North Carolina, Gonzaga in thick of hunt for five-star Isiah Harwell
The No. 9 player in the 2025 class, Isiah Harwell is as in-demand as any prospect in the country. The Idaho-born star boasts a top nine consisting of North Carolina, Gonzaga, Baylor, Houston, Texas, UCLA, Cal, Alabama, and Idaho State, but it doesn't seem as though all nine stand on equal footing .
Rivals recently caught up with Harwell to discuss his upcoming visit to Gonzaga, which is scheduled for Feb. 3 as well as the other schools in the thick of the race to land his pledge.
ON GONZAGA
“They recruited my oldest brother a while ago, so we built our relationship that way. We’ve always been talking about what my role there would be and all that.”
ON OTHER SCHOOLS HEAVILY IN THE MIX
“My whole top 9 is involved, but I have a visit to Cal scheduled right now too. I’m finalizing that, though.”
ON CAL
“I just like the place. I like Cal a lot. It’s a cool place and I like that Jaylen Brown played there, and they say I could play like him there. I’m excited to get there.”
ON PREVIOUS VISITS
“I’ve only visited UNC and Gonzaga so far.”
ON WHAT HE’S HOPING TO GET OUT OF HIS SECOND GONZAGA VISIT
“I just want to be more involved now on that second visit. I want to really hang out with the team more and see how they work.”
ON NORTH CAROLINA
“That’s been my dream school growing up, and the visit was amazing. Just being able to sit down and have a conversation with Hubert Davis and all the coaching staff was cool.”
ON UNC’S SEASON SO FAR
“They’re playing good, team basketball. Elliot [Cadeau] is moving that thing around and getting everyone involved. I like that.”
ON HOW HE DESCRIBES HIS GAME
“I’d say I’m a two-way player and a three-level scorer.”
RIVALS REACTION: There’s still plenty of time left in Harwell’s recruitment, so things could change as he continues to take visits. For the time being, however, Gonzaga and North Carolina feel like the clear frontrunners. The five-star guard’s second visit to Spokane could provide Gonzaga with the opportunity to separate itself from the pack, however, so February could be a massively important month for Harwell’s process.