North Carolina has added a couple of blue chip recruits to the fold over the last several days. The nation’s top point guard in the 2024 class, Elliot Cadeau committed to the Tarheels on December 28. This week they added another big piece of the puzzle for the ’24 recruiting cycle.
On Monday, St. Rita (Chicago, Ill.) four-star center James Brown announced his commitment to North Carolina.
Extremely grateful and blessed to announce my commitment to the University of North Carolina!! Thank you to all of those who have helped me get to this point!! #goheels🐏 pic.twitter.com/aMl4D3XKlS
— James Brown13 (@JamesBrown13_24) January 2, 2023
Brown (6-foot-9, 210 pounds) is ranked No. 5 among centers in his class and first overall in the state of Illinois.
In an exclusive for Inside Carolina, Brown explained his decision:
“North Carolina is a beautiful place, and when I took my official visit I was blown away by the Smith Center. In an interview, my dad called it “basketball heaven” and he wasn’t wrong. You walk in the building and look up at the banners, see all the history of UNC basketball, and it honestly tugs at you. It kind of invites you to be a part of it. And I know they talk about it a lot, but it really does feel like a family. There were former players there during the visit, players’ parents, friends, spouses, and everyone.”
Brown says he also received college offers from Arizona State, DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Harvard, Howard, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Providence, Siena, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Western Illinois, and Wisconsin.
The scouting report on Brown from Eric Bossi at 247 Sports mentions an ability to finish around the rim with either hand, a variety of hook shots and up and under moves, plus good passing skills and decision making for a center.
In 13 games this season, Brown is averaging 10.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 58% from the floor.
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