a handful of new offers out this week.

A standout from North Carolina’s Trinity Christian School, Greg Gantt is a rising star small forward with 15 offers and counting. Gantt is an uber-athletic, bouncy small forward with a nice jumper to boot. He’s rated as the No. 22 overall player at his position.

Gantt also has offers from Florida, Cincy and others. But until UNC and the schools in the Triangle pay attention, I’m not sure we know too much about where he’s leaning. It’s likely only a matter of time before the Tar Heels and NC State start paying attention to the local kid who jumps out of gyms.

Oklahoma State making a clean sweep with two of the top 5 players from North Carolina in the 2019 class would be something, huh? Adding Gantt and talented shooting guard Josh Nickelberry, ranked as the No. 49 player in the class nationally, would be quite the coup for Mikey B.

Nickelberry is a former Oak Hill Academy star (where talent gets churned out at an unreal level) who returned home last fall. For that reason, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him stay close to home for college; North Carolina is currently the 60 percent crystal ball favorite to land him.

The last hoops offer of note landed in the hands of 2020 Lakewood center Jamille Reynolds, a 6-10, 237-pounder quickly climbing the ranks in the recruiting world.

Reynolds has offers from James Madison and now Oklahoma State, as well as interest from Florida State, Florida, UCF, Baylor and Iowa State, among others. Even more impressive: schools are jumping in on him while he’s been on the bench with a torn meniscus.

The Lakewood High School product from Florida could be a big time star once his talent eventually returns to the floor. It’s a buy low, sell high prospect for Mike Boynton that’s worth the risk.

Most Read

Copyright © 2011- 2023 White Maple Media