North Carolina lands nation's No. 5 player in Nassir Little
Fresh off 2017's national championship, Roy Williams and North Carolina landed their first top five prospect in eight years when five-star Nassir Little committed on Wednesday.
Ranked No. 5 nationally, the 6-foot-7 wing from Florida is the highest-ranked player to commit to the Tar Heels since No. 2 overall Harrison Barnes from the class of 2010. For Little, picking Carolina was an easy choice.
“Growing up, North Carolina had always been that school that I liked watching play and I always told my mom and dad I wanted to go there because of the way they play," Little told Rivals.com. "I never thought that I would have the chance to play there but now that I do it’s amazing."
It took more than just dreaming of playing in Chapel Hill to land Little, though. It took a great relationship with Williams that was built on honesty.
"He’s a nice and warm guy, and he’s really honest and tells me the truth about how I’m going to have to come in and work to play," Little said. "It shows he's got equality in how he treats everybody as players and that nothing is given.”
The Heels already landed commitments from high-scoring top 35 combo guard Coby White and four-star jack-of-all-trades wing Rechon Black. They add a difference-maker in Little because of his athleticism, strength and expanded perimeter game. He's certainly confident of his ability to come in and contribute.
“For me personally I’ve just improved my skill set and I’ve tried to work on my game from the perimeter with my jump-shooting, ball-handling and playmaking," he said. "I’ve made a huge leap in just one year with my skill set.”
The addition of Little moves UNC to No. 2 overall in the 2018 team recruiting rankings and with his commitment out of the way he's looking forward to enjoying his senior year.
“I’m excited," Little said. "I can really focus. The recruiting process has been really tiring and to be be done with it is a relief. It was fun while it lasted but I’m ready to move on."
