Cyrus McGowan, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward/center from Meridian (Miss.) High School, has made it no secret that he wants to play for Roy Williams at the University of North Carolina. But the No. 98 ranked player in the class of 2005 by Rivals.com has also kept his options open in case his dream of playing in Chapel Hill passes by. A number of programs have inquired but he’s got an idea of who he’d like to play for.

The Tar Heels have watched McGowan all summer and continue to communicate with the big man. In fact, they even called last week. But for the rising senior, he’s waiting for a scholarship offer.

“They called me a couple of days ago and said they didn’t have an offer for me but having them call was something major for me,” McGowan said. “Their tradition and their history is something you can’t beat. (Assistant) coach (Steve) Robinson said they are pretty stingy with scholarships and they just don’t hand them out on short notice so we’ll see what happens there.”

McGowan said he’d accept a scholarship offer from the Tar Heels “the minute the gave it to me” but he said that he wasn’t “waiting on them any more.”

After hustling and showing off his interior skills at the ABCD camp last month, McGowan said his recruitment began to move into high speed with schools dotting the nation inquiring.

“Stanford is starting to send me mail now and since the summer and I’ve heard from LSU, Mississippi State, Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Auburn, Colorado, Arkansas and some others. All of them, expect for Carolina and Stanford have offered but for right now, I’m only looking at a few.”

After sorting out the facts and interest levels, McGowan said a trio of schools have climbed to the top of his list of future homes.

“I like Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and Miami,” he said. “Those are my three if North Carolina doesn’t offer.”

So what does he like about the three schools on his list?

“I want to major in architecture and they have a strong engineering program so that is pretty important,” McGowan said. “I have a good relationship with (assistant coach) Robert Kirby, too. All of my family has gone there and Starkville is kind of like my home town -- small and quiet.”

McGowan also chimed on in the Yellow Jackets.

“They have some of the same things as State. (Georgia Tech’s) engineering program is top-notch,” he said. “Coach (Paul) Hewitt is a great guy and he’s told me some good things about the school. I like the fast pace of Atlanta. Plus, my mom brought up a good point with them. It’s far enough from home to let me get my own way of life and learn on my own.”

And Miami?

“Florida as a whole, I just like,” McGowan said. “I mean, I just love it. Outside of that, their basketball program is getting better and they are the Hurricanes. I love their football program. That is a big thing, they would be fun to be around and watch when I was in college.”

Even with a qualified score on the ACT, he said he will retake the test in October. McGowan’s academic standing is one of the major reasons why colleges are recruiting him so heavily. And with the test behind him, McGowan is eligible to take official visits but doesn’t have any solid plans to do so.

“I’ll probably go in mid September but for now, there isn’t anything done,” McGowan said. “I’d like to make a decision after I take the visits and commit sometime before the season gets started.”