By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina has focused heavily on the point guard position in the 2027 recruiting class, with two five-star recruits visiting on campus in consecutive weeks.
Beckham Black (left photo) was in Chapel Hill on Saturday. Nasir Anderson (right photo) was scheduled to visit Wednesday. Both are nationally ranked among the top prospects in the class, giving Coach Michael Malone two high-level lead guards to pursue as he works to build UNC’s first full high school recruiting class.
Black, a 6–3, 180-pound guard from Southeastern Prep, is ranked No. 1 nationally in the 247 Composite rankings.
Black entered the fall as one of the most coveted players in the country after a strong summer with AB Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit. He averaged 21.7 points, 5.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals during the EYBL season.
Black played for the United States at the FIBA U17 World Cup last summer in Türkiye, averaging 12.3 points, and 8.3 assists. He had 12 points and 10 assists in the gold-medal-winning 107–91 victory over Serbia.
His UNC visit came one week after five-star prospects CJ Rosser and Jordan Page made visits to Chapel Hill. Black and Rosser are teammates at Southeastern Prep, adding another connection between UNC’s recruitment of the two players.
Black, the younger brother of Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black, has already made official visits to Florida, Texas and Georgetown in addition to UNC.
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Now Malone’s attention turns to another elite lead guard.
Anderson, a 6–3 guard at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., originally was expected to visit UNC later in the fall. But after canceling a planned trip to Southern Cal, Anderson and his family worked with UNC associate head coach Chuck Martin to move the visit to Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Anderson is ranked No. 10 nationally and No. 4 among point guards in the 247 Composite rankings.
Anderson’s recruitment already includes a North Carolina connection beyond the upcoming visit. Malone visited Prolific Prep on Sept. 10 to watch Anderson and fellow 2027 UNC target Lewis Uvwo.
Anderson announced a top-10 list in August that included UNC, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, Providence, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia, UConn and USC.
He has already made official visits to Providence and Virginia, with additional visits to Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia scheduled for October.
The two guards have taken somewhat different paths into the fall. Anderson’s summer was interrupted by hip surgery in June, which curtailed his AAU season, although he is expected to be ready for the upcoming high school season.
Anderson played for the United States in the 2025 U16 AmeriCup, averaging 12.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists. He collected 12 points and seven assists in the 108–71 gold-medal-winning victory over Canada.
For Malone, the back-to-back visits represent another opportunity to establish UNC with two players who could anchor the 2027 backcourt, although the Tar Heels aren’t likely to get commitments from both.
UNC targets
Class of 2027
| Pos. | Stars | Name | Hgt | Wgt | Hometown | Rank * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | 5 | Nasir Anderson | 6–4 | 205 | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | 10 |
| PG | 5 | Beckham Black | 6–3 | 180 | Orlando, Fla. | 1 |
| CG | 5 | NaVorro Bowman Jr. | 6–3 | 180 | Sherman Oaks, Calif. | 11 |
| CG | 5 | Jalen Davis | 6–3 | 165 | Bremerton, Wash. | 16 |
| CG | 5 | Adan Diggs | 6–5 | 180 | Goodyear, Ariz. | 6 |
| W | 5 | Jordan Page | 6–5 | 205 | Raleigh | 12 |
| SF | 5 | Demarcus Henry | 6–7 | 190 | Chandler, Ariz. | 3 |
| SF | 4 | Asa Montgomery | 6–7 | 195 | Powder Springs, Ga. | 8 |
| SF | 5 | AJ Williams | 6–8 | 210 | McDonough, Ga. | 5 |
| PF | 5 | CJ Rosser | 6–10 | 195 | Orlando, Fla. | 2 |
| C | 5 | Paul Osaruyi | 6–10 | 220 | Scottsdale, Ariz. | 20 |
| C | 5 | Lewis Ovwo | 6–10 | 225 | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | 7 |
Class of 2028
| Pos. | Stars | Name | Hgt | Wgt | Hometown | Rank* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CG | 5 | Brady Pettigrew | 6–3 | 185 | Bolingbrook, Ill. | 14 |
| SF | 5 | Colton Hiller | 6–6 | 210 | Coatesville, Pa. | 1 |
| C | 5 | Dylan Betts | 7–3 | 230 | Bradenton, Fla. | 12 |
| C | 5 | Yann Kamagate | 7–0 | 230 | La Canada Flintridge, Calif. | 2 |
Photos courtesy of FIBA
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