Simeon Wilcher signs with North Carolina
On3 Consensus five-star recruit Simeon Wilcher has made it official, signing his National Letter of Intent to North Carolina.
The 6-foot-4 class of 2023 combo guard out of Roselle (N.J.) Catholic committed to the Tar Heels over a year ago, back in October of 2021. He picked UNC over offers from Oregon, Ohio State, UConn, Kansas, and others.
Wilcher’s future Tar Heel teammate, Zayden High, signed his NLI to Carolina on Wednesday.
Wilcher ranks as the No. 17 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, the average ranking from all four major recruiting media companies.
Wilcher on his commitment to UNC
“The environment, the fans, the coaching staff, the players on the team, the GA’s… the entire environment made it feel like a second home,” Wilcher said in a previous interview with On3. “There was no need to mess around or beat around the bush because this opportunity doesn’t come for everybody. I wanted to lock it in so now I can be stress-free and go out there and play my game and hoop without any worries about this college stuff anymore.”
The history of North Carolina played a part in Wilcher’s decision
“The lineage and the history that they have.. that’s always been a factor for me,” Wilcher said. “When we went on campus to see the school and to talk to the coaches and see everything… It made me feel like this is the spot for me. Especially with me having the goal of playing in the NBA. The whole coaching staff played at North Carolina, and they all came back so that just says something about how Carolina is as a whole.”
Wilcher’s relationship with UNC’s coaching staff played a role
“The entire coaching staff has great energy and they are all positive people,” Wilcher said. “They’re good people to be around. That really played a big part. I have a great relationship with Coach (Jeff) Lebo and Coach Hubert (Davis). It really says a lot because me being a junior, a lot of head coaches don’t really go out and try to recruit people as hard as they do. I feel like with a school like North Carolina, you can’t just sit around and waste time. You gotta get it done so by the time you can go there, you already know everything. It makes it easier for you to translate everything.”
Scouting Summary
This season Wilcher has played with a sense of fearlessness. He has a good frame and is an athletic, aggressive downhill scorer. Wilcher has played a lot as the primary initiator this high school season, but he is wired to score. He has a nice pull-up jumper that can get streaky – but still a threat – from beyond the arc. Wilcher has upside as a defensive stopper. Would like to see him survey the floor better with the ball in his hands and shoot it more cleanly when off the ball. Wilcher has the natural tools you cannot teach and things seem to all be coming to gether for him this high school year. – On3’s Jamie Shaw